Cannonball!
“And once when you weren't looking, I did a cannonball. Did a cannonball.”
Loudon Wainwright III
Deep breath, here we go!
The Precious Days blog is my attempt to produce the kind of content that I have been looking for since I made the decision in 2022 to fully retire. Its content is framed not so much on presenting answers or solutions, but on an exploration of the questions, topics, issues, and potential adventures and celebrations that arise for women at this time of life.
When I was younger, I assumed by this age I’d have most of the big stuff figured out. Settled. I thought if I were financially smart about retirement, I would “coast” into blissville. Nothing could be further from my reality. Let me say without reservation that I acknowledge my privilege in being financially “okay” for this time of life. Still, the daily road has been bumpy; no amount of financial preparation could make up for how psychologically unprepared I was for how I would spend these retirement days.
Recently, while listening to one of my favorite McGarrigle Sisters albums, Tell My Sister, the lyrics to one song spoke to me in a flashing neon allegory:
“This summer I went swimming
This summer I might have drowned
But I held my breath and I kicked my feet
And I moved my arms around
Moved my arms around
This summer I swam in the ocean
And I swam in a swimming pool
Salt my wounds, chlorined my eyes
I’m a self destructive fool
I’m a self destructive fool
This summer I did the backstroke
And you know that that’s not all
I did the breaststroke and the butterfly
And the old Australian crawl
The old Australian crawl
This summer I swam in a public place
And a reservoir to boot
At the latter I was informal
At the former I wore my suit
I wore my swimming suit, yeah
This summer I did swan dives
And jack knives for you all
And once when you weren’t looking
I did a cannonball
Did a cannonball
This summer I went swimming
This summer I might have drowned
But I held my breath and I kicked my feet
And I moved my arms around
Moved my arms around
Hey!”
The Swimming Song, written by Louden Wainwright III and performed by Kate and Anna, is without a doubt the perfect metaphor for the space I occupy as I venture into The Precious Days. And although the name of the blog is an homage to September Song, this phase of my life does feel like the summer of learning to swim. Sometimes the explorations and lessons of these days will be a tentative toe dip (WHAT am I doing?), sometimes an elegant breast stroke (Glide through the day and enjoy it all, girl.), and once in a while, an astonishing cannonball (Take that risk; this IS the right time, woman!).
It is my hope that this blog serves many purposes for readers and for me. It chronicles this new journey in uncharted waters. It helps me to be accountable about being real about retirement–with you and with myself. It fulfills a burning desire and a need to write and research. Most especially, it has the potential to form a community with women who, like me, have more days behind them than ahead of them–the all important “third act” as it’s sometimes called. This is a time when there is so much to figure out, so much to learn, so much to give and receive, and so much to enjoy and perhaps suffer through–but I’m determined to finally learn to live The Swimming Song in The Precious Days. I’ve been treading water long enough.
The Precious Days will be filled with joy and angst, clarity and uncertainty, discovery and letting go, as well as endless questions and burning issues to explore. So glad we can do this together. I’d hate for you to miss my cannonball!
Drop me a comment with suggested issues or topics to explore that would be meaningful to you!
