The Light At The End...May Not Be A Train

This might be it...the last roundup, the last hurrah, last call; or, it might be just the portal to some awakening idea lost in the hibernation of 33 years of teaching. It's official: I can retire following this school year, and I must say that the idea of retiring at 55 is a pleasant one. I absolutely love teaching, and my students invariably give me more than I give them (pain from some, joy from others!). It's just that all the other things surrounding the edbiz have become so frustratingly painful that continuing might not be my best option. What else is there? Not many teachers can simply retire to a life of leisure though a friend of mine recently retired to San Miguel de Allende in Mexico and seems none the worse for a lack of remunerative activity.
There are long-delayed home projects to complete; my music collection is in dire need of revitalization as those archaic cassettes long to become compact discs complete with the pops and scratches that remind me of my vinyl-laden disc jockey days. My kayak sits forlornly in the garage, begging for the waters of Green Bay or Lake Michigan. The Cannondale doesn't get nearly enough exercise to justify the aero bars that jauntily perch on the handlebars. Rollerblade would go broke if they depended on me to buy enough wheels to keep them in the black. All in all, the future is fraught with possibility though the idea of trying to live on less is scary.
Oh, I'm trying to plan for some kind of gainful, part-time employment, but it must be stimulating, creative and not so time consuming that I can't come and go with a certain degree of impunity. In short, it must be something like the job I have now! Subbing? I don't think so. As this year unfolds, perhaps the possibilities will be clarified...after all, I can always continue teaching. Drop-dead date of April 15 for the decision.