Retirement is very much about building a new life, mostly from the ground up and usually without much help. That’s what makes it such a challenge.
Today, is the first anniversary of the launching of the Living Life Retired (LLR) website. It is also my 58th birthday. I was reluctantly invited into retirement two years ago when I found myself in an uncomfortable work situation with few options. I took early retirement as a “way out” and a new challenge began. 
Retirement is definitely an adjustment. The authors of The Retirement Maze: What You Should Know Before and After You Retire describe retirement as having four phases: honeymoon, disenchantment, reorientation and stability. After two years, I believe I have recently entered the stability stage.
“Through the process of reorientation, retirees eventually come to terms and feel comfortable with the idea of being retired. At this point, the retiree has developed an alternative lifestyle that does not include work as a primary component. In addition, he or she will have abandoned the work role as a primary means of self-definition. New roles and patterns of living are likely to have developed, with routines and goals established to provide meaning and direction to their lives.”
Over this past year as the founder and author of LLR, I have learned more than just WordPress in an attempt to provide inspiration and information to the solo retirement community. I have learned about myself and I what it means to be happy in retirement. Spending time making memories with my grandchildren, corresponding with former students on Facebook, helping others in my neighborhood, writing, flowers,
<This magnet on my refrigerator says it all. The simple message is how I am trying to live my life in retirement.
What makes me happy on this special anniversary and birthday? Spending time with my three grandchildren while making memories, writing, photography, corresponding with former students on Facebook, planting flowers, helping people in my community, and hiking. I thank God for these opportunities and blessings and I look forward to the challenges for growth ahead.
Thank you for being a part of it all!