My mom retired about 6 months ago. I have seen her since she retired, but I hadn’t noticed how much more relaxed she is until she visited me the week before last. She’s not a big fan of dogs and has been giving me a hard time about my dogs for years.
I was surprised to see her actually play with my dogs. It almost seemed like…uh…she enjoyed it!
She delayed retiring for as long as possible, but finally could not take the stress of her job any more. One reason she didn’t stop working earlier is because she enjoyed having “extra” money to spend. She thought this would be the hardest part of adjusting to retirement. My mom is quite a shopper. She is also quite a giver. I think the hardest part for her is not being able to spoil her kids and grandkids.
The wonderful thing is that so far, she hasn’t missed the income. She has been taking the time to recover from years and years of workplace stress. She’s been doing what she enjoys…keeping her house clean and doing yard work…and savoring her morning coffee ritual at a local coffee shop. She has not been bored. Eventually, she will experiment with fun ways to earn money, but she is in no hurry.
It was so refreshing to see her more relaxed. Yeah, dogs are dirty and messy and expensive and sometimes annoying, but they are wonderful and therapeutic creatures. I am so glad she is finally at a point in her life where she can enjoy the smaller pleasures in life.
