Yes, I Can
And, so it begins! This new chapter. The BIG one. THE One everyone talks about, the RETIREMENT. Yep, I sure am. I am in it to win it!
Who am I trying to kid? I have no plan, no fund, no checklist, no bucket list, no bucket, no list, no friggin’ idea! Half the time, I really don’t know what day it is. And I am only in week two.
This is the stuff that is swimming around in my head. I thought a while back, a while being about 8 years ago, I was ready to retire, and that date came and went, I was too scared. Then, 65 was a target date, and still, I was gun shy, I felt like I just didn’t have my ducks in a row, much less, my savings, my will, my list of want-to, got-to, might-do, nah, don’t want to, and of course, the ever popular, maybe.
And then, I started to feel more and more of the Sunday, fomo’s. Problem was, I was feeling them on Saturday afternoon. I knew it was getting closer. Less swimming around in my head, more planning for what did I really want to do. Less, no and more yes. Less fear and more confidence or maybe it was just the right time, this time. Because, when I decided that if I requested specific changes in my current position and wasn’t granted them, I was going to put in my notice, new position in hand or not, I would make a plan, and stick with it.
My passion work had been put on hold for years. I had reason after reason not to pursue my dreams, this time, no reason was making sense to me. I wasn’t hearing guilty feedback from myself, or fear speech, or any of it. What I heard loud and clear was-Yes, I can!
And so, I spoke with my Administrator, I voiced my concerns, she gave me her feedback, and told me what I needed to do. I made my requests known, and no changes, well, that’s not the truth, no changes that I requested, or that were healthy for me, were made on my behalf. True to my conviction, I wrote my letter of resignation, and two weeks later, I was effectively resigned.
At the age of one day shy of 70 years old, I finally said, Yes, I can to myself, my passion work, and a healthy work environment that included my needs, my desire to grow, still at the age of 70 years young, without a college degree, into a better well-rounded human being and individual, an employee who takes joy in their work, and still sparks with creativity and the desire to prosper the people they work with, those they work for and the customers, both internal and external. I still seek to be appreciated, loved, respected, and at peace every day when I arrive, and every day when I close my office door for the day, knowing I gave it my best. Is that so very wrong? Am I old school? You bet! Do I regret that? Not for a second! Will I bring it into my work going forward? YES, I CAN, and I WILL!