“I see retirement as just another of these reinventions, another chance to do new things and be a new version of myself.” ~ Walt Mossberg.

My father retired from full-time employment at the age of almost 66.  At the time he was in fairly good health (although he had suffered a heart attack over a decade earlier), but he was aware that his father had died before he was 70, and an older brother had died before he was 60.  Imagining then that he himself would not live much longer, he decided it was time to move back to the UK so that he and my mother could be closer to the family there.  Ironically, he ended up living longer in retirement (24 years) than he had lived and worked in Jamaica (23 years). 

In retirement they both went on to live full lives. Since they had returned to live in North Wales (a place of great beauty, just as Jamaica was), my mother soon enrolled in a course to learn to speak Welsh.  They both took courses at University, courses offered to retired adults, I believe it was called U3A – University of the third age.  My father frequently preached at the local chapel and they both were involved in many humanitarian causes.  And they traveled.  Thanks to a trust established by my mother’s grandfather, they had an additional income which allowed for trips back to Jamaica, and included side trips to visit me and my family in Miami, and Pam and her family wherever they happened to be.  They even visited a cousin who had a home in Mesa, Arizona, and saw the Grand Canyon!

They say you should live as if you were to die tomorrow, but plan as if you will live forever! Last year I made the decision to retire, and did so at the end of 2023.  It required some planning on my part, as I felt I needed to have an exit strategy from my job. I had held a position of some responsibility, and I could not in good conscience walk away without doing as much as I could for the person coming in to the position. 

It has been a little strange adjusting to this new lifestyle.  I have worked my entire adult life – even earning a stipend while in nursing school.  I worked through four pregnancies, and since there was no paid maternity leave, went back to work as soon as possible after each delivery.  When working in the hospital setting, I worked mostly nights and weekends, and, like other ‘essential’ workers, worked at least half of the holidays.  There was a time when I worked two jobs, back when nurses’ wages were just so-so. 

One of the treats of being retired is being able to do things in midweek that I would previously have turned down.  This week we attended a free concert on Monday night,(used to be a ‘school’ night!) in the Miami Design District.  The Miami Symphony Orchestra performed on a stage on a street blocked off for the event.  Emilio Estefan (Gloria’s husband) was the producer, and various of his ‘new talents’ performed, guitarists and singers backed by the rich sounds of the orchestra.  It was a cool evening, and although we arrived on time, every seat on the street was already taken.

The featured act was The Wailers – the current composition of the band is several generations removed from the band that backed Bob Marley in the 60’s and early 70’s.  They came on after all of the other acts, and wowed the crowd.  It should be noted that the crowd was probably 90% White and/or Hispanic.  But the Wailers had the audience dancing (not sitting) and of course singing the Global Anthem ‘One Love’. 

This week I returned to my former place of work, but this time as a guest speaker at the Pinning Ceremony for a group of graduating nursing students.  Teaching came to be my second passion, and one that allowed me to experience the strange sensation of being off every weekend and holiday! And having three weeks off over Christmas, a time when most hospitals do not grant vacation leave. 

Although nursing gives you the opportunity to impact the lives of people when they are at their most vulnerable, with teaching, if you can light the spark, you have the potential to multiply that impact, through the nursing students you educate.  It is interesting to note that when I was in nursing school we referred to our nursing education as ‘training’, as if nursing were a series of exercises or drills that we had to execute in a set way.  Thankfully the discipline of nursing has evolved and been recognized as being so much more than tasks and skills.  We now follow Nurse Theorists, and learn from Nurse Philosophers, so that beyond pathophysiology and clinical skills we are thinking about how to create therapeutic environments for those we are privileged to care for, to bring about the best outcomes.

In my speech I told two stories about times I had missed significant clues while caring for my patients, to emphasize the need for humility and a willingness to learn from mistakes.  But I also shared a story of the time I got it right, and the patient came back one year later with a bouquet of roses to thank me for my care.  These ‘nurstories’ are what make nursing special, intimate moments shared with total strangers, that can change both parties for the better.

This Friday morning, may you find joy in your life at whatever stage you are.  May you have the occasion to sing loudly in public, accompanied by an Orchestra! And may you reach out and touch others with simple acts of kindness, that may make all the difference to them.

Have a wonderful weekend, Family!

And as always: One Love!

Namaste.