An Authentic Retiree

 

Quite a few years ago I read “Simple Abundance” by Sarah Ban Breathnach with joy and wonder.  A great many of her ideas found their way into my repertoire of being including her Gratitude Journal.  One of the most pleasurable parts of her book though was her excavation of quotations, thoughts and ideas from authors of gone by days.  Sarah did all the ground work for those who enjoy discovering older authors and their works and through her I have discovered a number of writers that I had never heard of before but also ones that I had known “in passing” but never bothered to pursue.  All that changed after reading Simple Abundance.  I was on a mission and it has been a rewarding one.

Yesterday I pulled her books off the shelf again since I wanted to refresh myself for the year ahead and also to find some inspiration with my writing.  Lo and behold, on the other side of retirement I find myself a different woman.  Did I not notice in my past readings (yes, I’ve read the book several times) how terribly needy Sarah was, that under her surface she seemed to lack self-confidence and that a lot of the work she had us doing was driven by her own needs?  Of course I did, but while I was a working woman I was also needy and lacking in self-confidence.  I had a light bulb moment this morning as I continued my reading and that was simply “I don’t care anymore about what people think, about what I need to pursue, I am free, free, free”.  What an amazing treasure, to discover that once we are not dependent on making a living, when we are Retired we come into our own!

I continue to read Simple Abundance, and I continue to appreciate everything Sarah writes and I want to assure my readers that the work I did through this book did indeed help me become a more balanced, calm and carrying person.  But today I learned that once a person steps over the threshold into retirement one gains a new perspective on many things, from material things, the drama of work and most of all rediscovering one’s authentic self.

And isn’t that just too cool for words?

(PICTURES BY ELIZABETH SHIPPEN GREEN)