Time to rotate the tires
At the moment, retirement — whether voluntary or imposed — is a topic on people’s minds, particularly in the Beacon’s readership area. This region is being hit especially hard by the government cutbacks we read about daily.
So, it hasn’t been surprising that the question, “So, are you thinking of retiring?” comes up in almost every casual conversation I’ve recently had.
Some years ago, I came up with the idea (probably not original) that “re-tirement” is when you get yourself a new set of “tires,” figuratively speaking.
The old ones have lost most of their tread, been worn down by all that rubber meeting the road over the years, and it’s time for some fresh, springy new ones: tires you can take out for a spin and feel great about again.
I like that image because it pictures retirement as an opportunity for well-deserved change and as a positive way to increase our longevity.
In the Beacon, we’ve written many times about how our readers — whatever their present circumstance — would do well to give serious thought to what they’d like to do if/when they either retire from work or retire from retirement.
The options are varied, and selecting the right one or ones requires both investigation and forethought. Ideally, it also includes a try-out.
That may involve taking a class, doing internet research, talking to friends and role models, and even taking a sabbatical to try out a new career or job before leaving the security of the present one.
There’s that word again: “sabbatical.” Yes, I’ve been using it a lot in my columns the last few years because I’ve been taking my own advice and taking a few weeks off from the Beacon now and then to explore the possibilities of writing and producing original music — a passion since my youth.
I’ve decided the time is ripe to stop exploring and start living that life. However, I’m not trading in for an entirely new set of tires. I’ve decided to rotate some and replace others, you might say.
As of May 1, I will become the Beacon’s editor emeritus, and our managing editor, Margaret Foster, will become our editor.
Margaret has been an invaluable member of our team for more than six years. She says she’s excited about taking on the additional responsibilities of editor, and I know she’ll do a fantastic job.
As for me, I’ll remain the Beacon’s publisher and continue to be involved with both story selection and advertising. But I’m definitely going to be spending more of my days (I hope, more than half) composing music for solo piano as well as voice and piano.
I’ll continue writing this column as I have for 36 years (most months, anyway), and I plan to be there to greet you at our 50+Expos this fall.
I would also love to continue hearing from readers like you whenever you have a thought about the Beacon or a critique to share.
If you like music, I invite you to visit my website — StuartsMelodies.com — where you can listen to many of my compositions and watch my music videos.
If you like what you hear, you can email me through the site, share links to my songs with your friends, and/or repost videos on your Facebook and other social media pages.
And if you click “subscribe” while watching any of my videos (which won’t actually cost you anything), it will encourage YouTube to share my music with even more people online.
I look forward to having these new ways to interact with you as well as the world at large.
Oh, and please keep reading the Beacon, patronizing our advertisers and recommending us to your friends!
