5 February 2025. On Retiring at Imbolc

On February 1st, I retired after a 44-year career working in the fields of emergency management, risk management, and security/anti-terrorism for multiple Departments and Agencies of the US government. Actually, I missed the 44-year mark by a month. So sue me.

This is the first time that I’ve been voluntarily unemployed since graduating from college, and it’s been a rather intimidating process, what with securing my long-term retirement funding, navigating the maze of Social Security and Medicare, and turning over my work files and projects to my co-workers. I’ve always treated work as a means to an end, not the end in and of itself. Work has given me the means to enact projects that I care about over the years. However, work – and its associated stress – can also be a type of addiction. I’m now in the process of weaning myself off of the caffeine that I’ve used to charge up my adrenal glands over the years in order to power through projects. And I’m looking forward to never seeing 5 am again unless it’s to catch a flight to somewhere that *I* want to go.

I’m now in the process of looking after my own health, which I’ve sacrificed over the years for my job. My doctor had warned me that sitting on my ass for long periods would be bad for me. And he was correct, of course. But those 14-hr days, between work and a long commute, allowed me that vital means to the end of this journey. Assuming, of course, that the fat orange tyrant doesn’t take down the US economy with his idiotic moves. Again.

Imbolc, or Candlemass, or Groundhog Day (whichever name you prefer) is a time of rebirth and renewal as the world begins to wake up from the depths of Winter and turn towards the promise of Spring. I’m taking that as my guidepost for this new leaf on life. I have plenty of projects to keep me occupied – reading, writing, gardening, home repairs, and travel. I’m hoping to improve on my Greek studies and maybe take up ancient Greek as well. Another trip to Greece is my sights for later this year (yes, I know that I haven’t finished posting about the 2022 trip to Greece, let alone started in on the 2023 trip – perhaps I’ll have the time to do that now). May this Spring inspire you to take up new projects and goals as well as we work our way around the Wheel once more.

— Να εχεις μια ωραια μερα. —