Unlike most baby boomers, I retired early. Nine
months ago, I made the decision to retire. While
my resume may be quite impressive to most people,
to me it reflects my life's work and the paths I
took to arrive at my final destination.

I entered the Department of Education at the age
of 40, received my college degree at the age of
45 (a prerequisite for a school secretary license
was 30 college credits), and continued on for 17
years. In July of 2006, I made an appointment to
see a retirement specialist who works solely with
staff members of the Department of Education.

Knowing full well that my early retirement would
cause a severe reduction in my pension, my mind
was made up. I have come to learn, over the
course of my career, that nothing is worth one's
health, especially not this particular position.
I have also said many times: School secretaries
who work for the Department of Education are
overworked and underpaid, and while the job is
easy - the people who run the system are inept
when it comes to the needs of its staff. The
number of secretaries, teachers, and other staff
members who have left due to life threatening
illnesses are too numerous to count. Many
colleagues of mine died either on the job or soon
after retirement.

This would not be my epitaph.

After meeting with the retirement professional,
the news was bleak. But then I knew it would be.
However, I had more skills than most and my one
desire was to go back to the one thing I loved
most in the world - writing.

On September 1, 2006, I joined the ranks of the
retirees. On November 30, 2006, I received my
first pension check and, while not completely
surprised, was a bit taken back. However,
secretaries' salaries are far below what teachers
earn, and I roughly figured that I would have to
work well past 80 (if I live that long) to accrue
the type of benefits a teacher would make at a
retirement age of 62.

I was not distressed. In fact, I was elated. The
weight of the problems associated with the
Department of Education and its continual
reorganization was lifted from my shoulders. I
could now pursue that which I've always dreamed
of as a second career.

I immediately discovered a window of opportunity
into the writing field. By November, I was
writing article content; and by January I was
fully engaged. Today, I am extremely happy
because not only do I have my health, but I have
the wherewithal to continue to write articulate
pieces of work that are unique and honest.

Today, as I read the newspapers and notice
articles on the Department of Education, I
grimace at the direction they have taken. They
have just implemented a new procedure wherein
they will be paying students and their parents
for attending school, passing all five regents
exams, going to the doctor, and heaven knows what
else.

This is what I escaped from - a system that does
not provide a tried and true method of teaching,
but has incorporated outside businesses who are
now the stewards who decide what course the
educational system will take, regardless of how
it affects the children and the staff. The
teacher's union is no better. Along with the
corporations who have steadily taken over the
education system, the union is just as culpable.
Their main concern is money and power. They have
been as responsible for the decline of the
educational system as anyone else.

But, I digress. This article is about retirement.
While there are pluses and minuses in every
decision we make in life, this is no exception.
Retirement is not the end, but the beginning. It
can re-energize and invigorate you into
accomplishing anything you desire.

It is empowering. You have the unrestricted
ability to make decisions, choices, and plans for
the rest of your life.

I made a choice. I made the right choice for me.
While I fully understand the implications, I am
doing what I love to do and I am equally proud to
have made the journey this far. While I have
never been a person of means, I am doing well. I
take care of my family and myself. I have no
preconceived notions of wealth or fame. I have
lived, and continue to live, a wonderful life.
Having traveled half way around the world in my
youth, I seek no further adventures except that
which I create with words.

No one can predict the future, and I am not going
to try. I take it one day at a time and relish
every moment with a renewed sense of self. I used
to tell secretaries, the job is what you do, not
who you are.

For me, writing is who I am, not what I do.