For years I longed to retire, to be free from the stress of my job, to do whatever I felt like doing when I got up every morning. Maybe travel or write, take a long walk, go for a ride on my bike, learn how to draw or play tennis or golf, or maybe just sit in the sun on our deck with a glass of white wine and a really good book. The list was long. It went on and on. But when the day finally arrived for this dream to come true after working so hard and waiting so long, I found myself wandering around in a terrible funk. I couldn’t quite make myself say the words, “I’m retired” without feeling glum.

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In the Quiet Zone, I explore the early stage of my retirement journey via a combination of poetry and poetic prose illustrated with photographs taken by my husband.