Diane Kalata:  

I loved my job from the very beginning. Unfortunately, after 37 years of consecutive teaching, for health reasons I had no choice but to leave teaching 7 years earlier than I had planned. My husband also had to leave teaching early, but I do have to admit, I enjoy the time with him very much. We have been trying to take care of our health with regular walking as exercise, but that will on the back burner for a while after foot surgery scheduled for early June. It has been helpful to be able to sleep in after a bad night and to nap as long as needed when called. I also enjoy making salads with him and reading in peace and quiet. I particularly enjoy hearing from former students on Facebook and visiting as time and distance allow. We did camping out west in the national parks last summer as a way of celebrating out 30th anniversary. As the snow was melting later than usual, we got to see a lot of wildlife that normally would have been up hiding in the mountains. After some of our more extensive hikes, napping was the perfect touch. And not rushing anywhere fit well with my limitations. This summer we are doing Italy for 13 days with Road Scholars (Elderhostel), an educational tour with respect to our aging. Denny has never been to Europe yet, so this is a new adventure for him. For me, we are going a couple of days early to see Pompeii, which I haven't seen. And getting lectures before we tour the ruins and museums will be wonderful for me. I...Expand for more