Change the changeable, accept the unchangeable, and remove yourself from the unacceptable. ~ Denis Waitley

A Happy Gear Change

So I’ve been talking about it for some time, but finally sat down this weekend and made some decisions, primarily when will I retire from my current gig. So I’ve set the date, February 18, 2025. When I type it out it seems like a really long time away. But of course, when you look at the image below it’s not that far away at all. And in a few weeks it will really mean that it’s just two regular semesters, a summer and a few weeks away.

The really funny thing, as I loaded this app on my phone and saved the image, was that the ad at the base of the picture is where I work. It was a big long weekend of decisions all linked to this date. This date drives what I will due with my next lease. I needed to make a decision as to how I’ll handle my next move, which also impacted what I’m doing in terms of a new vehicle. I was playing with the idea of buying a van, that I could also use as a camping/touring vehicle, and also pack the few possessions I’ll still have next year to do the move. But instead I have decided to likely go with a Subaru, given I’ll be moving back to real Winter, the idea of having something that handles bad weather roads seemed more prudent. Which means that I’ll be using movers to send my stuff back east.

There are of course always wild cards, so I won’t make any official announcement at work or turn in any paperwork until much closer to the date. The biggest one of course being my heart condition, if my open heart surgery is deemed to be close at hand, I may need to hang on because my job has amazing health insurance. But I’m hopeful that won’t be the case and I’ll be able to the gear change to the next stage of my life.

So what does that change include, if everything goes to plan, I’ll have a comfortable pension starting the month after I retire. But my need for good health insurance means I’ll need to continue to work in some fashion until I turn 65. But no longer will I be the boss, or take a position where I have to manage dozens of people, most of whom do not seem capable of doing anything without guidance. I no longer want that responsibility, and I really no longer want the stress. My hope is that I can get back to a level where I’m working with students and can basically hang up my work clothes and forget my job when I’m not at work. Ideally, I’ll find a job that’s a less than 12 month position with full benefits.

The job I take, will determine where I end up settling and begin my search for property and a home. My vision for what the rest of my life looks like is developing the property I’ve been designing in my head for decades. A chuck of land, fruit trees the ability to forage and produce most if not all of my food from the property. The development of a renewable energy component, water collection with an overall sustainability focus. There will be greenhouses and massive gardens, land for walking, access to a waterway and a pool. A place where my nieces and nephews can come and visit and play in nature. Finally, if it happens to be in Bigfoot country all the better.

I want to be someplace where I can go outside and watch meteor showers from the property, set up a telescope and get more connected to my interest in photography and maybe get into a little astrophotography. I want a little lab space to play with some microscopy and photography tied to that as well. I want to produce my own wines and ciders, can foods and make soap among other things.

And I will need to be located near a college, because the fact is, I tend toward being a hermit and social isolation is not a good thing and a real risk for me. So my hope is to be rural but close to a college where I work so that I have sports, arts and cultural events available so that I can connect to some sort of social structure.

Finally, health permitting, and it should, my plan is to utilize the ACA for healthcare initially and return to the Appalachian Trail in late March or April of 2025. I’ll start out from Georgia again, but will likely hop a bit as I do have 1000 miles covered already. My goal will be to pick up the additional 1000+ miles, fill in the gaps I missed and become an AT 2000 miler. That should also allow me an opportunity to do some hikes with people I don’t see nearly enough and cover the parts of the trail I’ve not done. And provide the opportunity for another book.

This of course means there are a lot of things to do. But I’m always at my best, when there’s a definite deadline and a clear to do list. So I’m excited to do, as I have done many times, the planning, the prep and the start of a new adventure. Adventure has always brought me happy days. ~ Rev Kane