Retire...or Rewire?

I read a recent editorial (8/26/12) in The Riverton Ranger, written by Randy Tucker, who said some things that rang true for me.  His piece was about having retired from education, and he titled it, “No back-to-school for me.”  I had to chuckle, because I could say the same!  For Randy, it’s the first time in nearly 50 years that he hasn’t “taken part in the annual American rite of autumn.”  I was nodding my head in agreement as I read his words about how school has filled his life, first as a student, and then as a teacher and a coach. 

This is also the first autumn that I have not returned to school.  Am I sad? No.  Am I feeling nostalgic? Not really.  The time was absolutely right for me to move on.  And there are so many things that I can do! Of course my educational background serves as guide, motivation, and perhaps shapes the way I continue the exploration of ideas and connections with people. 

 I like these words from Goldie Hawn which I heard in a TV interview:

“The beauty of getting older is the surprise of what else you can do to make the world a better place with the wisdom you’ve accrued over those years.”

More favorite quotes:

“I’ve come to believe that each of us has a personal calling that’s as unique as a finger-print—and that the best way to succeed is to discover what you love and then find a way to offer it to others in the form of service, working hard, and also allowing the energy of the universe to lead you.”   Oprah Winfrey

 “Education is what survives when what has been learned has been forgotten.”   B.F. Skinner

“Bachelor’s degrees make pretty good placemats if you get ’em laminated.”    J Jacques

Because of my love of piano and music education, I have to add these:

“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”   Aldous Huxley

“Opera is when a guy gets stabbed in the back and, instead of bleeding, he sings.”  Ed Gardner