Lill Robinson is a regular at Cabin Coffee, where she celebrates two of her lifelong loves - travel and good coffee.

When most people think about retirement, they see it as a time to slow down and enjoy all that life has to offer. Lill Robinson agrees with the “enjoy all that life has to offer” bit, but for her, life after retirement has been busier than ever.

“My goal in retirement was to stay busy, and do the things that I enjoy,” Robinson shares. “I think I’ve done a pretty good job of that.”

Robinson’s list of community involvements is extensive, and runs the gambit from government to teaching to the arts.

A former member of the board, she now serves as a Chamber Volunteer and writes the weekly Chamber Focus column for the Faribault County Register. She also serves as a member of the Chamber Ambassador Committee, and is the sole remaining founding member of the Blue Earth Community Foundation to still be a member.

On the teaching side of things, Robinson is a retired teacher for seventh and eighth grade at Blue Earth Area. She has taught in locations ranging from Minnesota, Iowa, and Texas to halfway across the world in Melbourne, Australia. Even today, she still assists with coaching the Knowledge Bowl team – though she refuses to go back as a substitute teacher.

“I haven’t subbed a single day since I retired 40 years ago,” Robinson admits. “Some former teachers love going back and helping as a substitute teacher, but not me. I still lend a hand where I can, but I’ll never teach again.”

Robinson’s love of the arts led her to join up with the Blue Earth Town & Country Players, where she’s been a member for several years. However, she hasn’t actually performed in a show for several years, mostly because she lost her voice after catching Covid-19 during the pandemic in 2022.

“I used to have a lovely singing voice, and I still love to sing, so it’s a shame I lost my voice,” Robinson admits. “But the Covid-19 pandemic took a toll on my voice, and I never quite got it back.”

To cap off her volunteering achievements, Robinson also serves as a board member of the Blue Earth Historical Society, having joined as a member before she retired.

“How do I juggle all of these volunteer events? A calendar, mostly,” Robinson confides. “But I do still forget about things sometimes.”

Despite her busy schedule, Robinson still maintains a healthy social life, keeping up with friends from several different groups. She and her so-called “coffee posse” are regulars at Cabin Coffee, and she’s traveled all across the world with a group of friends she affectionately refers to as her “Blue Earth family.”

“I think we’re all kind of young at heart,” Robinson explains. “That’s how we’re able to stay so active in our retirement, and it keeps us going.”

Speaking of travel, Robinson has a deep love of traveling all around the world, and has been to countries ranging from Botswana to Ireland to Canada, and she’ll be adding Costa Rica to the list after a trip there in September.

“Botswana was one of my absolute favorite trips – I got to see elephants!” Robinson recalls. “I’m very excited for Costa Rica as well; I’ve always been intrigued by the rainforest, and I’m hoping I’ll get to see a sloth.”

Many of Robinson’s travels have been led by a program called Road Scholar, which takes a distinctly scholarly approach to world travel. Instead of typical tourist destinations, their trips revolve around visiting sites of historical and scientific importance.

“These kinds of trips blend my love of teaching and travel into one, and that’s something truly special,” Robinson shares. “No matter where I travel, I’ve learned that people are people, and I’ve gained a great appreciation for different cultures as well as different ways of thinking.”

Robinson’s love of learning doesn’t stop there, either – she’s also an avid reader, and is a proud member of the Mitchell Circle of the Chatauqua Literary and Scientific Circle.

“It was my dream to join this group after retirement,” Robinson explains. “I’d also love to go visit their headquarters in New York at some point in my life.”

Robinson is also a member of the local early Bird Book Club at the Blue Earth Community Library, where her love of reading and learning can flourish alongside several other members of the Blue Earth community.

“One of my favorite books that I’ve read as part of the Mitchell Circle was Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson, which talks about the deforestation of the redwood forests in northern California,” Robinson recalls. “For the local book club, one that really stood out was Remarkably Bright Creatures by Sy Montgomery – the opening chapter is from the point of view of an octopus!”

Even with such a busy life, Robinson still finds time to enjoy one of her favorite art forms – photography. She also has a love for what she calls “photo-ku,” which is where she writes a haiku to go along with the photo she’s taken.

“Phones have such great cameras these days, they make it so easy to take phenomenal photos,” Robinson remarks. “I use my iPhone for all of the photos I take.”

So the next time you see Lill Robinson out and about, know that she’s living her retired life to the fullest.