Pam, if you are not adjusting well to retirement after what .. a year??...why don't you get a part time job? I'm confident you have skills from your years of teaching that are transferable to another setting. Mary

and if a part-time job doesn't sound good, how about volunteering someplace. Maybe the local elementary school needs someone to teach the kiddos how to cross-stitch. :-)

Or I'll bet your local library would love to have a volunteer to tutor kids in need!

We all have those moments where everything else seems so overwhelming that whatever the small issue is it seems petty. I totally knew where you were coming from when you posted. I also could see how the OP was feeling too - sometimes when the big stuff is so overwhelming it's the little stuff that makes us crazy because it feels like that's something we should be in control of!

Hey, Cess. I just had to put in a subject and pulled your name out of a hat. It truly was a rant and really ridiculous . Probably need to spend more time stitching and less on computer. Thanks for your concern. Pam

Wow, VCESS, were you a psychologist in another life? Great advice! I'm not wise-cracking, either.

VCESS, spot on. Your advice is amazing as are you. This is just for you. I just spent 11 hours in er with dh and he is in a private room. It is midnight and your advice as I said is spot on. There's a reason for retirement and he's in the hospital but will be okay. We have been married for 51 years and I love him. He will be fine and sure everybody will know but just really wanted to let you know there was a reason I retired. I wanted to be with him and not have to worry about coming home and him being by himself all day. That is it. No drama. No big psychological reason and since your advice was great, I just wanted you to know. That's all.

Pam - I am so with you on the whole retirement thing. It sounds so good, sleep late (then you can't sleep at all.....), not have to dress up every day....... and then it turns out that it is not all it is cracked up to be. The adjustment (since last December) has not been easy after 44 years. They send my job to Costa Rica they day before my 44th work anniversary. It turns out that much more of me was tied up with that thankless corporation than I ever realized. The best part, of course, is having the time to cross stitch again after I gave it up for a couple of decades because of demands of job and children.

I retired twice. First time in 1999, when I my job with an ag lender was eliminated in a merger. I found a new job at a law firm then retired again for good in 2004, the same day my DH retired from his job. Best thing we ever did!

I am glad that I am retired. When I was with DH in er, I was so relieved not to "have" to call in and I didn't realize what a burden that was. DH is going to be fine, still in hospital but doing great. I am blessed-our only child -son had a widowmaker 2 years ago and he was one of the lucky ones. You won't believe this but I am such a private person-found this site and just shared more than I should. But there is a reason for everything and this group has been my support system. Thank all of you for your kind words of support. It has meant more than all of you know. I am taking my cross stitching back up to the hospital and maybe I will be able to share some of my work in the near future. Pam