I am writing this blog mid-December. I am scheduled to retire in early January.
I have scheduled this blog to post the day after I retire. If one thinks of life as an ocean voyage, at 74 I can now see the oncoming shore that is the end of that voyage. It won't be tomorrow, but it becomes more certain with each passing day, and has spurred me to seriously consider how I will spend my remaining time on this earth. Retirement seems to be the correct choice. Next year will mark 50 years since I graduated from Pharmacy School, and 50 years since I joined ASHP.
I must confess that I approach retirement with some anxiety.
I am one of those people who succumbed to the siren-song of loving my work and letting it define who I am and how I spend my time; one of those who lived to work, rather than working to live. I do not regret that. I have found joy in accomplishment, joy in writing, joy in teaching, joy in mentoring, and joy in seeing those I have known as students become successes in their chosen pursuits. And I have found joy and fulfillment in the many relationships working has brought my way.
But now that I will have to accept responsibility for what I do and when I do it, I find that I lack the hobbies and other fulfilling activities that should fill the oncoming days.
After 35 years in management with "ma bell", my late father apprenticed himself to a luthier, and learned to make violins, violas, and other stringed instruments along with the tools he needed for those pursuits. I still have one of those violins. It made him happier than I had ever seen him. Sadly, I don't have the patience for that kind of work.
There is, of course, understanding and keeping current with Medicare, which seems like a full-time job right now. But that, too, will pass.
I hope to travel both here in the US and abroad. There are lots of places to see. I have acquaintances who seem to have made a second career out of finding unique places to visit. I need to learn more about how they do that.
I am fortunate to have children and grandchildren with whom to spend time.
I will still blog. I am grateful to ASHP for the opportunity to do so.
I will still teach as long as I am permitted. I am grateful to Armen Simonian and KGI for the opportunity to lecture on informatics.
My wife is working on her "honey-do" list. I am certain it will grow.
But I will miss the meetings, responsibilities, and projects that have filled my days, as well as the conversations both personal and professional that work brought my way and find myself regretting that I did not do more to build a life outside of work. I know that I will survive and find new ways to find joy. I am not complaining (well, maybe whining just a little). I just could have done a better job of preparing for this new phase of my life.
So, please learn from my experience and prepare yourselves for this inevitability. Develop a life outside of your profession on which you can lean and from which you find joy now and when you retire. You will find other new things to fill your days, but it really helps to have some things already in place when you start.
Dennis A. Tribble, PharmD, FASHP
Ormond Beach, FL
DATdoc@aol.com