Today all the teachers in my former district are going back to work. It is 9:44 a.m. and I am here at my computer in my jammies. Is it wrong to feel so pleased about it?

I loved my teaching career and I actually looked forward to returning to my classroom each fall. I liked the nice clean room in September, the new unblemished pencils and crayons with sharp points, and the eternal hope in my heart that each child would bloom like a rose under my tutelage. I have great memories of my teaching career and I do miss it.

But now I’m retired and I have our work in India on my mind most of the time. In addition I have been given a second career that I didn’t exactly plan; it just sort of landed in my lap whole. I thought to myself, “Wouldn’t it be fun to try to get something published?” and before I knew it I was as busy as I chose to be enjoying the life of a writer. Who knew?

So, here’s a toast to all of those teachers embarking on another school year with high hopes and rested bodies. And here’s to second careers in retirement that keep the brain cells alive and well for a while longer and allow me to live the life I’ve always felt I deserved—drinking coffee and enjoying seven days of Saturday. Life is good.