Retirement: A Full-Time Job

Great Blog Posts (That I Didn't Write!)

While I've been busy painting my bathroom, I haven't been posting much on my blog.  

Before:

After:

This is one of those things I was so excited to get to in retirement and the experience did not disappoint.  Radio blaring, sweat dripping off of me, transformation occurring RIGHT BEFORE MY VERY EYES; this is my kind of activity.  I even love the smell of those toxic fumes!  And it feels like a totally new room at practically no cost (I bought the paint 6 years ago for this project.  When I was working, the last thing I wanted to do was paint the bathroom.)

But there have been others in the blogosphere posting some really great things these last few days:

From Early Retirement Extreme:  A Meaningful Life After Early Retirement.  I've been trying to address this one for months now, and he just did it so much more eloquently.

Sylvia, at For the First Time seems to be on a similar wavelength with her post:  Do What You Want to Do.

The Simple Dollar's:  Things that Make You Feel Good-and What that Has to with Money reminds me that most of the things that make you feel good (and even great) don't cost money.  Like painting the bathroom!

Even the Brazen Careerist, who is really writing about careers, not retirement, shares some insights that relate to the retiree as well:

"You can tell if you are avoiding personal growth in your career because you are not feeling challenged. You can tell if you are not feeling challenged if you are not scared. Being scared is what makes life interesting. You should be scared that you are going to fail at something because if you are not then you are not trying hard to do something difficult."

Take out the word "career" and I'd say this is pretty good advice to the retiree as well!  Just because you're retired doesn't mean you stop wanting to grow.

I loved this post, reminding me to ENJOY THE MOMENT!

And at Brip Blap:  I sure remember feeling this way before I retired.

I can totally identify with this post, Learning to Live Smaller.  One of the best months of my life was last year in a one-bedroom apartment in New York City.  I thought we would drive each other crazy in such a small space, but it wound up feeling bigger than we even needed.  We only had the clothes we could fit in one small closet, we had no yard to take care of, if something broke, it was someone else's job to fix, and even keeping it tidy was a breeze!  I keep threatening my husband to downsize into a condo in the city, but I don't think I will ever be able to pry suburbia out of his hands now.

Lastly, I wanted to comment on this post at The Writer's Coin:  Blogging and Taking a Break.  I read so many apologetic posts by bloggers out there that they are taking vacation, or haven't posted for a few days.  I'm here to say THANK YOU!  I have nearly 40 blog subscriptions in my reader.  I CAN'T KEEP UP!  I need you bloggers to take a break from time to time.  In fact, those blogs where I have only 1 or 2 unread posts get read FIRST; it feels so much more do-able.  Those that have backed up with 20 or 30 or 50 unread posts--I just can't even think about facing that task!  Enjoy your break.

Isn't Blogging Writing?

Monday night was the final class of my five-week writing course.  We got to the last topic of the evening: how to stay inspired to keep writing.  One of the students asked whether it is helpful to keep a journal.  The instructor said that some writers do that but he finds that when he spends energy writing in a journal, he doesn't have any leftover for his other writing.

Another student agreed with this comment and added, "Yeah, like those people that have blogs.  How do they ever have any energy left over for real writing?"  To which our instructor added, "Blogs:  diarrhea of the mouth," which garnered laughs and nods of agreement from all the students--except me.

I did not share that blogging actually keeps me writing.  Blogging inspires me to write more, not less.  But "writers" do not see bloggers as writers, and I did not want to "out" myself as one a mere bloggers in front of this audience  Yes, there are crappy blogs out there, but there are also crappy articles and books out there--bad writing is not limited to the blogosphere!

Bloggers put words on paper (or virtual paper).  Isn't that what is known as writing?

A friend of mine told me that I'm not a writer unless someone pays me to write (and AdSense revenue doesn't count).  I could offer something equally as cynical; you're not a writer unless someone reads your writing.  (If a tree falls in the forest with no one to hear it, does it make a sound--you get my drift.)

