Our minuses.
Our possibilities.

To remove myself from technology and to be come one again with family and nature.

After a long career in aviation, I’m looking forward to being grounded in a different way. Flying shaped my life, but irregular sleep and time away made it hard to look after myself and stay close to the people I care about. Now I want to make room for proper rest, stronger relationships and a little more care for myself.

For thirty years, a bell told me where I needed to be. I thought freedom would feel obvious. Now I’m learning that a morning in the garden counts, even if nobody marks it.

My knees are ready for fewer ladders. The rest of me still likes being useful. Helping a young apprentice think through a problem feels like a good way to keep that part of myself.

I’m very good at asking other people whether they’ve eaten or rested. I’m practising asking myself. A proper lunch and an unhurried walk are a surprisingly good start.

I’ve joined a pottery class. My first bowl leans noticeably to the left. Nobody has asked for a spreadsheet explaining it, which is rather refreshing.

I didn’t choose the timing. Some days I’m excited and some days I’m angry. I’d like company that doesn’t need me to turn it into a success story before we can have a coffee.

I’ve visited plenty of cities and barely met some of them. I’d like to take a train somewhere, miss the rush hour and have no report time hanging over lunch.

I don’t miss the alarm, but I do miss the regulars. I’m finding a new place to have breakfast once a week. This time I’m the person whose order someone remembers.

I don’t know yet whether this is retirement or a pause. I do know that the community garden makes Thursday feel different. Something grows there even when I haven’t checked my phone.

My days are still full, just differently. An hour with a friend won’t solve everything. It does remind me that I’m a person as well as someone who cares for another person.

The big trips aren’t on the cards for now. Taking my grandson to the local oval is. I’m trying to give that afternoon its own value instead of comparing it with the life I expected.

I’ve started learning about the birds near our house. There is no paper to publish and no deadline. Just a notebook, a pair of binoculars and a lot of birds that won’t sit still.

My first plan isn’t a trip around the world. It’s a walking group on Saturday. I can be a bit awkward at introductions and still enjoy the morning.

I’m writing down the family recipes with my niece, including the bits that were never measured. There’s flour everywhere. It’s the sort of mess I’m very happy to make.

Handing over the keys was easier than keeping my opinions to myself. I’m restoring an old bench in the shed. It needs my attention. The farm doesn’t need it every ten minutes.

Moving meant leaving my usual people behind as well as my job. I’ve invited a neighbour for tea. It isn’t a whole new community yet, but it is a beginning.