Retirement—it’s finally here. For years I’ve told people that work just gets in the way of my real life. Although for many people work is their real life, not so for me. As much as I appreciate the many jobs and careers I’ve had and how they’ve helped me change and grow (and pay the bills!), I always longed to be home, pursuing my heart’s desires. And now, here I am.

The big question is, what to do first? The list of things awaiting my attention has grown over the years like the ponderous chain Ebeneezer Scrooge accumulated during his years of selfish miserliness, threatening to doom him in the afterlife to an eternity of chain-dragging. My brother claims it’s impossible to ever reach the bottom of your “to-do” list. And I can understand that—the “to-do” list isn’t a static thing. A new bit of information comes along, and boom!—there it is on my list. I once got curious about where yeast comes from, and after a little research, I found out you can actually capture yeast that’s just floating around in the air! Yes, that experiment is now on my “to-do” list.

But, first things first. I’m well aware that, as time passes, my body may begin to fail me in ways that could make my life difficult. Over the last several years the pattern of my life has bounced between being a “Sedentary Susie” (on workdays) and a weekend warrior, when I attacked things like garden work with a vengeance, knowing I had a limited amount of time to get it done. That can take its toll, and as for the sedentary time—as they say, if you don’t use it, you lose it. High on my post-retirement priority list will be keeping myself in shape so I will have the ability to follow through on the many adventures I have planned. Time to look for some Pilates classes on YouTube and to drag out the Qui Gong DVD, the “Sweatin’ to the Oldies” tape, and the instruction manual that goes with our Total Gym.