Retirement: The Next Adventure

They say that one shouldn't make major life decisions during chemotherapy - chemo brain is well-known to participants if not to all doctors. Yet I did decide during that period that I would retire at age 62. Going in to this decision were the following: 1) a financial analysis revealed that we could indeed do it, and still live our modest yet comfortable life; 2) my department was heading in a direction that I thought was very progressive and appropriate, yet was not a direction I wanted to go professionally; 3) I was just tired of the burden of a) constantly having to learn enough about fast-changing technology to teach effectively, and b) worrying about my non-existent research agenda, which had pretty much disappeared during the previous 5 years, between chairing my department, spending 2 years on leave from my academic post as a practitioner, and then dealing with the cancer; and 4) the cancer could come back, and I want to have some fun before it does. I gave my school a year's notice so they could hire a replacement in time. They took it well, but with regret: every time I saw my Dean he asked if I had changed my mind. Numerous colleagues within and without the business school told me "you will be missed," which always surprised me. Even my students expressed regret, which was pretty amazing for someone constantly worrying about my effectiveness as an instructor. My last 2 semesters I'm convinced I did a better job teaching because I was able to relax, enjoy it, and be myself in front of my students more than I ever had in the past. If only I had known this was possible! Nevertheless, I have never regretted the decision. It has felt like a huge burden taken off my shoulders (which of course had been put there, and kept there, by me). So now I will use this blog to chronicle my journey through this next phase of my life. I hope to use my time in spiritual, physical, emotional, and intellectual growth, incorporating things I've already started, like regular exercise and meditation, as well as things I've wanted to start (or restart) such as having more music in my life. I do expect I will need to find some meaningful volunteer work, but I'm taking the summer off to just relax and have fun, a plan already tempered somewhat due to having to move to our new/old house in Cambridge, MD, and having to fix up and sell our previous house near the university. Meanwhile, I'm perusing adventure travel catalogs, as well as considering buying a small travel trailer that would allow us to take the dog. I'm cooking one new recipe per week. I've joined the local YMCA, which by happy coincidence is about 1/2 mile from our house, and swim 3 times a week. I got a library card and joined "Friends of the Library", hoping to meet new people who read. I sent in a membership check to the local environmental advocacy group. I've found and ridden some good bicycle routes right from our house. A good start ...