Lessons Learned
“What
Can You Do With A General When He Stops Being A General?”
“White
Christmas” is, by far, our family’s favorite holiday movie. The lines, the
songs, the choreography, the gestures, the elaborate sets and costumes completely
engage each and every cousin, aunt, uncle, and grandparent gathered around the
living room watching and listening and singing along to this classic with full smiles. And if a gentle snow begins falling outside our
home at the end of the movie, just like the final scene of the movie, well then,
all the better. Fabulous. Absolutely fabulous. In the story, General Waverly
retires from the Army and struggles a bit to find footing in the new life of
retirement after a very busy and decorated life in the service; hence the song,
“What can you do with a General when he stops being a General?” Retirement is a
chapter, a season of life that many eagerly anticipate for years and years, as
the thought of increased discretionary time is unequivocally alluring. The
thought of even available time outside the typical spin cycle of life’s
frenetic daily pace is the longed for daydream that frequently tickles one’s
imagination while galloping on the treadmill of climbing and achievement in a
job or career. But then it finally arrives, retirement that is, and regardless
of how giddily anticipated it has been
and for how long, it still arrives like the screeching halt of touchy brakes.
Boom. Stop. Fini. With your box of belongings draped over your arms, you head
to your car as your cubical is dusted off and prepared for the next player who
has been charged to pick up the ball and run. The drive home is washed with
emotions ranging from jubilation over the “my time’s my own” reality to a pinch
of concern in response to the perplexing and confusing question bubbling up
inside wondering who exactly one is apart from a long time job or career.
Hello. Redefining or reinventing one’s self requires some deep contemplative
time, so right now in this exact moment on this awkward drive home, a pinch of
emptiness douses the jubilation. Tomorrow
morning, lounging in a bathrobe until 10 AM may be great medicine for the heart
and soul, but will it feel so decadent morning after morning after morning
after morning? Somehow I feel as though we are innately wired to want to
regularly bring our gifts to the table of need and offer our best to tackle
challenges that exist around us. No two
individuals are the same and the gifts possessed by one are the gifts needed by
another. By sharing and serving in this manner, growth and progress occur. In
bringing home the box of belongings, one is essentially withdrawing from the
exchange of gifts for the enrichment of all, and that simply cannot be; not
permanently anyway. I retired last June.
Thirty years in the classroom for this teacher, and it was unquestionably the
career of my dreams and of my heart. But it was time. Time for a change. Time
to breathe. Time to reassess. “ What can you do with teachers when they stop
being teachers?” For a short while, one
can busy busy hands with part time jobs and engage minds accustomed to
spontaneously creating exciting plans and activities that magically build
bridges of learning for learners of all ages and all ability levels all of the
time with various good and meaningful projects, but at some point, the desire
and need to serve and share consistently, deeply and significantly will become
overwhelming. Teachers are meant to
teach; it’s who they are. But the where, the when, and the how, that would be
the trick. Needs most assuredly abound in our families, neighborhoods, and
communities, and the skill set of a veteran teacher could provide valuable
support when reaching into these needs to offer hope and help. Retirement is a
change, not a checking out. Even in
retirement, especially in retirement, teachers must continue to teach, minister to
individual needs, build a warm collaborative esprit de corps, open the doors of
possibility, and lead the charge of encouragement and affirmation regardless of
the classroom or arena in which they serve. There’s much work to be done; no
time for the bathrobe today.
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