9 days and counting. 9 more days to wrap up my life’s work and hand it off to the next generation. 9 more days to wake up and rush off with purpose to a job that I love and one that has fuelled my left brain, my creativity, my spirit. This brings to mind the theme of a popular soap opera;

Like sands through the hourglass, so too are the days of our lives.

How true the words of MacDonald Carey are. Treasure each one as a gift. This is so cliche yet aren’t all cliche’s borne from experience and reflective thought?

9 more days of collective prayer for the afflicted,the community, the world before we start our day. 9 days to clean out hard drives, desk drawers, book closets. 9 days to wipe clean the mountains of programs and plans , files and photos that have defined my role -in fact my life. My world is changing and though I welcome it, it will be radically different. I will no doubt suffer the inevitable chasm of loss of other retirees when we find ourselves plunged into a social and intellectual void, and our efforts become focused on anchoring ourselves in new and purposed direction.

If the highest aim of a captain were to preserve his ship, he would keep it in port forever.

My ship is sailing. I have to keep it afloat without the safety of routines that I have come to rely on.And though I don’t know the destination of my new vessel, it’s one that I can carve myself and steer toward any port of my choosing.

And though I will no longer start each day by looking ahead at the day’s plans and problems, I will be able to rise each morning to its possibilities, and welcome this time to redefine or rather allow my creative self to emerge more fully.

9 days to slowly close the door on a  career well enjoyed, well lived and open the door to endless possibilities.