Retired Is Just a Word

I am having a hard time being retired.

First off, I don’t care for the old-timer word. Retired is for old doctors and ancient teachers. Active, fun, pretzel women (and men) don’t “retire.” We merely switch gears.

It’s funny how certain words stick with us all our lives. Good ones, like awesome and bama-lam. But other words, negative words, follow us all our lives, too. Retired. Old. Fat. Stupid. Words that have no business being in the English language at all.

We are taught to believe what others say. Not to listen to our inner selves, our inner clock. That somehow what someone else thinks is more important than what we think.

Human beings believe in themselves until they are taught not to.

Some outside opinions make sense. Eat three meals a day. Get some exercise. Put on a heavy coat when the temperatures drop. You don’t look well.

And we need to grow. We need to expand our memory, our capacity for learning. We always can use a little more polishing as we turn from child to adult. But while progress is an important part of life, we can move forward without the negative words.

We don’t need to downgrade someone else to make ourselves feel better.

I don’t understand why the world can’t be filled with positive words all the time. Smart. Healthy. Inquisitive. Simpleton notation, I realize. But it sure beats putting a shadow before every step.

Back to the point of this blog. Being retired.

Merriam-Webster defines retired as, “withdrawn from one’s position or occupation: having concluded one’s working or professional career.”

Does one ever stop working? Does anyone ever stop trying to be “professional” in their creativity or social life?  Professional is described as “characterized by or conforming to the technical or ethical standards of a profession.” 

I conform to the ethical standards of being a granny, a writer, a blogger, a cook, and a dozen other careers every day. I aim for the highest standards in writing when I choose the right word to write, or in manners when I teach my grandbaby to say thank you.

I also work every day. Perhaps not behind a desk or counter, but life IS work.

So don’t call me retired. That’s a word that I’m crossing off my list, along with fat, stupid, mental, lazy, and others I have yet to write down.

Cross those words off your list, too.

Be who you are and appreciate who you are. Strive to improve every day, but understand and appreciate where you are today. 

Use one positive word a day to describe yourself and others. See how it makes you feel.

I see that little smile…..