Work Like You Were Retiring

Work Like You Were Retiring

For years, retirement was that day, sometime in the future, when the heavens would open, the angels would sing and rainbows would arc across a beautiful sky. Each day would start off with me waking without an alarm clock and asking myself, “What shall I do today?” And I would wander in any direction that made me happy. That was the theory I was looking forward to putting into practice.

The time is almost here and instead of rainbows and angels, about the only thing happening is panic and angst.  It appears I have become pretty comfortable with neurosis the past couple of years, so why the hell stop now. Let’s take something like retirement and celebrate the freak-out-ness of it. If there is one thing of which I am certain, it’s that uncertainty and change are here to stay.

There are a couple of things I won’t miss……the hour, each way, daily commute and paperwork. That’s pretty much it.

While I have a couple of months left to work at a career I’ve had for 31 years, I catch myself  being all chilled about things that would normally be annoying. Students (and parents) have always made sure that there was a new reason to be amazed, both good and bad.  But, these days, I couldn’t even get peeved at any part of the job if I tried. Right now, my job feels like that song about living like you’re dying. Well, I am here to tell you, I’ve discovered something called; “work like you’re retiring” (not to be at all confused with the short timers, don’t give a damn mentality)

If you know someone who is retiring you may want to avoid asking the question “What are you going to do?” I have decided to start making up gargantuan lies. “I’m going to live in the Amazon rain forest for a year,” or “I’m training for the Iditarod.” If you ask me that question, you could be that straw….on the camel’s back… the lucky one who gets to experience the floodgates that can’t be bottled any longer. Please don’t tap that keg. Hey, it’s a fair warning, folks.

Just work like you were retiring.           http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h6jnynVLfLA