The weight of the world

I can’t believe it’s been almost six months since my last post – and it was nearly a year between that post and the previous one! Just two posts in a year and a half! What is going on with the Kim? The Captain certainly hasn’t slowed down much.

Well…there have been a lot of things going on in my life which have kept me busy and my mind elsewhere. Be that as it may, the biggest thing to me is that I want to be thoughtful in my posts – and lately, I don’t feel like I would have been able to give The Captain and the Kim the thought and care that I expect to. If a song carries a special meaning or memory for me, I want to describe every nuance of that. If a concert has a special moment (and don’t they all?), I want to capture that for everyone to experience. I don’t just want to post for posting’s sake.

But I’m back now. (And yes, I can hear the cheers and applause, thank you very much).

As many of you know, I will be retiring at the end of this year. Retiring much earlier than I had expected, but retiring nonetheless. It’s been a long 35 years with the same company – mostly good, some not so. All in all, though, I can say that I’ve had a good run. Time to pass the baton.

Fortune and fame is so fleeting these days
I’m happy to say I’m amazed that I’m still around

I’ve traveled to places I never thought I’d go, worked on some really cool projects, met my husband, received 7 patents, published many articles and reports, even saw Elton at a conference my company sponsored…And most importantly, I’ve met and worked with so many talented and all around good people.

You know, I have worked for the same company for more than 60% of my life. No doubt I spent too many hours working and thinking about work. I was distracted from my children and family much too often. I associated my value as a person too much with my career success or setbacks. It’s been such a big part of my life – probably more than it should have been.

There’s a long list of names that I don’t recall
Even though my memory’s good
The rain washed away the lemons and weeds
When the weight of the world weighed more than it should

Part of me is nervous about retiring, the other part is excited. (Remember, I’m a sucker for that dichotomy thing). As I work on my resume, search for what’s out there and what’s possible, I try to lean towards the excited side vs. the nervous side. It’s not always easy, especially as my end date closes in (4 months to go as of this writing).

So…

On January 1, 2018, I want to feel like I felt the day I knew I was going to graduate from Georgia Tech. I remember it vividly. My advisor had just given me an “A” on my senior design project. I did it! I was graduating! It was raining outside, but I didn’t need an umbrella – and I felt like I was flying. That weight was definitely lifted.

And the weight of the world is off my back
When we fell, we got up
And crawled out the cracks
Excuse me if I take some comfort in that
Happy today, happy to play
With the weight of the world off my back

Well, I’ve had a different weight for 35 years – and it will feel good – scratch that, it will feel awesome – when that weight is lifted, too. Wish me luck!

And now, for your listening pleasure: