That's what I did! It took me about 2.5 years to decide I needed to rejoin the world. I am so glad I took that time to just be me and just be with me. It was a relief not to have to get up and go someplace every day!

Now I'm involved in a couple of guilds and volunteer for an organization that provides clothing, toys, school supplies and such to children in the foster care system in SC. That's enough for me!

Take your time. After working for a lifetime, you both need and deserve the rest. When you're ready to, as I think of it, rejoin the world, you will.

Been there, done that. You do have to wait until you're ready, and it appears you're ready now! Have fun with your life!

I belong to two guilds (we also make charity items like quilts and pet beds), make pillowcases for our local ConKerr chapter, and volunteer once a week at a local free clinic for those who fall between the cracks. The clinic is a way I get to keep my hand in as pharmacy tech.

I have also been burning up my library card, much to benefit of our cash flow, since I can go through several books in a week and books aren't cheap. I have a reader, but it is cheaper to go to the library to borrow them. I probably need to go to one of the library's classes on hooking up to their elibrary, but haven't done it yet.

Volunteered with the Boy Scouts (troop/pack level, district level and council level) for 28 years. Volunteered at my local library for 5 years. After my latest knee replacement, I've become complacent (lazy :) ). Jan, I'm with you, girl, I need to "shake it up" and start doing something new in '14. Maybe not Hula dancing (too many replacement parts in my body) but something. I, too, do solitary things - reading, knitting, computering and of course, quilting. I do belong to a guild, but they only meet once per month. I'm open for suggestions. Thanks for starting this thread adnil.

Anita

Bless you for helping out with the poor abandoned kitties. I am definitely not bored but was thinking that perhaps I should do something helpful to others and was thinking of volunteering at the local humane society - it is totally volunteer and contributions from animal lovers. I'm concerned however, out of all my critters I have only bought one horse and the 2 donkeys. I've adopted my 5 dogs, four cats and five other horses! Hubby may disown me soon...

Reading, reading and reading. Keeping up with 3 daughters and 4 grands, staying in touch daily by e-mail with best friend who is also a quilter. Gardening and preserving in summer, flowers in my garden. Spending lots of great time with my hubby of 45 years after many years of working opposite shifts.

Perhaps I am a bit selfish but waited so long to be able to do what I love to do so I am not ready to give my time up to volunteer and such.

Kayaking, cross country skiing, quilting with friends. I still work full time, but fit in as much quilting as I can.