Jodi: My mom recently retired after 30+ years of teaching, and we all got to go to the nice retirement dinner her fellow teachers threw for her. That's my mom, second in from the left. The real cute one with the yellow tissue paper in her bag and the shoes that look like they're falling off her feet.
It got me to thinking about retirement and youth and it was very strange to me that my mother was retiring. It's just that she's so young! I mean she tells everyone that she is 29, but she really does look way too young to retire. Agreed?
Now Dad on the other hand, he looks the part. But he'll never retire. People who love their jobs (and don't think of it as "work") never retire. Just ask some of Randy's former army colleagues in civilian jobs in defense contracting, still working at 70 and over.
Not that Mom didn't like her job. I'd argue that she loved it. However I would imagine dealing with 30 8-year-olds every day for over 30 years (with Bryan and I at home 22 of those years) would wear anyone out.
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| Mom and her fellow 3rd grade teachers, who she loves |
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| Bryan and Ashley |
We went to the dinner to be supportive of Mom, to celebrate her achievement. As I watched her mingling with her friends, some of which are younger than me, I realized, that yes we were there to celebrate with her, but she didn't need our support. She wasn't hanging around with us, she was off drinking wine with her buddies. I felt a sense of pride. Like she was graduating. Moving on to a new and exciting part of life. I felt like the proud parent.
It takes a lot of guts to retire from a job that you so closely identify with. I wouldn't say that your job defines you, but if you met my mom, you would know that for her, teaching isn't just a gig to pay the bills.
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| This is Mom giving us her Posh Spice pose. One foot out in front of the other, breath in, hold it, and smile! |
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