Monday Morning - endings and beginnings

We  do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days

Monday, October 2, 2017

This is my last Monday morning of full time work.  Tomorrow is my last day  and 
on Wednesday I board a plane for the first of hopefully many new adventures.

For the span of my career I have kept a big box in my office that I threw in thank you notes, photos, mementos of events and projects. It grew to two boxes. I never, never looked in those boxes until now.  For the past month or so, I have been reviewing the contents.  So many memories and what a reminder of what extraordinary people that I have had the privilege of working with and what wonderful opportunities I have had.

Transitions can be tough no matter how positive the situation.  As a leader, I have certainly learned that it is important to  mark these times of change by celebrating endings and beginnings.   

 Even though I am so excited to start this next chapter in my life, Tuesday will be tough as I celebrate this ending and say goodbye.

Monday Morning- Paradise Lost

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days







Monday September 11, 2017 
My  attention this past week has been  on the wake of devastation of Hurricane Irma.  It has been devastating as she wove her path through the Caribbean.   Irma impacted some of my most favourite places on earth.  I have had the great good fortune to have visited  all of the islands touched by this hurricane.   I have spent many happy hours at these island's beach bars and yacht clubs some of which no longer exist. Sure,  I am a tourist with very happy memories of these beautiful spots but in reality these islands are home to thousands of citizens who lived through I am sure sheer terror to come through it and find destruction everywhere.  Their homeland and their  homes needing to be rebuilt.  Without the sophisticated emergency infrastructure, response and funding that we enjoy in North America, this will take a long time.  All the while, their main economic engine, tourism will be diminished.  International aid and support is critical.  I hope the hundreds of thousands of people that visit these islands will be generous to the relief effort.  The UK government has already pledged that they will match all donations made  by the public to the British Red Cross .  I donated to them yesterday.  I also made myself a promise  that when things are rebuilt - I am going back to happy hour on the patio of St Martin Yacht Club, to spend a day in the sun at Shipwreck Beach Bar in St. Kitts, to drink rum at Pussers Landing in Tortola, to enjoy a painkiller at Soggy Dollar Bar in Jost Van Dyke, to drink in the beauty of the Baths in Virgin Gorda and to have a Killer Bee at Sunshines in Nevis.

Monday Morning - Retirement Countdown begins

 

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4, 2017

For the past couple of years, I have avoided my emergingsenior blog  As a person that gravitates to action instead of talking about what I need to do, I concentrated on my retirement checklist and it is almost complete.  Three months ago, I gave my notice and today  I face my last month of work.  Many people have asked if I have a countdown and I haven't. Today - the countdown has started:

29 days until retirement
21 days left of work

I certainly have faced mixed emotions over the past few months as my retirement became official. I will miss so much my friends and colleagues .  I will miss being part of a community, a great hospital that I have had the opportunity to work for 37 years.  I am very excited about what is ahead. I look forward to discovering new opportunities and activities that retirement affords me.
As the past couple of years have focused on preparation for this milestone, the upcoming months will begin the metamorphosis to a new life - the journey as an emerging senior really begins.
Only 4 more Monday mornings at work...... The countdown continues

Entitled to nothing...grateful for everything

I don't make New Year's resolutions or bucket lists.  

It has never appealed to me or motivated me.  

Although a planner and list maker by nature - I think life stuff like this is far more organic.  Things cross your path ....for a reason or a reminder. 

It happened  to me  recently ....of all places when I was watching a Toronto Maple Leaf's games on TV.  As the players were leaving the dressing room ...there was a glimpse of  a slogan on the wall -  "Entitled to nothing...grateful for everthing."  

I had heard that before but not for a long time. I looked it up and  sure enough it was from Jack Clark, Head Coach of the University of  California, Berkely Rugby Team.  I had studied this guy in a case study - his philosophy of team and leadership.  He has an amazing win record....a legend in the rugby world.  http://www.jensinkler.com/how-to-win/   

His philosophy is simple ...the young men that come to his program eventhough elite athletes - probably the best rugby athletes - they are not entitled to be treated differently , to treat others with anything but respect, not entitled to play...everything is earned through practice and hard work.

Once you lose that sense of entitlement, gratefulness powers you.  Grateful for the success and the struggles as there are lessons in both.

I was inspired by those words that I glimpsed during the Leaf game and have made a promise to myself to use as a touchstone.  


Jack Clark  is not writing coaching books, or management books or doing anything other than what he loves to do...coach Rugby....develop teams and young men.  

I hope in the hype that is always the Toronto Maple Leafs that the power of these words are not trivialized or worse yet  attributed to the Leafs.

Monday Morning - October 20 - A year later

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days!

Monday October 20, 2014

!It has been over a year since I started this blog  and a couple of months since my last post.  Another tell tale sign of growing older.... time seems to take flight ..... a year goes by in a blink and losing track of time becomes more routine.

I started my foray into social media - twitter, facebook and blog - to honour my good friend  Eleanor - her sense of adventure and being forever young.

I have enjoyed facebook...it has been fun and proved to be a great way to reconnect with some people in my life.  130 friends and I post fairly regularly.

Twitter a bit more of a challenge....I find there is a lot of useless info and  way too much so I don't follow as often and definitely don't post.  I use Twitter mostly to push by blog posts and as a result have over 400 followers.


My blog .... although I have been lapse of late, it has been an education.  I think to have picked a focus of my blog .... retirement planning....emerging senior was a good thing to do.  It is just difficult to keep this at the forefront.  My posting about letting my hair go gray has had the most interest and have had followers from all sorts of "Going Gray" groups and an invite to go to London England to participate in summit.  Who knew?

I have recently registered on pinterest but I think I will use that mostly for our new business.

So in the coming year, my goal is get better at twitter, refocus my attention on Emerging Senior blog and explore how pinterest, and other online communities such as Etsy could be helpful to the mac.gillet gallery.

In terms of retirement....not ready yet but feeling a lot more prepared.  I better review my post with my retirement checklist to see how things are progressing.....

Monday Morning July 28 - Not time yet

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days

Monday, July 28, 2014

I returned to work this week after two weeks of vacation.  I always like to take a couple of weeks in the summer just to hang around the house, the pool, catch up on some reading, gardening.  It is nice to have the luxury of time to meet friends and family for coffee, go to yoga everyday.

My few weeks kicking around town is always a litmus test for me about my retirement readiness.  I always pay attention to my feelings about going back to work.  Is it time for me to make my "at home" vacation a more permanent lifestyle?

Not yet.  I was looking forward to returning to work.  I had  no feeling of dread of going back to the office.  I missed my work and my colleagues.

However, on Monday night after a hellish day at work, my thoughts were leaning in the other direction.  But by the end of the week after I seemed to have my work life under control.... I am confident....not yet.

I will keep working on my checklist for retirement, continue my planning for this next phase of my life ... I think right now... I am still an emerging senior....

Monday Morning - July 7 - Bucket List

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days

Monday, July 7, 2014

I don't have a bucket list.  I don't really know why.  I like lists.  I have lots of to do lists - work, home, etc.  I am definitely a list person.  But a bucket list doesn't sit right with me.  A list of things to do before I die?

 I don't think life works like that.  It is more organic.  You do one thing and that leads you to another... leads you to another.   The undiscovered, the unimagined...best parts of life.

Sure there are things I want to do, places to see but I had wishes like that when I was a kid and at every stage so far. .  Why do we have to put this "before I die" label on it. 
I can understand a list of things to do before I retire (while I still have the money) or things to do while I am still fit enough. 

What happens after you have done everything on your bucket list??  Are you finished... just sitting around.... can go anytime.

No, not for me.  I will carry on bucketless