Sunday, October 30, 2011

Busy, lucky me

I am working steadily on getting our book ready to send to the publisher. I've done due diligence on all the people mentioned in the book, making sure what we've said about them is okay. I've sent a draft of the manuscript to six people for their comments and have heard back from three of them. I've worked with my sister Alyx on a cover and have sent the materials to a friend for his input. I've written the "about the authors" and "about the book" sections. Tomorrow I will go through the pages and make changes suggested by my niece/friend Colleen. It reminds me of a major project for a class. Spending three hours a day on this project has been typical during the past week. I'm at the "I'm sick of working on this" phase. By Friday the first round should be out of my hands.

I also took a three-day mediation training class on family mediation, which will qualify me to help divorcing couples prepare a parenting plan. Friday, Saturday and Sunday, 8:30 to 5:30. I'm about halfway through my certification program, hours-wise.

The mail is piling up, the magazine rack is acquiring a stack of reading. We need to fill out our ballots, select our medical plans for the upcoming year, and pay the bills for November. And take a walk, get to the gym, take an online Spanish session or two. Do the laundry, brush the cat, carve the Halloween pumpkins. Get a massage.

When my mother was my age, she was a widow and she spent her time playing bridge and shopping. Retirements sure can look different, can't they?

Actually, I'm so gratified by the things in my life. The idea that we live in a time when I can decide to get a book published and not have to send out query letters and get rejections and send out more letters and then wait. I can choose a publisher, sign a contract, pay some money and be guided through the process. That I can find a post-worklife passion and pursue it. That I can go to a neighborhood restaurant for an early-bird dinner and be greeted by the owner and the server because they know me. That I can have a cat even though my husband has allergies because there is a breed that's hypoallergenic, and that I have the money to buy such a cat. That there are supplements and light boxes and dawn simulators to give me a hand with the winter blues. That I can drive through my neighborhood and watch trees of all colors dropping their leaves.

I'm a lucky woman.


15 comments:

#1Nana said...

Yes, there's much to be grateful for. With all the gloom and doom about the economy, it's easy to fall into the trap of believing that the sky is falling.

The book is a great achievement. Congratulations on your dedication to getting it done.

esbboston said...

Blessings indeed!

June said...

It is good to remember, always, just how lucky we are.

Out on the prairie said...

It's a good life. I remember the bridge parties but never learned.

DJan said...

I am always wondering how I got so busy in retirement, too. Between all my outdoor activities and my indoor pleasures, I don't have a lot of time to sit on my hands. My mother was lonely after my dad died and spent plenty of time wishing her life was different.

Yours is full up to the brim! And yes, I know the feeling of getting to the final publishing part, as an editor we put out dozens of books and I was responsible for all the details. It was grueling but rewarding.

Grandmother Mary said...

Your life sounds so full and rewarding. Your sense of gratitude for it all hits just the right note. Good luck with your final work for the book. And for your mediation work. What a needed skill.

Rita said...

Congrats on the book. It will be worth all of the time and effort in the end. :)
Seems like I have been playing catch-up all year long--LOL!
My early forced retirement (health) is very different than my folks'. They run here and there, doing this and that...visiting people in one state or another, one town or another--driving, flying...playing cards, choir, photography, crafts...
Well, I guess my days are always shifting around, doing this and that...I have various activities, too...just rarely leave the apartment--LOL! ;)
Life is good!! I am a lucky woman, too. :):)

Meryl Baer said...

I am busier working part-time and getting involved in a variety of activities that, in comparison, my full-time work life seems dull. Keep us posted on your book.

Sandi said...

What a positive and uplifting post! You are busy, and happy, and grateful, and appreciative. Wow! You are a lucky person!

Sally Wessely said...

I am proud to know you. You inspire me with your projects and your drive. You inspire me with your positive take on life. You have taught me the power in gratitude with this post.

Congratulaltions on completing this book and for being inspired to do so.

Jenn Flynn-Shon said...

It is so beautiful to recognize all the amazing things that you have in your life!

The publishing world really is so different these days but in a good way, gives authors so much more freedom to get their work out there. Can't wait for your book!

Perpetua said...

A lovely, positive post about your happy and productive retirement, Linda. That really brightened up a grey November morning.

Dee said...

Thank you, Linda, for sharing all the gifts for which you are grateful and blessed. They made me sit here and think about my own life and the many blessings that I enjoy and often take for granted.

Now I hope to spend the days until Thanksgiving meditating on the gifts the Universe has given me. Then perhaps I can gently celebrate these gifts in a ceremony on Thanksgiving.

Thank you for the prompt your posting has given me to do this.

Peace.

Josh said...

*ahem* I can't talk you into spreading some of that knowledge you've learned while publishing your book, can I?


*nudge*




........... *nudge*



:) Lovin' the blog!

Linda Reeder said...

Catching up. I like this post. I feel the same way about my life. Lucky us.