2023: First Set of Retiree Thoughts

2023: First Set of Retiree Thoughts

I hope your transition to this new year was pleasant and painless. Ours started off with a bang as we’ve both contracted Covid and are recovering. Despite 3.5 years of watching so many others suffer the disease, we were surprised to see that extra line on the test, though we both were pretty sure we had it based on our symptoms. But, given “better living through chemistry”, we both seem to have come through it well. I’ll spare you the details, but if you’ve not yet gotten that last booster shot, I advise you not to wait. This variant seems likely to move quickly through the population with no quarter spared for even those who’ve already ‘enjoyed’ it on a previous occasion.?

The timing has been very tight for us as we’re schedule to leave next week for an extended trip in SE Asia. The silver lining may be that we’ll get to go mostly Covid immune at least for the length of our trip. I’ll await some infectious disease expert reading this who will assure me that we’re still vulnerable…at least to flu and whatever other viral traps may be circulating. Hopefully, all will go well and we’ll enjoy this trip abroad..the first of several we have planned ahead.?

But, enough about Covid and travels…here’s what’s on my mind in this new year:

1. Omg, what a shit show the selection of House Speaker has been. Kevin McCarthy may have prevailed but not without mortal wounds. And how despicable (HRC was absolutely accurate) are those cretins in the far right caucus. These next two years will be hard to watch as the “Freedom Caucus” works hard to dismantle every socially progressive movement. Thank goodness for a Democrat majority in the Senate and president in the White House. But, I fear that the 2024 presidential campaigning will start immediately and cringe at that thought.?

2. Still no word from Vinfast about the car (did you like that slick transition of topics?). We’ll be in Vietnam next week and it would be cool to find a showroom there where we could see our model. No word of any showrooms yet opening in North Carolina, so I suspect it’ll be many months before we see any cars here. But, we’re in no rush.

3. I post pictures of our kids and grandkids on facebook when we visit them, but I haven’t really taken the time to ‘kvell’ (look it up) about all of them. They prefer their privacy so I won’t go into details about their lives, but Judy and I couldn’t be more proud of them! Each of our children and their partners are smart, caring and accomplished albeit in quite distinctive ways. They are superb parents raising our five grandchildren to be responsible, well educated, empathetic and thoughtful young people who also happen to be extraordinary funny and interesting. There’s a lot resting on their shoulders as they inherit the follies of the current and past generations. But, I believe they will be up to the tasks ahead!

4. What’s the future of organized sports? Will football survive (the American version) as more and more parents decry the injury risks and fewer kids even find the sport of interest? College basketball is more boring than ever thanks to the one-and-done recruitment process. Even if the NBA or their G-League took these players directly out of high school, would college basketball recover the genuine student-athlete experience? How does the NIL movement fit into the equation? Will E-Sports bypass conventional athletics? Is Pickleball the next great high school and college sport? Can a professional baseball game be played in under four hours anymore? I still root for the Red Sox but have not watched a full game in several years. My gut says that sports will look very different in a decade, but I have no clue exactly what will change. I’d love to hear your thoughts.

5. I’m still very worried about my student affairs profession. While my viewpoint is now from some substantial distance, I still see evidence of discord, dismay and dissonance. The influence of the senior student affairs officer seems to me to be on the wane and younger professionals, mislead by caring but misguided graduate prep faculty, are frustrated by the gaps between what they thought they’d get to do and what the jobs truly ask of them. In a recent email exchange with a former colleague, I heard of identical concerns in the counseling profession with the surge in student mental health needs taxing them beyond capacity. This is another topic I’d like to see get more conversational airtime.?

6. One of the downsides of the aging process is hearing more frequently of the loss of a colleague. In this past year (actually, in this past month), a few whom I’ve admired, befriended and regarded have died. Unlike everything else I’ve mentioned so far, there’s no remedy for this. It’s just a fact of life…and death. It’s also a reminder that there’s no avoiding an endpoint and, as an atheist, a further reminder that this is as good as it’ll get, so live this life to the fullest!?

7. Enough gloom and doom! What have you binged lately? We loved Slow Horses and found Red Oaks silly but amusing. Jack Ryan (3) is predictable but kept our attention. White Lotus (2) was 3 episodes too long and if (3) follows the same pattern, I suspect we’ll lose interest more quickly. The Fabelmans was interesting but the dearth of really good movies (meaning great writing) is unfortunate. When did gloomy, psychological thrillers become the dominant motion picture theme??

8. I’m listening to “How the Word is Passed” (Clint Smith) on Audible and simultaneously reading the biography of J. Edgar Hoover. Sometimes my inadvertent pairing of books leads to greater enlightenment and, in this case, especially so. Hoover was intensely influenced by his family background and his affiliation with his fraternity and evolved into a complex and racist man likely suffering from self-loathing as a gay man. The book is long and occasionally very dry, but still worth reading. The parallel presentation by Smith of how racism in America has systematically been covered up is equally powerful and well worth a read. I knew of the book but was inspired to listen to it (while on my rowing machine) when I read his piece in The Atlantic describing his Holocaust experiences visiting Concentration Camp sites in Poland and Germany (https://www.theatlantic.com/press-releases/archive/2022/11/clint-smith-december-cover-story/672105/).

9. Still tinkering with my golf game…

10. My professional engagements seem to be in flux. Some have slowed down and a couple of new opportunities have emerged. Before I retired, I claimed that retirees get about two years of shelf life before they’re forgotten. I’ve been lucky to get a bit more than that and may get a couple more. But, I’m beginning to think of retirement 2.0 which will involve far less consulting, etc. How will I pass the time? Can I deal with not being relevant? Health permitting, how much more travel can we do…will we want to do? Lots of interesting questions ahead!?

Stay safe! Be happy!

Larry