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Decisions , Decisions!

on March 03, 2013
I am packing and planning for my upcoming trip to Europe.  My suitcase can only hold so much and I can only carry so much.  Some things that I really like must be left behind. Have you ever thought about all the editing and leaving behind a woman has to do in her life? As young girls we have fantasies of great adventures and charming princes who will sweep us off our feet. Some women are fortunate and find their prince, some women are left and some leave their princes and some women just don't meet  or don't want any princely suitors.

We make decisions to have children or not and to stay at home with them or not. When I was in my twenties, I loved being an at home mother. I loved hanging out with other mums and toting my daughter wherever I went.  I never thought that I was missing anything. Other women were happy to return to work after their maternity leave ended. The domestic life is not for everyone. I have chosen to retire at 59 so that I can have my adventures now instead of waiting.  My teaching life was important but I know that there is a "real" me who feels confined in the "school marm" role. So much of "education" is concerned with classroom management rather than teaching and learning. When we downsize our homes or clean our closets, we make more decisions. What to keep, what to give away? What memories reside in what items? Will I wear this or that? Will my home be sleek and minimalist or a cozy nest? Making a decision means eliminating the other options. It really is about the "road not taken". Perhaps, more significant than choosing our clothes or our décor is choosing which of our dreams to leave behind. Sometimes they just don't fit anymore and there isn't room in the suitcase.
choices packing retirement



