"Okay, you're retiring ... What's Next?"

I would have to say that the most frequent conversation that I have these days sounds like this ...
"Hey P, I hear you've decided to retire."
"Yep, I looked at things and decided that the time has come."
"What are you going to do now?"
"Oh, I have some plans but mostly looking forward to not trading time for money."
"Yeah, but you'll go crazy doing nothing. I'm sure you'll come back and coach."
"I'm actually looking forward to sitting on the other side of the pitch, court or field for a while."
"Really?"

Please don't get me wrong ... I am deeply flattered by conversations like this!

Having said that, I feel that the time I have invested in other people's children speaks for itself, and I think that it's time to let someone else carry the torch for a while. As many are aware, I actively sought out opportunities to "pay it forward" in repayment of the debt I felt I owed so many of the adults in my own life for the time, energy and support they bestowed upon me. I still communicate with some of them, be it through social media or a chance meeting at the grocery store, and many of them confess to me that they felt it was time to pass the torch when they chose to step away. That's not to say that the reason I have chosen this path is to emulate my own mentors ... It is the right decision for me, at this time in my life, with the best interests of my marriage in mind.

My very last Yearbook group!
The book turned out awesome!

Some of the plans I have in mind include things that I fell in love with through my experiences in the classroom. 15 years ago, my then principal Russ Atkinson was faced with a problem and felt strongly that I was the solution. We had a course at Central that was responsible for creating the Yearbook and the teacher that was running it asked to be replaced. Russ knew that I was an amateur shutterbug and wanted me to take over the course, despite having no qualifications to teach it. Well, as long as it wasn't a problem for Russ, I was willing to do my best. "That's why I asked you," he replied, "You're one of the few I know I can give something you don't want to do and have faith you won't "eff" it up." He was right, of course, like he often was, and it became a labour of love for a number of years. Teaching the Yearbook eventually saw me transition into teaching photography when I moved to North for the final years of my career. I was doing the Yearbook there, but the students of North didn't choose to support that elective and, subsequently, "killed" the course. Another very smart man, Greg Brucker, saw that as an opportunity for me to fill a hole in the photography courses, again, despite having no qualifications to teach it. What a blast it has been teaching that for the past 2 years!

Now that I will have time on my hands, I would like to seek out some professional assistance to bolster what I already understand about photography. My passion is sports photography, an obvious segue from my coaching passions, and although I feel I have developed some skills already, I am eager to find out what I don't know. Coupled with this, I would like to right a wrong I see that has occurred in Simcoe County. When I first started coaching, there were regular stories in the daily newspaper and the local TV about the escapades of youth athletics, and with the "death" of the Barrie Examiner and CTV's decision to drop local sports, there's a hole that needs to be filled. I need find some help with understanding how to be a freelance photojournalist so that the incredible things that are happening around this area's schools are made more public and celebrated appropriately. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that will be a significant undertaking that will gobble up some of my day.

If you asked me 10 years ago if I would be interested in supply teaching, I would have looked at you with bewilderment and disdain. I confess that my attitude toward that has changed a little. Partly due to selfish reasons and partly to due selfless reasons. Selfishly, I feel that I am pretty competent, flexible, and respected so supplying would be a way to stay in touch with education. I have seen that there are a number of supply teachers who struggle and, until I see improvement, why not assist where I can, and put a few dollars in my pocket at the same time? Selflessly, I have spent the better part of my career in Special Education, HPE and Comm Tech, three areas where there isn't a lot of supply competency, and I could help make a colleague's life a little less stressful when the need arises. I'm not looking to do a ton of supplying, but I am open to doing a little, both to help my former colleagues and to help the students.

Everyone has a Bucket List. I've already checked off a bunch of items on mine but there are a few experiences left that will be the focus of my retired years.

One of them is to visit Scotland. My grandfather was born there and I bet that I still have relatives in the greater Glasgow area. I would very motivated to visit, see the wonders of a countryside I fell in love with through movies and documentaries, and see if I can establish some new friendships with some relatives. Not to be left unspoken, I am very interested is a "wee nosing" ... I am a single malt Scotch lover and visiting a distillery or three would be pretty gosh darned cool!

Another on BIG one is to visit New Zealand. As those of you who know me are already aware, I transitioned from basketball to rugby in my later years, and to have an opportunity to attend an All Blacks match in person would be a dream come true. I am also very much interested in seeing the incredible geography of NZ with mine own eyes ... it looks to be breath-taking. As I have already stated in previous posts, I married VERY well ... Joyce is just as eager to do some globe-trotting as I am and she enjoys live rugby almost as much as I do. That trip will take a little planning but I'll be as giddy as a wee lad when I experience the Haka live and in person.

No matter what the future holds, I look forward to a transition. By and large, we humans like to settle into routines, but this change will be a welcomed one and I am not worried in the least about being bored. When you no longer have to work to keep yourself comfortable, "The world is your oyster." as the saying goes. I hope that our pathways of life intersect early and often.