I would have to say retiring early at 61 was the most positive thing I’ve done. It wasn’t until then that I realised how much of my thoughts and actions had been taken up by my career. I loved what I did. I was passionate about art and art education and the benefits I believe it brings to young, emerging minds. The problem was, I couldn’t switch off my thoughts when I wasn’t working. Art is one of those intangible, unknowable subjects that is so difficult to define and pin down. There was so much to do in my job, so many things I wanted to achieve, so many things left unsaid and incomplete. But, when I took the decision to retire, I knew it was the right one. I just let go of it all. All that striving, all that struggle. It left a void for sure, but I’ve filled that space with writing my blog. Sometimes, I write about Big Questions and I feel like I’m striving again, but mostly I answer the daily prompt, which is nice and easy. In the main, though, letting go of the struggle has been a blessing.