Living in our shared paradise.

My Italian true love is still too young to retire. Wishes she could. I might be willing to trade places with her. If I could. In other words, for me to be the younger one. And still working.  As a journalist. Then she’d become the older one, and retired.  The thing with me, I’m basically happy.  No matter what I’m doing.  Retired or working. In a sense, I’m retired when I’m working. And I’m working when I’m retired. I never quit living. No matter the role.  For instance, I love to write. And to live. I write more now than before I retired. The big difference is I write pretty much what I want. No boss. No editor. I continue pursuing my craft. Maybe it’s even become an art.  Very enjoyable. Once upon a time, my goal was to never retire. To continue being  gainfully employed by newspapers until the day I die. But toward the end of my work career, work started becoming work. Because the nature of the news business changed. It was becoming far too commercially oriented. More an entertainment business.  And that started to annoy/disenchantment me. I finally learned to welcome retirement. Furthermore, my wife of 38 years had Alzheimer’s.  And I assumed the role  of care-giver.  Not so enthusiastically at first. But I learned the new craft/skill and became very good and loving at it.  Showed that one is never too old to learn something new.  Anyway, I’m now on my second true love. And one of my missions goes beyond love. I’m trying to teach her to accept life as it comes. To truly embrace what she’s doing. Teaching. To find ways to effectively deal with the bureaucracy of the school/education system.  To learn acceptance.  And to always find  ways to be happy.  At least for part of the day. Especially when we are together. Living in our shared cocoon.  Often called paradise. –Jim Broede