A few weeks ago, I was going to write a post with the title
HALLELUJAH!
(Well, the title would have been A LOT bigger than that!) But, being the grand procrastinator I am, I didn’t. The reason for the immense jubilation? I met with my financial adviser and she gave me the wonderful news that I can retire in January! But when I try to figure out what my pension will be, I keep having to move the date forward. I suppose I could just go in January, but staying just a few more weeks increases the pension a noticeable amount. I suppose it’s a small sacrifice to make for something that will affect me the rest of my life.
I’m not looking forward to the coming winter. I’ll still have to drive the 30 miles each way (which around here means anything from 45 minutes to 2 hours—this past week traffic was horrible!), and worse, I’ll still have to hike the 1/2 mile from my car to the building. But I’m winding down. I’m not putting in 12 hour days anymore.
So here I am, enjoying my Sunday afternoon “calm before the storm.” It’s been a gray day, but not too chilly. You know how every now and then life gives you one of those surprising moments of simple bliss? Today mine was sitting in a club chair, playing on my new laptop, with one cat lying next to me (this is, after all, his chair) and another on the back of the chair. Both cats stayed there for quite awhile, and of course I used it as a great excuse to continue playing. Anything to avoid housework. 
It has been half a year since I had time to read blog posts. I’m glad you got good news, despite the fact that it’s far enough off to have no effect on the hellacious driving and hiking and so on. I hope you have a wonderful Christmas and happy new year and that the next several weeks fly by for you!
I’d wondered where you’d been! But then I guess I haven’t stopped by Supernatural Sisters for awhile.
With kid(s) in high school, I can understand you not having time to read blogs.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas, and a Happy Birthday!
My kids are undemanding and don’t actually take that much time when it’s not soccer season or paint crew season. It’s just my workload! The day job + the freelancing + the fiction career take up more than their share of my life.
I did have a lovely, unstressful December, though, and I’m looking forward to 2012. Thanks!
I think that you’ve decided by now whether you’ll retire next month or stay on at work a few more weeks, Gail. Whichever the choice, it must be great to be know that the point where you can leave your work whenever you want is so near, in spite of the long commute.
I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and wish you a very happy 2012.
Well, the choice was always late February. Personnel needs 60-90 days to process the paperwork and I didn’t submit it until late November.
I hope you had joyous holidays as well. Don’t you also celebrate on the 6th of January by throwing furniture out the windows? Or is that just Naples?
It’s just in Naples that they throw furniture out of the windows. Where I live, though it’s nice to have a day off work, the 6th of January is basically just for children to celebrate.
Besides, on January 7 the Italian prime minister is coming to my home town (which is the birth place ot the Italian flag, whose official birth day is January 7) to close the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Italy as a contry (last year the President came to open them), so I guess that the mayor and the police wouldn’t be very happy if they had to clear the roads of furniture thrown out of windows.