And the Spirits Laughed

Early this year I explored spirituality with a reading by a medium. I’ve been intrigued with the concept of Spirit. So as I tend to do with an area of interest, I started doing research via reading, attending a conference (Victory of Light), and even trying some of the recommended techniques (ex. affirmations). Getting a spiritualist or tarot card reading was also always on my bucket list.   So early this year, thinking it was a new beginning moment for my retirement transition, I scheduled a reading to help with manifesting my new vision.

During the reading, the medium made the comment “when you said you were retired, the spirits laughed”.   Apparently, the spirit world felt that I was not yet fully transitioned into a retirement mindset and this past couple of months I am actually feeling that more and more.

When I first retired at the relatively early age of 53, most people assumed I would continue to work. Anyone “like me” would obviously continue to “give back” to society by working. I was just “too young” to be retired. Most expected me to work part-time, doing consulting. And so, as I tend to do as expected, I did enter into the world of consulting. And for the most part, I like it.  I can choose projects and so only work on things I like to do.

But the world of freelance consulting with big companies is an odd one.   You’ll agree to a project and it can take from a few days to months for the contract to be negotiated and signed. Last month, I hit a “trifecta”. Three projects all hit at once – one was a restart after a 6-month delay in the project, one began after 2-month delay in contract negotiations, and one only a month from contract discussion. So for the past few weeks, I’ve been working almost full time, juggling three different projects in three different companies.

Perhaps I needed this experience to realize that I need more mindset shifting for my retirement life. While I enjoy the mental stimulation of the work, and I go get lost in the “flow” with that thinking, I also loved having the time to do other things. I am missing my yoga classes and the ability to go walking with a girlfriend. Not to mention time to think about writing a blog!

Retired? And the spirits laughed. Perhaps they are teaching me a lesson I need to learn!

If I continue with the part-time consulting work, I need to learn to say no when I’m already at my time commitment for that element of life.  And to be more intentional in fitting in my yoga and walks and blog writing.  It is so easy for me to slip back into work mode and so hard to keep life in the forefront.  This next month will be a challenge for me in doing that.  Blogging will be a great indicator of my success, so hopefully you’ll be hearing from me in May.

Picture Credit: Pixabay