I’ve actually tried to retire twice. The last time I retired, I got a call a week before school was scheduled to start. The middle school ELA teacher was unable to return because of illness. The headmistress asked me to teach one class–sixth grade ELA. Before the week was out, I was teaching seventh grade and senior comp. This was supposed to be temporary. . . . I finally retired this year, and I am enjoying it. I get to plan my schedule and do things I’ve wanted to do for a while.

I was in third grade, and an artist came to visit our class. Of course, there was always that one student who was super-gifted, and she got all the praise. Then, there was me–the awkward one who wanted to be able to do more than draw loopy flowers and lollypop trees. The visitor basically told me that I would never be an artist.

Fast forward about 35 years, I decided I wanted to draw. I started with pencil sketching. Thanks to the art teacher in the school where I taught high school English, I began playing with art supplies–sketching pencils, blending stumps, soft and oil pastels, colored pencils. . . . I have not gotten to the paints yet. Several weeks ago, I bought a set of pastels and sketching pencils, and I began again. I’ve watched YouTube videos to get ideas. In addition to photography, now I’m creating “paintings” with gelatos, soft pastels, and oil pastels. I decided I would make a daily practice of creating a picture a day. My latest inspiration is the Aurora Borealis, also known as the Nothern Lights. I made two versions, one with the gelatos, and another with soft pastels.

Gelatos are crayons, really “waxy,” but they are blendable. They also stay put. Soft pastels are messy! They are very blendable, and that makes them ideal for my version of the Northern Lights. I was able to blend the colors and get a softer look with the chalk pastels than I could with the gelatos.

This is the version with gelatos that I made first.

I have to practice getting my mountains to look dimensional instead of so flat. It’s a work in progress.

Being creative is the way I thrive as a retiree. I’m drawing, making photographs, and writing. I don’t miss the daily grind of teaching–the administrivia, as we call it. I don’t miss the difficulties and the run-ins. I don’t miss the politics. I do miss the children, though. (I’m working on a plan to get back to working with children. More on that later!)

But this is how to retire: do the things one enjoys. And don’t let the critics tell you can’t.