Today I Begin - The Next Chapter

Well, I am doing something today that I have always wanted to do but never really thought I would. First of all, today begins the new year. 2013 brings with it a whole new life for me. Retirement! Sure, I have a couple of things to wrap up but my day-to-day work life is rapidly coming to a close. After working for many years to help build SCHOOLinSITES, it's time for me to turn it over to a great team of young people. I am excited to follow along and see all the wonderful plans come to fruition.

As I enter into The Next Chapter, I decided to try my hand at blogging. I have often been told that I have a gift of writing but have never really approached writing from a personal perspective -- I only write when I must: for work, for a website article or perhaps just to express myself in e-mails to friends or business associates.

This blog will be focused on personal day to day experiences now that I am traveling down this new road. And it will include many pictures along the way. I thought that by blogging periodically, you would perhaps think about when the right time for retirement would be for you. My philosophy is this: YOU make the decisions that drive your retirement. Don't let "life" make those decisions for you. Sure, God is always in control (believe me, I know that!) but He gives us a free will and we should use our good sense to try to plan for our future. No, I know I will never fully "retire" but I will be focusing primarily on doing things in life that fulfill the many passions I have. Here is a stab at 10 of those:

1. Taking care of family. I want to spend more time reaching out to my family. This includes my kids, my dad, my mother-in-law, my siblings and relatives with whom I get to spend little time. With a new granddaughter on the way, I couldn't be more excited!

2, Taking time for music. Music has been a passion for me since I was 6 years old. Hopefully I will be able to sit down and really practice and explore that which I began learning from age 6 to age 8. I never thought back then I would actually want to practice (my dad will be so proud!) but I do.

3. Pursue the art of photography. I actually took three special studies courses at UAB over 30 years ago and so loved it. I want to pick up where I left off and really focus on what makes a good photo and perhaps learn more about photo editing.

4. Read! A good book is a great escape from daily life.

5. Travel. Time to share some of the places I've seen during my working years with my eternal sweetheart.

6. Make a bucket list. 'Tis time to determine some of the "wildly important" experiences left for me, document them and check them off.

7. Physical fitness. Yes, daily workouts will remain a focus for me. In fact, here is the scene from the gym as I drove up to work out just yesterday.

What an AWESOME reward for getting up early....

8. Gardening. LOVE spending time in my yard. Planning on doing way more of that now.

9. Visiting the sick. I have always tried to visit folks in the hospital or even in their homes but now I look forward to being able to actually take the time during the day to reach out to those who are lonely and in need of company.

10. The Laura Crandall Brown Ovarian Cancer Foundation. Always a priority for me but hopefully I can do a better job in the future of contributing to this wonderful cause.

So now you know. And perhaps you will be interested to follow this road with me. Only God knows where The Next Chapter will actually lead me. But I am ready to thank Him for each and every day He allows me to explore and enjoy what He has in store for me!

Stay tuned......