I'm Failing Retirement with MDS
I think I'm failing retirement. I blame President Jimmy Carter. He and his wife Rosalynn set the bar too high with all of their work for Habitat for Humanity. You don't hear of them playing golf or lying on the beach. Oh, no! We see them on television hammering nails to build houses. (Of course, President Carter's mother, Lillian, set the bar high for him. Miss Lillian joined the Peace Corps at the age of 67 and went to India. She lived to be 85.)
Despite having brain cancer and hip surgery, we see our former president and Rosalynn working away. They are in their nineties. Good for them! I will be cheering for President Carter when he becomes our first centenarian president. Won't that be wonderful to have a former president reach the age of 100? He'll probably still be teaching Sunday School.
Learning to say no
When I retired from teaching in 2017, my friend Linda told me, "You will have to learn to say no when people ask you to do things. People think a retired teacher is capable and has a lot of time on her hands."
Linda was right. I had to learn to advocate for myself. I can volunteer for Meals on Wheels, but don't expect me to come running when someone cancels at the last minute. myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) causes bone marrow failure, so I have a low red blood cell count. I get dizzy when I try to hurry, so I have to tell them no.
The first year I retired, I had a phone call from a teacher explaining how she had a family emergency. Could I substitute? Retired teachers make great substitutes because they can think on their feet, and they know those tricks students try to play. She didn't know about my recent diagnosis.
I explained that I would be at MD Anderson during that time for a bone marrow biopsy. No, I didn't feel up to substituting any time in the future. Elementary teachers have to hurry to keep students on their schedules, and that's the one thing I can't do these days.
"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are"
"Are you bored now that you're retired?" someone I just met asked me recently. Why do Americans fret so much about becoming bored? We act like it's the worst thing that can happen. I think my grandfather would have welcomed the chance to be bored for a few minutes. He could get some rest. I believe when you have interests, you find interesting things to do.
Maybe I'm not failing retirement. I sometimes need accommodations or modifications to ensure my success. (That's how teachers talk.) I can deliver for Meals on Wheels when it's my turn, just don't rush me. I have enjoyed volunteering for Centenarians of Oklahoma. We mail out the birthday cards for those 101 and older. My favorite volunteer job is reading aloud to second graders once a month. Oh, and I LOVE writing for Blood-Cancer.com.
Here's some good advice from President Theodore Roosevelt: "Do what you can, with what you have, where you are!" I can do that!
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