Author: annemariedemyen

I love to read. I learned to read when I was three, being a part of my older siblings evening homework routine. As my mother drilled my sisters and brother in their alphabet, numbers, spelling and reading, I learned along with them.

Over the years, I have read for entertainment, education and necessity. I have read a number of self-help books, particularly enjoying those by Wayne Dyer and Louise Hay. When I began my countdown to retirement, my Kobo account was my go to place. Unfortunately most of the books that came up were financial planning guides. Obviously finances are a major part of retirement but that was not what I was looking for and I did not want to start obsessing over how or if we would survive financially. We are not wealthy by any means, but we have a modest lifestyle and will have the pension income to sustain it.

Failing to find a how to guide for preparing myself for retirement, I chose “Moment of Lift” by Melinda Gates. I found this book to be authentic and well worth the read. I would absolutely recommend it to anyone. I have never been a diehard feminist but I was drawn to her explanation of the movement and definitely agreed with the value she places on women in society.

On a personal note, I was led to question how I would self-identify once I retire. I have always described myself in terms of my relationships – daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother and by my occupation. I have not given a lot of thought to who I am, the type of person I am or my particular abilities. I believe this is a good time to delve a little deeper into myself to determine who I am and my path for the foreseeable future.

My mother lived to be ninety-five. Obviously there is no guarantee that I will follow suit, but it is definitely worth consideration. If I have another thirty or so years left, there is a lot more that I can do with my life or I can just let the time slip away. For me wasting a good thirty years is just not an option.