It was after the second Woodland Park Zoo Board of Directors meeting of 2012, that I officially retired. Wooohoooooo!!! Finally, after 50 plus years of working for a living, I looked forward to doing whatever I wanted with each and every single day to come. Really, how hard could it be to be a retired person???


Well, after the initial novelty of waking up when I want, going to bed when I want, doing whatever I damn well please whenever I damn well please, I've come to the conclusion that retirement is both a blessing and a curse. It's definitely a blessing on days like today. Before it rained, I ran all my errands and took a two-mile walk with the neighbor. When the clouds parted and the sun broke through, outside I went to place slug bait around the dahlias just poking through the soil. I also took the opportunity to unwind and pull out the morning glory that keeps visiting from the greenbelt. I could not have done any of that had I been working.


Unfortunately, today also carries a bit of a curse. Even though I've rung several bells today, Pavlov or his assistant isn't going to provide me with a reward. Aside from patting myself on the back, there's no one who is going to say, "Great job!", or "Thank you for picking up the OJ, doing laundry, making dinner, etc.", or in any way provide me with any sort of positive feedback.


When I worked hard at my job...and I did every single day...there was always someone, whether it was my boss, coworkers, board members, other staff, who told me in some fashion that I had done a great job, was wonderful, terrific, irreplaceable, etc. I must admit I miss that...I miss that a lot!!!


So, here I am a couple of years later trying to figure out how to replace that paid-for (and earned) positivity with some kind of positivity about what I am accomplishing in retirement. I've decided to share my blessing and curses via this blog and hope to find enlightenment in the process.


Meanwhile, reader, are you retired, know someone who is, have any great ideas on how to adjust the curse of no positivity? If so, I would love to benefit from your knowledge.