Getting started

I've decided to create a blog to chronicle my transition from a nearly 32-year career in a large (government) organization to whatever the next chapter in my life holds for me. I have the safety net of a pension, and significant family obligations, but otherwise no firm plans. I wanted to see how life unfolds, without locking myself in too quickly. And while I know I need the money, I can't imagine going back into an office-based full-time job. I need and want more flexibility. So it's exciting and scary--so much unstructured time.

It's only been 2 weeks, and 1 week we were out of town, so this is my first full week of being jobless. The house is a mess, and I've made few inroads--took me several days to get everyone unpacked from our trip. And we have boxes everywhere--what's left of 32 years (not much--I gleefully tossed out more and more as the end was in sight). But also the remnants of an attempt at college that ended in crisis--a situation I will need to write about mostly in a private diary to protect a confidence. But it weighs heavily, and considerably affects day to day life. There's more of a need for my son to have a Mom with lots of flexibility and patience--attributes I hope to develop and nurture.

And then there's my husband, who tore multiple ligaments in his knee on our ski trip--so all of a sudden I have many more household responsibilities than I'm used to (and/or ever had time for). As I said, at the moment, I don't lack for things to do. And taking care of the house is novel and rewarding--at least for the moment.

So stay tuned as I cope with: less money, more time (which can easily be filled by spending money, something I know I need to avoid), family crises and challenges, and my efforts to figure out how to contribute to the greater good (within a limited budget).