JULY 7--WITHOUT A NET!

          January 2009 began with me swooping out into the arena of my life, flying through the air (with the "greatest of ease"?) as I began my life in Retirement.  I was going to do it all without a net, without the schedule and structure of a daily job, a preassigned place to be, a set of tasks to be accomplished, a parade of people to encounter and to serve.

          Sounded like fun to me!

           I've always enjoyed change, thrive on it, court it, seek it out and embrace it.  So Retirement was going to be exciting and stimulating and never boring and glorious.

          Or so I thought! 

          At first, I did have a part-time "job" which I joyfully took on--I would be a grand-nanny for my very young second grandchild, Rosie.  She was barely three months old, and I found the early weeks so sweet, as winter gripped Chicago, I was cozy and content with my grand baby.  Who wouldn't be content with this face greeting you:

          When she was sleeping (as she did in those early weeks), I would turn on the TV and get my fill of Oprah and "The View" and the news and...and....I could watch Rosie as she grew into her various toys---conducting toddler scientific studies:

        or officiating at her toddler "office center":  

          So I was in "Nonny" hog heaven--Rosie's name for me when she began talking....she actually picked it up from one of the nicknames I had for her.  I loved it, and found out later that "Nonna" is Italian for "grandmother".
          However, that was on my schedule for two days per week, but what to do with my other days?  What a weird feeling, this flying around my life without a net, without a full-time job, and kids to care for, a household to tend....I was husband-less by this time also, since my husband David died while I was still working.  
          What to do, what to do....I checked out book clubs to join, but the book titles didn't entice me enough to sign up.  I looked into some community college items, but never quite found a "fit".  I could revel in the fact of brunches or lunches with friends during week day hours, along with other "seniors".
          That first year of retirement went by rather pleasantly, but I still had a sense that I wasn't quite "anchored".  I started exploring volunteer opportunities, and did get involved at my local library for a while.  Since my last career before retiring was as a librarian, this seemed like the ideal place to volunteer. 
          But something engaging was missing from my life....what to do....what to do???

*****TO BE CONTINUED*****