Yesterday the folks in my office gave me a terrific send off as I entered what I am choosing to call retirement.
It is a retirement in the sense that I stopped working a regular job.
It is not a retirement in the sense that I am collecting social security or any other kind of pension. Lucent Technologies put me on the road to this situation in 2001. Many of you may still recall the collective gasp heard from we employee/stockholders as the Lucent shares turned into comic books and then compost. I can only be proud to say that I and the rest of the class of 2001 were pioneers while everyone else waited until 2008 or 2009 to begin their futile attempts to builds condos out of toilet paper.
Ah, alas.
But, why would someone in my circumstances leave employment with the Great City of New York and it's really cute little mayor?
The best reason in the world.
James, my three-month oldngrandson.
Today I began my duties as his loving (if somewhat bumbling) daytime care giver. I will blog more on this as indications of my success or failure arise.
However, James reminded me today that pertains to the title of this blog: Being Real.
Being real is not easy.
The only way to get there is to learn from someone James' age. He has not learned to pander or to use euphemisms. When he is happy, he is just clearly happy. When he is sad, his frustration is equally unadorned.
There must be some way of growing up without losing that.
Be real,
Hap
