I retired on the Ides of March (March 15th) in 2017 after spending over 4 decades in the computer industry. I still have an active interest in computers, but only as a tool for photography, blogging and music.

I’ve learned that having my own time is a true gift. My favorite day of the week has always been Saturday, and now everyday is Saturday. I’ve been able to explore my town, take photos, play music and help my Mom with her shopping and medical needs. We don’t do much traveling, but did manage a trip to British Columbia a few months after I retired.

I’m learning a lot about my hometown through volunteer work at the Historical Society and the Green Center. I also have been able to schedule exercise which hopefully will offset the damage of sitting for years in front of a computer screen.

I learned a few lessons during these two years. Most importantly is that retirement is sometimes . I took a retirement package buyout from HP knowing that the next phase would be a layoff, and that is exactly what happened to some of my friends who remained. At that time I didn’t have enough in savings to retire so I continued working at a smaller company until I reached the age of 70 1/2. At that point I was required to start withdrawing my retirement funds or pay a fine. The time had come to close the work chapter of my life.