Entry #3, June 17, 2006

Hi, All,

I want to consider here the transition of retirement, something that so many millions experience each year.

In my own case, I am thinking about the wonderful events my colleagues organized for me as I was finishing up at UC. Linda Pelton, our "relatively new" Counseling Program Secretary, was the prime mover behind these, I think. Thank you, Linda! There were two events, a larger College-University wide one and a smaller, Counseling Program one. If it is possible to do, I will ask my daughter, Suzanne, to put up the Powerpoint program that was shown at the first event--very creative! A "remembrance book" was compiled for me, containing comments from people locally as well as nationally. These comments were especially touching. Thank you.

I certainly will miss my Counseling Program colleagues, our students, and our work together. But I know they will carry on with zest continuing to do important work. Full speed ahead!

For all of you retiring, or considering it, the transition is a big one. I am very early in its throes. My bicycle ride, as I have said, is a way I am choosing to mark this transition. I need something active, challenging, and that will "take me away," both literally and figuratively.

Anyone experiencing the retirement transition needs to consider and cope with a host of challenges. New roles, new relationships, new routines, new perspectives (as Nancy Schlossberg has written)....The first six months can be the most exciting for many, doing all those things you've always wanted to do but couldn't find the time. Maybe reading the NY Times in your bathrobe all morning. Maybe volunteering at a soup kitchen. Maybe starting a new business venture. Maybe seeing what Madagascar is all about, or hiking the Himalayas. More time with family. Or learning yoga and becoming deeply introspective. Or, seeing what having no specific plans is really like....whatever, research shows that there can be a big slump following six months for too many people--a period of disillusionment--that can last up to a year and a half before things are righted. For some, the dark period just continues. I don't want to be one of those people and you don't either.

I've set up a service to help people moving to or through the retirement transition, called "Charting Your Personal Future (http://www.chartingyourpersonalfuture.com). Counseling services and training workshops will address the many psychological, emotional and social issues surrounding this big move; these personal matters accompany essential financial considerations, where existing services are much more available. I hope to be of some service to others in this way during my own retirement/refirement.

But my thoughts right now are mostly on the heat (it is expected to hit 90 degrees today!), the hills, and the heavy packs I will be carting as I bicycle North. Hey! Anyone you still wants to join me on a part of this trek is welcome (itinerary available).

'Til next time,

bob