I have pulled back in order to redraw my life.

 

The first way I redrew my life was to abandon the schedule driven by commuting and the work day.  The schedule I associate with work--what I’m calling Work-Life Time (WLT)--was frantic, driven by tasks that were endless and cyclical (do laundry, prepare lunch, grade papers, plan for class, get on the road before traffic builds).  Days of the week had their character with reference to how they fit with WLT:  Friday afternoon was the sweet anticipation of the weekend; Sunday afternoon brought a heavy feeling as the work week approached.  The heaviness was not so much about the work itself (everyone knows I love to teach) but about the never-ending treadmill sensation of WLT.  After all, everyone knows what Hump Day is and what TGIF means.

 

Retirement time--RT--is another story.  Because the day is not predetermined by the routines associated with going to work, time is more fluid and my schedule is less predictable.  Some days I sleep late; some days I rise early.  Some days I am busy and have a long to-do list; other days I wander and daydream.  Sometimes a stretch of time will pass quickly, leaving me surprised.  I think, “By this time at UW, I would have already taught a class, met with students, and responded to 10 e-mails.”  Instead, in this life of RT, I have read the NY Times, had a cup of tea, and looked outside at the rolling clouds in a gray sky.

 

In my counseling class, I teach the importance of learning to listen to clients, of using Listening Skills or what I call “Being There Skills.” We need to stop all the professional talk long enough to be present with our clients, to be still long enough to hear what they have to tell us and to leave room for the small and large emotional moments that anchor the experiences clients have when they come for services.  So, too, do we need those skills for ourselves.  We need to listen to ourselves, to be present quietly and assuredly enough to know our needs, desires, and feelings about this life of ours.  

 

RT is giving me a chance to develop my “Being There Skills” with myself. After years of WLT, this takes some adjustment.  I am, however, an apt student--eager to learn and willing to practice.

 

Does this mean I spend all my time in a dreamy state, meditating and taking long walks?  Hardly.  I am back to reading novels (a pleasure that had largely fallen out of my life); I go to physical therapy and continue to work on rehabbing from back surgery; I go to training sessions to learn about this new Mac of mine; I deal with responsibilities associated with being executor of an estate and power-of-attorney for an elderly aunt.  I spend time with my husband and take care of my spoiled cat.  Many days I feel...busy.  RT busy is just different than WLT busy.

 

I am also doing a lot of continuing education.  With several health challenges and family crises of the last 18 months, I lost track of my CEU requirements.  My deadline is this December, and as of three weeks ago I had only 4 of my 30 required hours.  I have turned to on-line courses to solve this problem. They fit surprisingly well with my RT life as I can do them when the spirit moves me. I have taken a course on cochlear implant programming for the SLP, treating hypernasality in clients with Down Syndrome, and assessing childhood apraxia of speech.  (As soon as I learn how to do it, I will create a link to list and describe these classes.)

 

Finally, I have started the Tower to Trenches website and blog.  The truth is, I have neither left the world of speech-language pathology nor ended my teaching career.  I have, however, made a commitment to leave the WLT existence, and I am looking for a forum that is compatible with the rhythms and goals of RT life.  Instead of speaking in a classroom, I will be writing and doing presentations.  I hope my words will reach professionals and students, both in the tower and in the trenches.

 

I invite you to visit here often.  You can leave comments to blog entries (see “add a comment” link below) or send e-mails directly to me (see e-mail icon at bottom of page).  If you’ve had me as an instructor, you know that my relationship with the people in a course is key to creating a stimulating and meaningful class.  Although a cyber relationship will be different, I nevertheless look forward to you being part of this process.