Five Years a Writer

Between last week’s loss of the submersible in the Atlantic Ocean and the earlier capsizing of the migrant boat off the shores of Greece, I have been thinking a lot about risks and rewards. If risk means “a situation in which one is exposed to danger” and reward means “something given in recognition of effort”, I have taken only very low-level risks in my life but have been rewarded with the privilege of security and success. To wit, June 30th marks the end of my second full year of retirement. By now, I am well settled into this next chapter, but making the decision to launch myself into it was a bit fraught. Herewith my reflections on getting myself from there to here. ------------- “No” the second time is no easier to hear. Possibly it is easier to say, but to hear it a second time is harder.  Like so many employees, I had turned on a dime when Covid struck and we were sent away from the office to continue our job from home. As a college administrator, this meant juggling multiple