they were there the night the wall was drowned

Last week was hot and humid, culminating in a blisteringly miserable weekend. I continued to cough and felt entirely disinclined to exercise or go to work. I parked myself for the weekend on the couch in a surly torpor, escaping into fanfiction.

I found myself lost in daydreams for much of the week. I have truly enjoyed my job, but I am going to be retiring in a few months, and that is taking up more and more of my mental space. I look at my portfolio and think about the switch from saving for years to starting to spend down my savings. I think about traveling. I think about starting to take classes, just for fun. I have a new grandchild. Two of my siblings have already retired, and another will also be retiring at the end of the year. I don't want to be the only one in my family still working.

I have always been a conscientious worker, to the point where my friends have frequently joked that my employers have taken advantage of my willingness to go above and beyond. But I am starting to check out mentally.

I am ready for my working life to be done.

Image description: A silhouette of a woman sits beside a window, her fingers parting the curtain to gaze out. Overlaid: a red hammock with a woman's feet sticking out. Lower right corner: a gold piggy bank.

Daydreaming About Retirement



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