Well, things are moving along toward my impending retirement and the day is getting closer that retirement will become a reality. I have worked for the Commonwealth of Virginia for 43-years, beginning my employment with the state directly our of high school in 1974. This has been the only full time job that I have ever had, so it is only natural that second thoughts about this decisions have surfaced.
When something has been apart of ones life for such a long period of time, it is hard to just walk away from the stability of a regular pay check. But there were a few other thing that I considered other than the regular hours with a pay check. The first thing that I know that I am going to really miss is the people that I work with. Since 2008 I have been the supervisor of communications and I have been really lucky to work with a great group of people. I am truly going to miss the daily interaction with these people who I genuinely respect, like and enjoy being around. These folks have become friends and I am going to miss seeing them on on a regular basis. I am not going to sugar coat things, this is my number one concern and the thing I anticipate missing the most.
The second thing that is giving me second thought is boredom. What am I going to do with all the extra time. Not having the structure of having to drive to the office ever day is going to be a tremendous adjustment. I have never been one to sit around and do nothing. I have to be active and have to be doing something. I am fortunate to have a variety of interest; photography, hiking, rail-fanning and travel are just a few things that I enjoy.
I am also very fortunate to enjoy my on company and have no problem being able to amuse myself. Photography is something that I have enjoyed for a number of years and have been lucky enough to sell and have some of my photos published.
I am very lucky to live in the State of Virginia, which is one of the most history areas of the United States. I love history and I love to travel. I am not going to sit hat home day in and day out. Day trips along the back roads of Virginia with just a picnic lunch and a camera will most likely take the place of the daily trips to the office.
Several years ago my doctor suggested that I lose some weight. It seemed that years of a less than healthy diet and sitting behind a desk had taken its toll and my weight had swelled to an unhealthy state. Lifting weights and the added cost of a gym membership did not appeal to me. But I knew that I had to get active and drop some weight.
It was at that time that I discovered the joys of walking. It's a free form of exercise and something that I could do most anywhere. So I began walking for exercise, starting out with only a mile or two a day for about 30-minutes. But I soon found that I actually enjoy walking and increased my pace, and stamina.
I found that I looked forward to my daily walks. I am lucky to live in an area that features a number of places like the Huckleberry Trail, Bisset Park, and Pandapas Pond where I can get get in my daily walks without it becoming bored. I have come to enjoy walking so much that I usually take my camera long, which allows me to combine two loves.
Also I am very lucky that residents of the Town of Christiansburg enjoy free access to the Recreation Center. So on days that the weather prevents me from walking outside, I can get my daily steps in there. The rec centers features and 8th of a mile track and a few pieces of fitness equipment. So spending an hours or two at the rec centers breaks up the boredom of a rainy day. Finally, I live close enough to the Blue Ridge Parkway that on days I am feeling particularly adventurous I can tackle one of the many hiking trails.
Finally, a few years ago the Roanoke Transportation Museum brought a historic steam locomotive back to life. After sitting in a museum for more than 20-years the J-611, Spirit of Roanoke roared back to life. On the day that she returned to Roanoke under her own steam, I drove to Danville and photographed the ole girl at several locations as she made here way back to the Star City after undergoing extensive repairs at the Spencer Shops.
I manage to "chase" her from Danville to Bedford grabbing some great photos along the way. During this "Chase" I met some great folks who introduced me to something known as "railfanning." Over the past few years I have developed an interest in photographing trains, especially the Norfolk-Southern Heritage Units. Living in an area rich with rail heritage, I have found that I enjoy visiting such popular railfanning locations as the Historic Montgomery Tunnel, The Christiansburg Grade in Shawsville and the coaling tower at Vicker Switch. For whatever reason, I find it quite relaxing to sit at one of these location with a good book waiting for a passing train to come by. Like I say it doesn't take much to amuse me.
I will be able to occupy my time once retirement set in. So those second thought have been push to the side.
So where do I stand as I continue marching down the Road to Retirement.
On September 12, 2017, I drove to Richmond and met with my Personnel Office and officially completed and submitted my retirement papers to be effective January 1, 2018. Due to the unique way the State of Virginia does it pay periods, my last official day of employment will be December 24, 2017. Quiet a Christmas present that I am giving myself.
On October 10, 2017, I submitted my application for Social Security Benefits. I have decided to draw my Social Security Benefits in order to supplement State Retirement Income, which will allow me to NOT draw on my personal investments, allowing them to hopefully continue to grow.
Finally, The State will only pay me for a small amount of my leave. I will be loosing a large amount of sick leave as the state will only pay me $5000, but I am not one to use sick leave when I am not sick. Even though I am losing a large amount of sick leave, I am not going to lose my vacation. So in order to get my leave down to where I can get paid for the maximum, I found that I had about two and a half month of leave that I will need to take before December 24, 2017.
So on October 12, 2017, I worked my last scheduled shift. Over the next two and a half months, I will only have 6-days that I can work without losing any leave.During those 6-days, I plan on wrapping up some pending projects and turning my duties over to the other two supervisors.
Over the next several weeks, I will be adjusting to the leisurely pace of retirement while still drawing a full pay check.
The march toward retirement continues....
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