Day 2: Setting the Record Straight

Let's set the record straight on what to call my current state of being. I feel I'm a bit neurotic on this one...people who have been in conversation with me know that I don't want to refer to my current status as "retired." It doesn't feel, smell, look, or taste like retirement. I am not collecting a "retirement" check and I need to work. I have been saying that I've "resigned," but when someone is as old as me and has been around one job as long as me...it looks like "retirement" to everyone else!

I thought I may need to concede and say that I am "retired" from teaching, but I'm NOT in "retirement." So I looked at a few definitions....it actually was a bit fun...take a look at http://blogs.moneycentral.msn.com/smartspending/archive/2008/10/30/rewriting-the-definition-of-retirement.aspx ...."Rewriting the definition of retirement." I especially liked this phrase, "Retirement is no longer conventionally retiring. Instead, it is re-engaging."

I also looked up the definition of "resignation." You might have fun looking at that one yourself and deciding why I'm sticking with "RESIGNING."

So the debate is over and my final word is... I "resigned" from teaching at RRSEC and am "re-engaging" with my work for children who are blind/low vision.

So what was meaningful on Day 2? I went for a walk/run again and saw 2 loons (yesterday I saw a baby fawn...at first I thought it was a little puppydog down the road). I had an ethics committee meeting at our local hospital. I've been a community representative on the ethics committee since its inception (maybe about 15 years?). Learning about and participating in biomedical ethics dialogues has been important to me in many ways and I am thankful for this activity in my life and I intend on keeping this one going.