Category Archives: Family

On Retirement…

Fourteen years … long years … productive years .. .memorable years …

That’s how long I’ve worked at my current job. To last that long in one place today means it was a mutually beneficial relationship — or we all got stuck in a rut. For me, it’s been very positive. Let me count the ways: my bosses, the people, the opportunities, the work, the appreciation, stretching my limitations, expanding my horizons, making friends, finding goofballs, some funny and some not-so-funny — all in all, a decade+ of experience.

They say (whoever “they” really is) that all your experiences mold you into the person you’ve become. I’m thankful to have been surrounded by some very wonderful, kind, caring, and professional people.

I thought it would be difficult to leave, but I know now it would be more difficult to stay. I’ve always heard you know when it’s time, and I did. I do. Leaving will be bittersweet, but it’s time to open a new chapter and begin a new phase of life. I’d be a liar if I said I wasn’t a little nervous, but excitement trumps trepidation every time!

There’s so much going on in my life right now with my debut book launch, training a replacement, wrapping up projects, South Pacific Islandretiring from a full-time job, and a going off with my honey on a dream cruise to the South Pacific. How could I NOT have the fidgets?

I say Bring It On!

I’m ready to tackle it all because My God created all this. He planned my life and is big enough to handle what the world  throws His way.

What I Want To Be When I Grow Up…

I’ve joked for years saying, “I finally figured out what I want to be when I grow up — Retired!”

Well, that time is approaching and it fills me with joy and more than a dash of trepidation. I want so much to be productive in the coming years, but there’s a lot of change to embrace first. I’ll need to address a few questions, like:

I’ve spent forty years working. I’m a known entity with proven value. Will I lose my identify and sense of self without a corporate support structure to acknowledge me?

I’m a creature of habit. I need order. Will I become the kid again who left home for the first time and went a little wild without an authority figure to guide me? Without a curfew?

A job comes with set hours and expectations. How do I re-establish accountability for myself?

The think I look forward to the most in retirement is time to write, write, write! But a body can sit in front of the computer monitor only so long without getting rusty and creaky. Will I find the discipline to draw up a timetable? Set aside time to write, but also to move about, see friends, get outside, and clean house? (Yes, there are some things that never go away!)

Time is about to take on a whole new meaning. I just hope I’m up to the challenge. Wish me luck, because October 17th is coming fast!

 

Letting Louey Go

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Eight-years old and a lifetime of love. Louey was a Boxer with one tooth that always stuck out, a tongue too long for his mouth, and a docked tail we lovingly called his “gas cap” – for obvious reasons. I swear he had a motor in that little nubbin.

Whenever the garage door went up, he’d be there, waiting by the kitchen door to greet me when I got home. His tail would wag at the speed of light and he’d be holding his “baby” – a ratty, old stuffed rabbit he’d safeguarded for years. That’s when the prancing and pretzeling began.

Lou didn’t like to cuddle, but he was a toucher. He also shadowed me everywhere I went, regardless of whether he knew where we were going.

He liked to have his hindquarters scratched, but not his back and definitely not around the ears. You could trail your fingers along his sides and watch the skin ripple and flinch repeatedly. Messing with his ears brought on a “kickle-itch” attack every time.

Boxers are strong, sleek, and muscular, and Louey was no exception. He loved children, but had a BIG bark that would make a grown man back away. At heart though, he was such a coward. This sixty-five pound beast once confronted a six pound Yorkie…and ran away! From a cat, too. And a squirrel. A bird. And let’s not forget the evil vacuum cleaner. And the broom.

He didn’t care much for thunderstorms, always seeking a reassuring pat or if we weren’t home, a hiding place under the bed. And Lou had to be the only dog in the world not motivated by food. Oh, the games we would play to get his meds down.

Such a funny guy. Happy. Trustworthy. A real sweetie. Brave, too (to a point). It was hard to let him go, but it was harder to watch him suffer.

I miss Lou.  And I still look for him at the door when I come home.