Tag Archives: experiences

Reprioritized not Retired

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My contract with my school district ends today, the last day of July, 2026. I have one more paycheque coming next week. And then I’m officially a pensioner. 

I’ve had a few celebrations, I’ve filled out a bunch of forms. I’ve emptied my office and moved out. All that’s left is to return my laptop and key. Today I did one more small thing: I just updated my LinkedIn profile ending my career. My bio now says,

“Retired from being an Educator and Principal, still finding ways to keep learning. ∞β”

I’ll probably change this in the coming days or months, but it will do for now. In actual fact, I’m not really retired because I’ve had another ‘job’ listed on LinkedIn for about 15 years now. The job title is ‘Open Thinker’ and the organization is ‘Daily-Ink and Pairadimes for Your Thoughts Blogs’. This ‘job’ is over 20 years old and going stronger than ever. Now, I have more time to write; More time to spend on projects I want to spend time on; More time to ‘work’ on things I want to work on. 

In a way, I’m reprioritizing, not retiring. I’m still the same nerdy person, still in perpetual beta (∞β), still wanting to learn and share ‘out loud’. If I do this retirement thing right, I’ll continue to prioritize my health, I’ll focus more on diet and sleep – two areas of my life that have the most room for improvement… And I’ll keep finding things I’m passionate to learn about, and pursue those with the same commitment I gave my previous jobs. And I will keep reminding myself that I want to create new experiences with the people I care for and love.

Work prioritized as endeavours that I want to do, with more freedom to do them when I want. 

Right now, I want to finish writing and enjoy an undetermined amount of time listening to my book in a hammock. I could really get used to this. 

The wine tour

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For quite a few years now, my wife and I have holidayed in Kelowna during our summer break. What has usually happened is that our daughters come and join us for part of the trip, but as it turns out, usually at different times. This year their visit overlapped and I had a special request. I wanted to do a wine tour with them… where I wasn’t the designated driver.

So this morning 5 of us, my wife and I, our two daughters, and one of my daughter’s best friends, walked up to the front entrance of our campground and met a tour van to take us on a full day wine tour.

Six other people joined us: Four from London, Ontario, and two from London, England. It only took one winery to loosen up and then we became one big group on the bus. By the end of the day our 3 parties were sad to have to part ways.

Overall, the day went as I had hoped. I enjoyed my time with my family and new friends. I could fully enjoy the tasting without worrying about transportation. And it was a delight to have this experience with my wife and kids.

I’ve said this before, but it is special to me that my grown kids still enjoy spending time with my wife and I. I really believe that life is about creating special experiences. I don’t need more stuff, but I want more opportunities to spend time with people that I love and care for… and this wine tour is a perfect example of this.

Summer nights

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I’ve been staying at my cousin’s house, my sister is in town and we’ve had a couple wonderful days together. But more than the days, the evenings have been wonderful.

We’ve been hanging out in a beautiful back yard with comfy chairs and a fireplace. Shooting the breeze, laughing, and enjoying each other’s company.

When it’s warm, and still bright out until 10pm, summer nights hold a special kind of magic… and being with truly amazing people accentuates the experience.

Experiences, not things

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I got to go to the Canada vs Switzerland World Cup game today. I went with a high school friend I met in Grade 10, back in 1982.

We joined the parade to the stadium and really embraced the day. Canada lost 2-1, and while it would have been great to see Canada win, or tie, they did make the game extremely exciting in the final minutes.

I’m sure that I’ve shared this before, but as I get older I really want to focus on experiences, not stuff. I don’t need any new toys, I don’t need the newest gadgets. I want to spend time with family and friends doing things… having experiences.

Experiences, not things.

Today was truly a wonderful experience with a longtime friend.

 

Blast from the past

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Tonight I’m going to watch a Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon laser show. I think I was between 16 and 18 the last time I saw a show like this, so it has been at least 40 years.

I find it amusing that it can be that long between experiences and yet I still know exactly what to expect. I saw Pink Floyd’s inflatable flying pigs concert back in the 90’s, and I’ve always enjoyed their music, although I’m more of a fan of their Another Brick in the Wall album. That album took me places in my mind that I didn’t know I could go to. I’d lay on the couch and listen to it for hours, especially the side with Mother and Comfortably Numb.

Tonight I’ll get a little taste of that experience again. A little trip down memory lane.