Inside I’m smiling!

I was walking along with my husband during the weekend one day and a woman was coming towards us. I hadn’t been paying much attention to her, when as she approached us, she said, ‘Such a grumpy face for such a lovely day. Cheer up!’ As I said to my husband, ‘maybe it’s just theContinue reading “Inside I’m smiling!”

Who am I?

As I am on the cusp of my retirement, I found this poem that I had written some time ago and it spoke to me. I thought I would share it with you. It is very much a reflection of the stage of life I find myself in. Having spent the last 20 years identifyingContinue reading “Who am I?”

A lot of water under the bridge…

Tomorrow is the end of my second to last week as a Social Worker. My job is winding down as I finish up and don’t take on any more work. Next week will be tidying up a few loose ends and then having my farewells with my teams, both on the ward and my fellowContinue reading “A lot of water under the bridge…”

The end is nigh…?

At the moment I seem to be surrounded by lots of endings and beginnings. The end of my Social Work career and the beginning of my retirement. The end of a decent income and the beginning of – if I am lucky – being on a benefit. The end of being part of a workContinue reading “The end is nigh…?”

Grief and Loss

I was just reading a quote about trauma that also fits with grief. It spoke about how you never really get over it but build your life around it. This is so  true. Grief never goes away. I know I carry mine deep in my heart and soul. On the surface of it I amContinue reading “Grief and Loss”

Balance, it’s all about balance…

Sometimes it is difficult to know how much, or indeed how little, you should do in the way of exercise. I am a firm believer in the fact that often we need to work past the pain to make the gains. No pain, no gain, right! That is all well and good, but how doContinue reading “Balance, it’s all about balance…”

It’s a good life, in a lovely community!

I have had a busy weekend so far. So busy, I can’t really remember what I did yesterday! Today I went and played bowls for about the fourth time and I had a really good time. As happened last weekend, I had some very good bowls and a couple of really terrible ones. At leastContinue reading “It’s a good life, in a lovely community!”

The shy retiring type?

This post is about something I didn’t think I would even be considering for a long time. If you haven’t guessed, I have made the big decision to retire. The decision to retire has been a big decision to make. There have been tears and doubts and fears all rolled up together on a tangledContinue reading “The shy retiring type?”

Cognitively Coping?

My thoughts regarding Cognitively Coping, are somewhat confused at best. As I try to analyze what is happening, if I think too long and too hard then that only serves at times to make matters worse. I know when I am talking to anyone else who can’t quite get to what they want to say,Continue reading “Cognitively Coping?”

Don’t wait till you retire…

I was having a chat to a friend of mine today and the subject of retirement came up. Another friend joined in and we had a good discussion about how we all know people who have worked hard all their lives and who had plans for travelling once retired. All too often the dream ofContinue reading “Don’t wait till you retire…”