But what I really think is if you write, you're a writer (employed is a different issue.)  And as long as we're on the topic of writers; go check out a great new addition to my blogroll; and guess what--the writing's good!

Blogging at the Library

I just discovered another great thing about the library, besides the FREE books, they have FREE Wi-Fi!  I had some time to kill yesterday after lunch and went back to my new favorite place, the public library.  I got a few more books and then opened my computer to tend to my blog comments.

I get more job satisfaction from blogging than I ever did at my paying job.  What am I saying?  I DO get paid--I've earned a whopping $8.36 in ad revenue for six months of blogging!  Despite the fortune I'm making blogging, I can honestly say, it's not about the money.

Yesterday, a new reader found me (Hi Betty!) and said "Happy Day!" because she found my blog.  A couple days ago, Jennifer found my blog and said she liked my writing style and sense of humor.

Now, I admit it's not as much fun when a commenter tells me I am "smug" (not once but twice), and that people like me make her sick.  But it sure does make it interesting.  People wondered whether I would be bored when I retired--how could I be bored with entertainment like this?  The fireworks are almost as much fun as the kudos! (I said ALMOST.)

Through comments, I have discovered many other wonderful blogs.  It feels like the blogging community is my new office--and each day, I catch up with my "co-workers" over a morning cup of coffee.  Thanks to all of you for making this such a blast!

Related Posts:

Embarrassing Myself at the Library

Why Risk Getting Murdered by Blogging?

The Truth About Retirement

Why Risk Getting Murdered by Blogging?

Doug and I are headed to his parents' house for Passover Seder this weekend and I am reminded of our last trip down there for Thanksgiving dinner.  I had just started blogging and was very excited to share my new hobby with the family.

Most people I know don't actually know what a blog is; so if I want to talk about it, I usually have some explaining to do first.  Over Thanksgiving dinner, I had just such a conversation with my sister-in-law's mother-in-law.  (Is it any less confusing to say my husband's sister's husband's mother?)

Her first question was "Aren't you worried about having a blog?  There was some girl around here that had a blog and she got murdered.  You should be careful."  I wasn't familiar with the story she was talking about, but figured this girl tried to meet someone through a social networking site (that is, if this story was even real to begin with.)  I explained the difference between social networking and blogging, which is really irrelevant anyway, because there is no inherent danger in either one.  I am in more danger of getting murdered walking down the street than I am by posting to my blog.  She was not convinced.

"Well then, don't you worry about someone stealing your identity?"  Well, no, it's not like I publish my visa card or bank account numbers.

"But you just post stuff on the Internet for ANYONE to read?"  Well yes, that's kind of the point.  Kind of like what writers do in newspapers and magazines.  In fact, the more readers, the better.  And even better if they leave comments, turning the whole activity into a conversation.

I told her how interesting it is that I get readers from all over the globe.  A college professor from Lithuania commented the other day.  "Well how do you know he's really a college professor or that he really lives in Lithuania?"  Well I guess I don't, but he really has nothing to gain by making this up.

So I gave her another example, recounting my excitement when Millionaire Mommy Next Door had commented on my blog for the first time.  "How do you even know that this Millionaire Mommy is a real person?"  (MMND, this was before you were on the Montel Williams Show, which I'm sure would have helped me immensely here!)  I explained that every blog has a real person behind it because someone has to actually write the posts.  "But what if she's not really who she says she is?"  She writes stuff, I read it.  What do I care "who she says she is?"  Am I worried that, in reality "she" is really a "he" and he is an ax murderer?  No, not if I like the writing.

I could see I was getting nowhere fast so I told her I would be careful and try not to get murdered.

I would now like to offer one piece of advice for those of you new to the blog world.  If a friend tells you she has a blog and then you later say "I read your blog," you need to follow that up with "and I really enjoyed it."  Don't make her ask after an awkward pause . . . "well, did you LIKE it?"  And if you didn't really enjoy it, it's probably better not to bring it up in the first place.  I would never know you read it and I'd rather not know you hated it.