It’s fast approaching the anniversary of my decision to retire. It was earlier than I initially planned but three months of a lockdown, working from home, a glorious Spring persuaded me that it was time to move on. My letter of resignation was sent and my pension package requested.

It hasn’t quite gone to plan. Tiers, lockdowns, the frostiest April and wettest May on record. But now the sun is shining. COVID restrictions are slowly being lifted. My visualisation of what my retirement would be like is starting to become a reality.

I spent last weekend in Wiltshire with friends. Walking in beautiful countryside. Having lunch in a courtyard in Shaftesbury. Drinking Prosecco. Chatting and laughing. We walked through a forest carpeted with wild garlic. Strolled through fields of buttercups. The sun shone. It was idyllic. And tomorrow I’m travelling down to Penzance for a few days to walk along the Cornish coastline.

The biggest benefit of retirement has to be the freedom it gives you to say yes without the need to scrutinise the diary and book time off from work.

Retirement also gives you permission to do absolutely nothing. I’m writing this blog sitting in my garden. Enjoying the silence. Sipping my coffee. Apart from packing my rucksack for tomorrow I can stay here. At least until it starts raining.

But doing nothing isn’t what my retirement was going to be about. It was and is about having more time to do those things that I’m passionate about. To have experiences whilst I’m still young enough. To have a purpose.

A mantra that still strongly resonates with me is ‘2 days earning, 2 days learning, 3 days having fun’. Where the ‘earning’ and ‘having fun’ is concerned I’m getting there. I’m focusing on September to launch my coaching business. My social life is starting to open up. But what about ‘learning’?

I’ve always enjoyed studying. I did an MA when I was working full-time. A law degree when working part-time but with a young family. Study was fitted into a busy life. Now I could have a more relaxed approach. So I have been considering the options. I’m applying to Warwick University and Oxford Brookes University to to do a post-graduate diploma in coaching. Both offer a course which is primarily on-line but with some face-to-face contact. I’m now drafting my very first personal statement and am attempting to update my very out of date CV.

Retirement also gives you the chance to focus on your health and wellness. Although it is doing very little in my quest to shift my lockdown stone. I found it so much easier to lose weight when I was working. But I’m determined to lose it by the end of the summer. What I am happy with is how strong I’ve become. I’ve achieved two PBs this week. A 100kg x 3 hip thrust and a 40kg x 3 bench press. The sense of achievement when the impossible becomes the possible is amazing.

The transition into retirement has been more challenging than I ever envisaged. And I don’t think I can blame it entirely on a global pandemic. Maybe it was always going to take some time and consideration to make the change. But it feels as if I’m getting there.