👉So this is retirement!

I smile as i post this headline. I have jumped from working, into an adventure. So having 4 weeks at home has been my first reality check. This is not an extended holiday. I am not going back to work. This is retirement!

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8/24/20263 min read

As we headed into Port Napoléon, it felt odd. It felt like a lifetime ago that we were here, when in reality it has only been five months. Wow—what a time it has been.

I feel like a different person, but I guess that is the point of adventures.

Leaving work was hard, and I say that sincerely because I was one of the lucky few who truly loved what I did. I was surrounded by great people and good friends—people I had worked, laughed, and cried with for many years.

But jumping straight onto Novera just a week after retiring, I’m not sure I ever really processed the transition.

I have definitely become a better sailor, although I think sailing is a bit like golf—you are never perfect. Some days you nail it, and other days it feels like complete chaos!

I was excited to go home and catch up with everyone, but also a little sad to take a break from this new version of myself, this new passion that I was only just beginning to discover.

And catching up has been amazing. I miss everyone, which I think is a positive thing. I am lucky to have people to miss, and even luckier to still have people to catch up with.

So, as we tied up in Port Napoléon, I felt such a mix of emotions.

Now that I’m home, the reality has hit me: I am retired. To be able to say that at my age is a gift. However, I don’t want to waste that gift, yet I’m not entirely sure how to fill the time.

I know I’m not alone in feeling this way. No matter when you retire, everyone must experience it to some degree. The days suddenly seem so much longer when they are no longer shaped by work. The freedom is wonderful, but I also feel as though I’m missing that sense of purpose.

As I write this blog, I do have a to-do list and an ambitions list. I’ll be home again for the winter, and that raises a new question: what does Winter Hayley do?

So far, my plan is a mixture of pilates and line dancing classes—which feels appropriately retired!😂 But I’m also considering volunteering. Time is precious, and it feels like a gift to be able to give some of mine back by helping others.

If any of you reading this have ideas, let me know. As this adventure has already proved, I’m open to trying new things.

I’m excited to return to sailing, but I’m equally excited to discover something that complements it and gives shape to the time in between.

We’ll be returning in just two weeks and heading for Cannes, and I can’t wait. September should be a little cooler and a little less busy, which feels perfect. There will hopefully be a few more swims in the sea, plenty of sunsets, and temperatures that allow us to once again do more exploring—which is one of the things I love most.

Give me tiny streets with surprise views around every corner, hidden cafés, and lovely quirky little shops, and I’m happy. And before anyone asks—no, I cannot buy any more shoes! 🙂

So for now, I’ll enjoy being home, work out what retirement looks like for me, and make the most of this amazing gift of time. But my thoughts are already drifting back to the water.

A little glitz, a little glamour, relaxed sailing, and Novera—here I come.