More on the "R" Word

My last entry revolved around my impending retirement. This one is going to as well and then I promise to move onto other topics. For starters, I am wondering what retirement feels like. On that magic day will I suddenly be awash with feelings of tranquility and contentment? Will I forever be at peace with myself and all that has occurred leading up to my finally hanging up my cleats? I can only hope all that turns out to be the case. Realistically, I seriously any of those feelings will happen. That's too bad because it would be very nice. I especially like would like being at peace with various mistakes and poor decisions I made while working.

I still cringe, for instance, at the press conferences I organized where no reporters showed. I still shake my head at some personnel decisions I made in terms of certain hires I made that, in retrospect, were definitely not good choices. And then there are those periodic missed deadlines and less-than-stellar days on the job that I have no one to blame but myself. Over forty years as a professional is a long time. That is a lot of times at the bat. Without question, I had my share of swings and misses and, to be fair, more than a few hits as well. We all do. How good of a professional I was I am content to leave to others to decide. For me, I believe I did all right.  

Stepping into retirement, I understand that life does not end, nor do my efforts to be the best communicator I can be stop. Whether or not one considers themselves to be a professional communicator, we never stop interacting with others, trying to share our thoughts, or better understand what others are trying to tell us. It is all about being the best communicator we can be in terms of being able to talk with all we encounter. in so many ways, how we communicator defines who and what we are as individuals. These next forty years will still find me swinging for the fences with all the energy I can muster.