Professor Sharon

At the Farmer’s Market this morning, someone asked me, after beginning with the comment that I didn’t have to answer if it was too personal, how was I feeling about this transition to my self-identity in this concept of retiring?  What a good question!

I’m not sure.  I know that I’ve asked several retirees about their transition, and the going advice was not to commit to too much for at least six months, if not a year.  I’ve tried hard to do that.  I know that I am not drawn to serve on a lot of Boards, and do thinking work.  I am wanting to work with young children, something I’ve actually always said I would do when I got to retire.  I have made one commitment to a local preschool public school to volunteer a couple of hours a week.

I don’t know altogether how to think about who I am in retirement.  Many of my roles will stay the same, with more time assigned to them without a doubt: wife, mother, and grandmother, and cook, and hobby doer.

Good question.  Who am I in retirement?