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Question of the Month

#Question of the Month: a #bloghop to think about. No. 18- “What does retirement look like for you?”

A little while ago, Michael D’Agostino, of A Life Examined, brought up the idea of a new blog hop called Question of the Month. He thinks blog readers would like to know a little more about us, the bloggers. So we’re all gathering to show you guys who we are by taking part in the Question of the Month blog hop. On the first Monday of each month, we answer the question that gets posted here.

This month’s question is: ““What does retirement look like for you?”

In many ways this is a simple question for me to answer, but then there two different ideas of retirement I hold dear, so…

First, I’d like to retire from a traditional day job and be able to write and or create full-time. I dream of being able to wake up some time after 7:00 am and walk my dog. I’d have a light breakfast and a quick shower before putting on sweatpants and a t-shirt as I sit to write or work on other creative projects. The entirety of my day would be a combination of dog-walking and food breaks as I create. I’d travel and create without the stress of knowing that I have a job to get back to.

Second, I imagine a time when a few smart investments would allow me to have a hobby farm. All the animals on the farm would have jobs to do, whether farm labor or therapy animal, none of them would need to work too hard. I’d bake and make preserves to sell at farmers’ markets and then give the proceeds to whatever cause is most dear to my heart at the moment.

So, not sure if that’s much of a retirement for some, but it’s what I’ve got in mind.

If you’re up for it, please check out my blog tour where hosts get to praise teachers and promote books that have made a difference in their lives.

Please visit the other participants in this hop and even join in if you’d like. I wonder what cool things others have in mind.

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
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IWSG

#IWSG June 2014: Summer Magic

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Created and hosted by the Ninja himself, Alex J. Cavanaugh, the Insecure Writers Support Group posts the 1st Wednesday of every month. Click the image to learn more or sign up.

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As some of you may or may not know, I am a teacher by day. That means that summer vacation is quickly approaching. To say that I’m happy or looking forward to this vacation would be a ridiculous understatement. I’ve had a rough term in more ways than I care to try and list now, but with summer on the horizon, I have hope. Summer is a time of magic for me.

For me this summer vacation means:

More time to read leisurely. I haven’t skimmed through a book since college, but sometimes I feel as if I rush more than I’d like to with books because I’m trying to cram in a few precious moments of creative reading into my busy day as a means of relief. While that has worked, over the summer I won’t need to cram in my reading.

More time to write leisurely. For almost the same reason as above, I haven’t been able to write like I want to. I find, from past experiences, that my writing productively increases almost 3 times in the summer, when that’s all I have to focus on. That’s why the idea of being a full-time professional writer is enticing. To not have to work, but to be able to make a living writing would be ideal, but it’s currently not reality.

More time away from things that make me anxious. This means that in the summer, I don’t have to spend a lot of time around people. Some people love being around other people, but for someone who has anxiety just looking at Wal-Mart, going to work every day, surrounded by people, can be hard. I can say that the more time I spend around a set group of people the less the anxiety gets, but even if others think it’s weird, it’s sometimes nice to know that I don’t have to be around more than two people on any given day, in the summer.

More time to worry about myself. I spend of a lot of my time worrying about others and trying to do for others, even if I don’t always pull through. In the summer, there’s enough time for me to be a little selfish and spend some time thinking and doing for myself…I always lose weight in the summer and then gain it back when I return to work.

Needless to say, I’m ready for summer magic to take over my life. Below are some updates and shout outs for any who may be interested.

Are you looking forward to summer? What are your plans?

Happy Birthday to my sister, Tori J. Jones!, Eternal Cause is a Go!, possibly another publication on the way, and I need to get busy with Miss Boop.

After hanging out with Alex, be sure to stop by and visit this month’s co-hosts:  C. Lee McKenzie, Tracy Jo, Melanie Schulz, and LG Keltner!

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Click here to visit other IWSG blogs and sites to receive and share inspiration and support. (This month, I’m #179).

Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords