by Jon R. Wiener, Published in the 2022 Rhapsodist, A-B Tech’s primary venue for literature and fine art In 1977, my father Lou was 70 years old. I was 24. Most of my life I remembered him having to be on crutches to walk anywhere. He had bilateral hip osteoarthritis, and by that time hadContinue reading “Gifts Beyond Physicality: Intellect, Wisdom, Experience, & Love”
Category Archives: Transition
The Perfect Time to Take a Pause
5 Steps for being in the Neutral Zone One door closes and another door opens. Are you really ready to walk right into that door? In my experience as a Transition Coach, I would say NO. When one door closes, it is the perfect time to take a pause. The inclination of transitioning from anContinue reading “The Perfect Time to Take a Pause”
6 More Tips for Harmony in Your Next Chapter
Last week I shared six tips to help you find harmony and fulfillment in the next chapter of your life. They were: This week I want to share six more strategies to incorporate in your life. Believe it or not, retirement is hard. It is number 10 on the list of top ten life stressors!Continue reading “6 More Tips for Harmony in Your Next Chapter”
Reinventing Yourself: A Five Step Process
What happens when you leave your career and your professional identity after 40-50 years in the corporate world? Golf, travel, grandkids are all great, but they won’t fill the 12-16 waking hours of each day. Reinventing yourself may be your next step. Many of us need and want to feel like we still matter. WeContinue reading “Reinventing Yourself: A Five Step Process”
Fred Rogers and Transitions
There is a fabulous 13-episode podcast called “Finding Fred.” It tells the story behind the story of the beloved Fred Rogers. The sometimes-radical ideas he presented to Congress, the barriers he broke when he shared a towel with Officer Clemmons, a black policeman on his show. He talked to kids about the war, about disabilities,Continue reading “Fred Rogers and Transitions”
A Perfect Day
No alarm clock jarring me out of sleep. As I roll over, my cat is waiting for me to wake up. She wants her breakfast. The sun is starting to peak out, and the day is supposed to be beautiful. I am a morning person, and I slide into my slippers, make my way toContinue reading “A Perfect Day”
The Elder in the Room
I was doing some training for a large company this week on time management. The people I was training were in very high stress jobs, and they felt that they had no control over their time because of the demands of the company. I could completely relate to their experience, having been in similar environmentsContinue reading “The Elder in the Room”
Evolving through retirement
I loved Serena Williams explanation of how she sees her next act. Williams indicated her intention to retire in a Vogue article in early August, saying she was “evolving away from tennis.” Retirement coaches and the media have been struggling with what to call the new retirement. Longevity of 20+ years post career has madeContinue reading “Evolving through retirement”
The Tragedy of Life
“The tragedy of life is not that it ends so soon, but that we wait so long to begin living it.” W.M. Lewis We go through stages in our life. As young children our job is school and learning. Once we are in college, we are starting our adult lessons as well as preparing forContinue reading “The Tragedy of Life”
Long-Ago Friends – My Walkabout with Susan
I had not seen Susan in person in over 35 years. We had worked together at Digital Equipment Corporation in Alpharetta, GA before it began downsizing and was eventually sold. At the time, we both had two young children, one boy and one girl each. Susan was married, I was in a relationship, so weContinue reading “Long-Ago Friends – My Walkabout with Susan”
Literacy, librarians and labels
Shhh! That is the sound of the librarian when you are caught talking. Before my walkabout with Prudence, that was my stereotype of librarians. The label I gave librarians was quiet, demure people who loved books. It is true that Prudence loves books. It is also true that she speaks quietly. But she is passionateContinue reading “Literacy, librarians and labels”
Who are you now? The importance of purpose
Every article about roles and transition starts with a recitation of all the roles and/or transitions the author has gone through. This story is not about me (until later). This story is about some of the people I have worked with or known, as they were going through transitions. One of the stories is notContinue reading “Who are you now? The importance of purpose”