retirement – Colleen Keller Breuning

The Daily Grind

The Daily Grind

I crawl out of bed
incessant alarm blaring
at the break of dawn

Hours grind by slowly
hunched over the computer
endless to-do list

I’m working to live
or am I living to work
retirement evades

Taking my chances
my feet moving with purpose
but I’m getting tired

Driving in the dark
losing myself in music
my evening commute

Now I see the light
at the end of the tunnel
that beckons me home

I walk through the door
greeted by you and the cats
my troubles dissolve

Too late for dinner
you pour me a glass of wine
we fade into night

When the morrow comes
as long as you’re by my side
my life is complete.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2023
April 8, 2023

Hello! I will try to keep this relatively short (for me). I was kind of stumped this week with the prompts, but it might be that I’m getting very fatigued, as my poem indicates. I decided to just use the haiku series format to let my feelings flow. The title sounds like a coffee shop, doesn’t it?

It’s tax season, and once again Dan and I are both working extremely hard. Or at least it feels like it – probably has something to do with our age LOL! It doesn’t seem as if retirement for either of us is likely in the near future. We both truly believe in keeping our minds active and having a purpose, but there are days when I am just SO tired. (Of course, it could be that I have not had a complete day off since January 1.) We both love what we do, and I guess that is what keeps us going. I love my job, my clients and my company makes me feel valued and appreciated every day. I am grateful for the flexibility to have a hybrid work schedule and for the first time in a long while, I am being paid fairly.

Most of our friends that are our age have already retired. We can’t really imagine that, with the state of the economy and how our 401K funds have taken a major slide. Though I would love to retire and travel, we simply can’t risk doing that just yet. I don’t honestly know how long I will hold out before deciding to retire. Time will tell.

The good news is that I am taking off the entire weekend for Easter. I have all my siblings coming to our home for the holiday, and I have preparations for Easter dinner and a Capitals-Panthers hockey game tonight, which will be fun. I can’t wait to see everyone Sunday, as it has been a very long time since we’ve all been together. Wishing you and yours a Happy Easter or Passover, or whatever you celebrate!

xoxo Colleen

Mood: Tired
Inspiration: “I’m So Tired” by The Beatles (love John Lennon’s voice!)

Blogophilia Week 40.14 Topic: Chances Are…
Hard Bonus: Include a mode of transportation without wheels (Feet)
Easy Bonus: Incorporate a list

Productivity

Productivity

Monday mornings come with a tinge of blues.
I rise at dawn and punch the clock for years,
Achieving all my goals, paying my dues…
Blazing the trail with my blood, sweat and tears.

A hamster wheel of productivity,
Pangs of guilt for every wasted minute,
Breeding anger and negativity….
You can’t see the damage while you’re in it.

A breaking point, difficult decision,
Calm descends after winds of change have blown.
Breathing fresh air with a clearer vision…
Reclaiming my life to shape as my own.

Deep inside my soul, I’m feeling sated…
Productivity is overrated.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
September 3, 2021

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I’m writing for the first time for Her Growth Collective, a group of women encouraging others to walk the path of self-development together. You can find them on Instagram, @hergrowthcollective.

I have a different take on productivity lately. Sometimes productivity is a double-edged sword. I have been a motivated and productive person for my entire life, but in the past years my plate has been piled on to the point of burnout. Consistent productivity is met with yet even more work, because you have proven time and again that you can handle virtually every task. Unrealistic expectations ensue, and you are left frantically juggling an unmanageable workload despite voicing your concerns. Eventually one of the balls may drop, resulting in negativity, criticism and being/feeling devalued.

When one is penalized for their productivity in this manner, it cuts you to the core and forces you to re-evaluate your situation and make changes. At times, productivity is overrated.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021

Golden Parachutes

Golden Parachutes

On Monday mornings I wake up with dread.
My heart is pounding, gut heavy with rocks,
Exploding pressure cooker in my head…
Bracing for chaos as I punch the clock.

Mountains of emails and telephone calls,
Dealing with problems and bad attitudes.
I’m losing all patience, hitting the wall…
I’d like just one moment of solitude.

The week is endless, no relief in sight.
Day after day, corporate misery.
No golden parachutes and no stock rights…
Retirement seems to have eluded me.

My nerves are frazzled and my brain is numb…
Wondering if Friday will ever come.

Colleen Keller Breuning © 2021
February 26, 2021

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 51.13 Topic: I’ll Have Just One
Hard Bonus (2 points): Reference a Sesame Street Character (Frazzle)
Easy Bonus (1 Point): Mention a Cooking Disaster (Exploding Pressure Cooker)

Secret Phrase Guesses:

1.  Dream Land
2.  Clouds in my coffee
3.  Stairway to Heaven
4.  Jacob’s Ladder
5.  Fluffy Pink Clouds
6.  Head In the Clouds
7.  On Cloud Nine
8.  Cotton Candy Cloud
9.  Field of Dreams and Lavender
10. Sweet Dreams are Made of This

Topic:  Tyler   Pic:  Jessica