Latent Self Mushrooming?

Today is my anniversary! One full year as a retired person! I can’t actually believe it has been a year, although blip has helped to imprint each day visually in my mind. I had thought I would discover my “Latent Self” which I thought had been “lying dormant or hidden until circumstances are suitable for development or manifestation!” I guess this has sort of happened –the tiredness and the stress and anger have dissipated and I am lighter because of it. Without the demands of work  I have been able to pursue things I previously had little time or energy for. Photography is of course one of them – always something I did, but I never took it further, although I tried once. 
I suppose the main surprise has been my enjoyment in writing – which I imagine you know by now! I loved Literature as a child, loved writing stories. I had thought of doing a degree in it, but then decided special education was where my real interest lay, but I listened to my school and parents who obviously felt to make such a decision was taking me down a path I would perhaps  later not want to follow. They reasoned I could do a post grad after if I still wanted to teach. I applied but didn’t get into the best Universities, and I knew I would be just another graduate with a so so Literature degree! So I took a year out, did voluntary work at a local Special and a Steiner School, and then went to college to train as a special needs teacher! As a teacher I was criticised for writing too much in reports!! Of course I took absolutely no notice!

So – any other surprises? The fact that I am perfectly content in my own company? No surprise there! That I did not buy a dog as I had always intended? Yes! That I ended up being a dog walker for my neighbour? Oh yes! 
The shocks were my Friend of course. That has brought a lot of sadness and also a re-evaluation of how I perceive life and what I want in my life, as well as how I believe I would act if something similar befell me. Other shocks were the death of my dear neighbour, Shingles, and the lack of time I spent on my allotment!
So – a year on.
I started the day with chickens of course! Had a most pleasant walk along the river with Portly. A perfect autumnal day, warm, sun shining. Whilst we slowly made our way along the path, a Reddy Darter kept flying in front of me – I had no intention of trying for a photograph, but it was so insistent I did! Then I realised it was not the same Darter, but lots of different ones, all basking on the warm path and being disturbed by me and Portly! On the way back I bought myself a peach ice cream. I had bumped into 5 people I knew, had a brief chat with each one, then happily moved on! Afternoon spent snoozing in the sun as Milly and Tilly roamed around, or similarly snoozed in the sun! The doorbell did ring once – but I ignored it! Finally off to close the chickens. Finding only 2 eggs I had a hunt in the undergrowth where I had discovered 1 egg earlier in the week. Pushing back the brambles I spied a whole nest of them! I grabbed my secateurs from the car and gardening gloves and hacked my way through to them – they were in 2 layers - 16 in all!!! I have no idea if it is just one gone native or several too lazy to go all the way back to the coop to lay! Will be interesting to see if I find any tomorrow now I have disturbed the hiding place!
So – has the latent self emerged? A little I guess through pleasures and adversity. Am I content? Oh yes! So here is to another year when my latent self can maybe mushroom some more!!!