What to do next?

At 53, I have been thinking about my future in this line of work. It’s very physically and mentally challenging. I love what I do, and that is why I have been doing this work for the last 12 years. I am in (knock on wood) excellent health, very fit, and only have a few minor aches and pains at the end of a day on the ladder. I don’t, however, want to wait until I am no longer able to climb a ladder, to think about what other type of work I should pursue.

There are so many choices, it’s hard to focus on one! Right now, I am researching the possibility of going back to school for Art Restoration/Conservation. I figure I could start taking some evening classes now and hopefully have a new degree and some new skills at the end of 5 years. I like a 5 Year Plan. I still feel there are things I want to accomplish with decorative painting company, Paint It!

I also like the idea of opening a small shop with a studio room for classes. I can envision having a living room setting in the front of the store, where people can just drop in, browse though decorating magazines, pick each others brain and mine, for fun decorating ideas. I’d like to have a Projects Club, like a knitting club, only everyone would come weekly to work on a project for their home or to give as a gift. Or wouldn’t it be fun to have a book store that just specialized in Home Decor books and magazines…with the studio space or classes… and a coffee bar.

Well, these are all things I am thinking about these days. My friend Rebecca, over at her Cre8Tiva blog site, talks a bit about "coming down off the ladder" today. Rebecca is in the process of writing a book about this topic and has developed a workshop to address these very issues.