This was written during Friday evening, 8/22/08.
I have been preparing for today for the last 16 years. I am glad that it is here, and I am glad that I am able to explain it to you, yet I am still nervous about the changes in my life. You see, I retired today (actually, I won’t retire until the end of November, but that is administrative and bureaucratic nonsense; effectively, I am retired NOW) and I don’t know how to take it. I am overjoyed and nervous; happy and scared all at the same time.
I have never handled change well, and this is the sixth largest change of my life (three marriages / divorces and two children rank above it). I now have to figure out what I am going to do for my next career before I get too far along without a job…
Change can be rough, especially when thrown at you from above with amazing precision by monkeys moving at unflagging speed. I find the quarters hurt the most, and I can laugh off the dimes and sometimes the pennies.
On a more serious note, yeah… it’s going to be a challenge, but then again, hasn’t everything up to this point?
Well Sir, I’m figuring that you will excel at whatever you choose to do.
Thank you for the service, dedication and sacrifice given to our country. You are a Patriot, and our prayers ride with you.
I have no doubt that you will tackle this challenge/change with all of your wonderful insights and intelligence. Take it a day at a time and choose what is right for you at that moment. Don’t second guess yourself and live each day doing what you enjoy. Best of luck with your new adventure.
I, for one, have had complete faith in you, and that includes what ever it is that you decide what to do after getting out. I think your choices so far have been perfect for you… and I know you will excel at whatever you chose. Life is never easy but it is always about choices… and that my dear, is part of winning the battle.
The only way to get what you really want, is to know
what you really want.
And the only way to know what you really want, is to
know yourself.
And the only way to know yourself, is to be yourself.
And the only way to be yourself is to listen to your heart.
-Mike Dooley
I too want to thank you for your service to our country.
Congratulations on a job well done!!!