NOT a typical Monday! Written one week ago- I thought I'd lost this draft!

byKimWatson

402 followers

Updated 9 years ago

If this were a typical Monday, I would have been out of bed at 4am to begin my morning routine of shower, dressing, and grabbing a quick bite for the half hour drive in order to clock in at 5:30am and start my work day. Today is NOT a typical Monday.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. Funny, we hear that saying a lot, but have you ever stopped to contemplate what it truly means? I've reflected on that quite a bit lately and decided it was time to make changes to (hopefully) get more enjoyment from life. Don't get me wrong, without that lucrative 23 year career in retail, I would not be able to take a chance on living my dream today. Thus, I decided to retire and pursue my dreams.

I am embarking on a new adventure. My dream is to promote Alaska tourism. Finding Wealthy Affiliate was the icing on my retirement cake, so to speak. I have listened for the past few weeks about how I'm too young to retire. Instead, I decided the timing was perfect. My husband agreed to indulge my dream and let me have this time to see where it takes me. I created my website (www.thealaskanconnection.com) to be a travel blog. I love to write and have dreamed of being a travel writer, just haven't had the time to devote to this endeavor. The vast beauty of Alaska is an unlimited resource and it is at my fingertips, literally.

I signed up for an online Travel/Tourism course from Penn-Foster and will have travel agent certification by the end of the year. My plan is to build my travel blog into an all encompassing site to book Alaska travel and promote Alaskan tourism. (Of course, if you want to travel elsewhere, I'll be able to accommodate that as well.) For now, I have my sights set on being a destination specialist for the state I love. Writing every day is my extra bonus!

Today, my success is pursuing my dream. I am blending my love for travel, Alaska, and writing into something I hope to do every day for the rest of my life. It feels so good to be free! Free to plan my day, my way.

(If you are wondering what freedom looks like; I've traded in my proper corporate attire for sweats, an Old Navy sweatshirt, no make-up, mismatched socks- my nieces will love that part, and my hair falling loose at my shoulders. The reading glasses are a newly prescribed touch, but I'll get used to them. I have the time for that now.)

Addendum: Today was NOT a typical Monday, either. Today, I took the day OFF! It was my Dad's 75th birthday. We spent the day just like any other day, in his book, because that is how he preferred it to be. I took him on errands; parts for his car, the grocery store, a prescription, and then we gathered as a family for dinner at his house and watched TV. (Refer above to what my 'typical' Monday used to be like.) I would trade his, "just another day," for my typical Monday, any day! :) So, it has been a very full day, but I wanted some WA time, even though I took the 'day off.' Now it is so late, it is almost to where I'd normally be getting up on a Tuesday morning. Guess what, it is destined to not be a "typical" Tuesday, either!