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| Small avatar now, "in the manner." |
but I take my leave from the academy
like he did,
retirement looming,
"the string" now unwound.
One year later than planned,
and it was 40% my decision,
20% Mrs. Tingle's, and the rest from a Dean
who eyed a re-configuration with demonic gleam.
I'm okay, and happy to launch into the unknown.
(I toyed with the idea of extending
my stay, but better sense prevailed...darling.)
My hand will itch, of course,
and my eye will gleam,
when September comes.
But I say that I have few regrets.
I could have been more brave,
we all could.
I could have done more for the profession.
But my students, my "charges,"
well I gave them everything I had,
all I learned from my mentors,
and the books,
always the books.
It will be boxed up now,
and moved to a bedroom upstairs.
And occasionally I will sit among the boxes,
and remember.
And I will miss it.
They will miss you, Dr. Tingle. I posted all of your entries under the header and read most of them today. Blessings on retirement! I hope to get there one day myself!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Wishing you many happy years of retirement! Please do keep in touch!
ReplyDeleteOh! Good to hear from you! But also sad (and happy) to hear that you're retiring. It sounds bittersweet (as it probably should be). May you find fulfillment in "the unknown." And check in here now and then, huh? Maybe we need a post-retirement series, just to keep our hopes up (and/or make those of us who are unsure we'll ever be able to afford to retire jealous -- which is not in any way to suggest that those who are able haven't earned it, and shouldn't enjoy it to the best of their ability).
ReplyDeleteRe-reading, I'm especially fond of the Dean's demonic gleam (lots of fun things going on there, on several levels).
DeleteAlso the idea that "it" can be boxed up -- because it can, and it can't.
May the memories be satisfying ones, and the next phase of life equally satisfying in its own way.
Congratulations for your retirement! We wish you well. If you ever begin to regret your decision, stop by here. We'll set you right.
ReplyDeleteBut my students, my "charges,"
ReplyDeletewell I gave them everything I had,
all I learned from my mentors,
and the books,
always the books.
That is the thing, the key, the heart of it. All we can do.
And we will miss you, too. Please don't depart from the blog! :) And congratulations!
ReplyDeleteYou will always be tenured here.
ReplyDeleteBut then, I miss a double hernia, as Chuck Barris would say.
ReplyDeleteMaybe you will miss it, Dick. Veterans often remember the war as less dangerous and more fun as they get older.
If it's any consolation, I'm going to need to work well past when I should retire, so I won't have to bag groceries. Those quasi-Ivy and Ivy degrees and multiple postdocs were EXPENSIVE: if I die before I've paid them off, it'd serve the bastards right.
Here's hoping you have a happy retirement!
Best wishes on your new adventure. I hope you hang around here from time to time, not because you have ongoing misery to share (I don't wish such misery on anyone), but because your insight born of experience and reflection will always be valuable. And it may even be fun for you, in a schadenfreude-ey way.
ReplyDelete