Retirement: Keeping the Cogs Turning

Have you noticed that I keep putting the word retirement in quotation marks? There are a couple of reasons for that:

1. It wasn't a planned - or therefore celebrated - event. Frankly, it felt like I simply quit my job in desperation, with no plan for the future. Which is a pretty accurate description, actually.
2. Because I haven't worked at one place for a significant chunk of time, I don't feel entitled to a retirement. In fact, Steve's retirement this summer will be more of a joint retirement. He's earned the celebration and, since I was along for the vast majority of the ride, I'll share in rejoicing.

So I've taken to calling this "pre-retirement."

The frustrating thing is that, aside from feeling like I missed a party, I'm feeling well enough to DO SOMETHING. But not just anything. Like, not mopping floors or cleaning toilets. Or changing diapers. (Though I really feel that diaper-changing has gotten a bad rap; it's actually a really wonderful bonding time with your baby. All those belly zerberts! The powder farts! The giggles! I think parents who don't do this miss out (hello, Donald Trump).)

Anyway, as I was saying, I need to do something.

But I don't want to work full time. And, so far, the consulting/freelancing option is pretty dry. Even friends who've been self-employed for years are finding it a dry year, given all the public service cut-backs.

With that in mind, I've got four things on the go:

1. Blogging
   
   Fortunately, I've had the blog going for a few years, so I've been able to give it the steady attention I've always hoped to. I think there is potential for this blog to actually generate some income. But - and it's a big but - I need to really boost my audience for that to happen.
   
   In my busiest month ever (December 15, 2013 to January 15, 2014), I had 1,200 unique visitors. I'm usually happy if I get 400. Most blog syndicators look for 5,000 unique visitors per month.
   
   So I'm working at promoting the blog through various social media channels, which is why I'm having the current iTunes gift card giveaway. (Have you entered yet? Do it!)


2. Learning
   
   Along with Bronwyn from I, MayB, I've signed up for a year-long weekly writing course put together by Alice Bradley, a blogger and published author. We're only four weeks into it and I'm already two weeks behind. But it's been a weird month.
   
   This was triggered by my attempt to write fiction every Friday on this blog. I would like to learn how to really craft a story. And, yes, like every writer on the planet, I sometimes fantasize about writing a book. One that gets published. And makes people say, "Wow! I didn't know you had it in you!"


3. Training
   
   Kane is such a sweet puppy. But he's like a two-year-old: temperamental, bouncy, and needy. Because I want him to be a well trained member of our household, I'm really focusing on him right now. Our walks aren't strolls; they are practice. Even when we're at home, I'm working with him quite steadily. Fortunately he takes a morning and afternoon nap, and goes to bed at about 8:30, so I do have time to get other things done.


4. Volunteering
   
   This one was a bit of a surprise. You may recall that I mentioned Steve and I took a parenting class, called Family Connections, from January to March 2013. I didn't write much about it at the time, but it really was one of the best things we've done as parents. Although the course was for family members of a loved one with Borderline Personality Disorder, the skills helped us with all the children.
   
   In fact, I was so impressed with it that I decided to volunteer for the Ottawa Network for Borderline Personality Disorder, the organization that runs the program. It is entirely volunteer-operated and, coincidentally, their webmaster died last fall, and they had been unable to update their website.
   
   Originally, I volunteered to be one of the course leaders, and I still hope to do that, with Steve, after we retire, but right now, I have skills that they can use. And here's what I've done so far.

You can visit their old site here, and the draft new site here.

The changes aren't just aesthetic, either. It's been fun to apply my communications skills to the ON-BPD website, and I hope to help them with other marketing and information challenges as well.

I really didn't expect this post to be as long as it has become. But there you are: all up to date on what I do with my days now that I'm kind of retired.