It’s been a month and a half, but I’m still adjusting to being retired. It’s not easy for me. Not easy at all. I still have this nagging feeling “I should be doing something.”
Yes, I write, and I read. I clean the house, though not as well as Kim does. I’m mostly responsible for meals, since she’s still working for the next two or three years. So, I’m alone and at home with nothing much to do.
For 49 years, I “lived” at a school. Teacher, coach, counselor, and administrator. It all pretty much ended in 2020. For the past four years, I’ve subbed, I’ve been a part-time teacher, and a part-time counselor. Now, I’ll only sub for administrators or counselors. So far, I did one gig for one day as an administrator, and I have a six-week gig subbing for a counselor going out on maternity leave coming up. For 49 years, I’ve put on slacks, a button-down shirt and a tie, and went to “work.” That’s the life I led, and now, I’m finding “doing nothing” is difficult.
I miss the day-to-day conversation with people- teachers, staff, and mostly the kids. It’s gone. Yes, I happily and eagerly babysit our grandson, Mason, when there is a need, and come November, I’ll help with our newest grandchild, Olivia, but it isn’t and won’t be an everyday thing.
This might surprise some of you who “know” me or have worked with me, but I tend to be reserved, if not introverted. At work, I put on my game face as needed, but I am rather quiet, more of a listener than a talker. Being home alone is too quiet.
I’m excited about the book I’m currently writing. It is number eleven for me, tentatively titled The Disappeared. I can’t wait to sit down and write, and I’m a writer who “thinks” about the plot, conversations, and setting(s) constantly, almost obsessively. I’ve been asked to read and review books by six other authors, so I have my “to be read” stack. But as I said, I miss people.
I’ve always been spiritual and fairly religious, but I think as I get older, I am more so. Just today, I found out Robert Redford passed away. Add him to the number of icons in music, TV and movies, and in politics, who have passed away. At my age, it causes me to think. Both of my parents and four of my sisters have passed away. That leaves six of us left. I find it unsettling.
I’m not sure what the answer is, really. Yes, I can go volunteer somewhere. I can go work out at the YMCA. If it comes to it, I guess I can even substitute more- God forbid!
Honestly, I had been looking forward to retirement, but now, I’m not so sure. There’s a lot- too much- alone time. I’m still learning how to manage that. As I wrote, I’m still adjusting to it. It’s just taking longer than I had expected. Uncomfortably so. Something to think about …
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For My Readers:
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Black Yéʼii is now available on Audible, and has quickly
become a bestseller in that format. It received a 2025 Maxy Finalist
Award for Thriller and Suspense and previously won a Literary Titan
Gold Book Award. It is also available in Paperback and on
Kindle.
You can find Black Yéʼii here:
Amazon Link: https://tinyurl.com/25w95xcn
Barnes & Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/black-y-700-ii-joseph-lewis/1146257565?ean=9781685135379
Audible: https://www.audible.com/acx-promo
If you want more of the backstory to Black Yéʼii (The
Evil One) check out my previous book, Caught in a Web, which
is available in paperback, Kindle, and Audible. BestThrillers called
it “One of the best Crime Fiction Books of 2018!” It was also
a PenCraft Literary Award Winner!
You can find it here:
Audible Link: https://tinyurl.com/yw23zhfn
Amazon Link: https://amzn.to/2GrU51T
Barnes & Noble Link: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/caught-in-a-web-joseph-lewis/1128250923?ean=9781684330249
Of course, you can find all my books, their descriptions,
and a pay link on my author website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com
If you like what you’re reading and find a benefit from it,
you can check out my other posts on my Website at https://www.jrlewisauthor.com under
the Inspirational Blog tab. You can find all ten books,
their descriptions, and links for purchase on the same site.
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Photo courtesy of Austin Mabe and Unsplash
Cover of Black Yéʼii by David King
of Black Rose Writing
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