Hello on a cool, autumn-ish, Sunday morning,
As seems to be typical of my sleeping habits, particularly when it is still cool and dark when my alarm awakens me, I do not want to get up. This morning I gave in to my sleepier inclinations, rolling over, laying comfortably, and falling back asleep. Now I am running a necessary errand, buying 9-volt batteries after both a smoke and CO detector decided it was time for new batteries. Before I proceed much further in this post, I must give my former, and initial department chair, Dr. Susan Thurin, credit for my blog title; it is borrowed from her published book, which considers the reality of retiring from the role as an person in higher education. It is a thoughtful, witty, and enjoyable read as she reflects on her life after leaving a life of full-time academe.
As I have put in an official notice of retirement, I think I need to re-read her thoughtful words, seeing if the reality perspective, this new set of VR googles, if you will, reveals something I perhaps missed on my first read. I find myself re-evaluating almost everything I do, everything I imagine, everything I hear, read, or remember. There are moments all of this seems exciting and yet frightening. There are times I feel the need to embrace every possibility and also paralyzed by the multitude of options. As the morning temperatures reveal the actuality of a changing season, the colors and the wind serve as a harbinger of what will be here before I am ready. The same can be said for what occurs next August. As the Fall midterm is already upon us, some have asked if I have created a countdown calendar yet. I have not, nor am I inclined to do so . . . And yet, a quick calculation does offer the number of weeks. What I do find myself doing, however, is trying to make sure my proverbial ducks are in a row. This means careful consideration of economics, health care, vehicles, insurance, and even belongings. The need to simplify is front and center.
There are three points in my life where I started over, began life in a new place with minimal stuff. The first time was when I left college and a first year of seminary. Susan, who was my wife, and I were just married, and we lived in Omaha Village, the married student apartments at Dana college. I remember working at Pizza Hut two nights a week because that money covered our groceries for the week. I remember making a small personal-pan pizza because that would feed me for the evening, and it was one less meal to fix or purchase. And it was much the same when I left that marriage, I had moved to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for my first teaching position, and I was living again in a dorm room. Eventually I had a three room apartment. I had little, but what I remember is I had what I needed. I would be married a second time, and when that marriage ended everything I owned (and there had been two houses owned at the same time, with all the things that went into a new home) fit into a pickup truck, and as I note, I did not own the truck. I moved back to Michigan to finish a doctoral degree, sublet a furnished two bedroom cabin that had a small kitchen/living room area and a bathroom. I had my computer, my books, a few dishes, a ’93 Dodge Shadow ES, a computer, and my clothes. In many ways life was simple . . . sometimes strapped, but again, I was able to make do.
We collect stuff, and I am as bad, and perhaps worse than some, but what I have learned is it is exactly that – stuff. It is perhaps possible that the experiences of losing almost everything were positive for me. Those moments taught me what has real value. Most certainly, we can put a price tag on most any material thing, and those who know me are well aware of my love for Christmas things, for decorating my space, and for tech gadgets, but they are all things. I spoke recently with an auctioning company about selling it all, and that plan is in the works, telling them that if it does not fit into a suitcase, it needs to go. I will be doling some things out this fall to various people, and even this past weekend, I gave away some things to a former student and her significant other. It feels good to gift things. I think there will be a great deal more of that occurring in the weeks and months ahead. Pondering stuff compels me to consider what is of importance, as well as what deems it important. There are pictures, dishes, and even clothes that carry sentimental value. Those things become heirlooms, things we bequeath to others, or as I am attempting to do, give them to the appropriate people ahead of time. Then there can be no squabbles after my demise. Not trying to be morbid, but having experienced families at those times when I was a parish pastor, I remember clearly how tense things could become over stuff. I have a sweater that is one of the things I will probably keep until the end. It is a sweater I purchased for my father only weeks before he passed away. I remember crying as I folded it and took it with me after his funeral. There are dishes or small glasses that are more than a century old that my niece will aappreciate, but most would not see them in the same light. So . . . indeed there is stuff.
When I was a parish pastor, I remember the advice of both my seminary professors as well as one of the senior pastors who served a parish in the conference I was in. They both sagely noted, “Take care of the young people and the old people, and let the rest take care of themselves.” The wisdom of their words escaped me as a newly ordained pastor, but I would soon learn the truth in their advice. There is a profound difference in giving care to someone and taking care of someone. If you must take care of the other it is because they are incapable. If you give care, you assist, but you do not control their actions or dictate the outcome. It is a practice that has served me well in the academy also. A few years ago a well-meaning, but struggling student told me rather emphatically that he did not need to experience anything. He did not want to have to think about what he might do. He said, “I just want the professor to tell me what to do.” I remember being aghast at such a response. I remember struggling to find appropriate words to offer, particularly when I was rather angry that a student would find such a path reasonable. How do we offer insight into our world without giving all the answers? How do we provide a direction without completely clearing the pathway for those we are asked to mentor or educate?
But what can we leave of ourselves? What words, actions, experiences might we offer that leave a very different impression after we have moved on, be in merely from a professional situation or eventually from life itself? These are the things I believe matter for others in a more profound manner. In two of my classes, I regularly require my students to create a Google map/memoir, asking them to create a personal Google map that offers insight to their future 18 year old children about who they are as 18 year olds. Through people, places, and events, I have asked them to offer some glimpse into the person they are now, the world as they see it, and then to imagine the world of their future children. It is an assignment that has evolved, and it is something that I have created for my nephews, nieces, great- and even great-great . . . that is stunning to me that I can have three generations behind me. That reality makes me feel older than I am, at least for the moment. Imagine if your parents would have written you a letter then they were 18 and gave it to you when you were 18. What would you want it to say? What would you hope to learn? In someways, that is what this blog does for anyone who reads it. It offers a glimpse, a snapshot, into how I understand the world as I see it with the experience and view of someone who has been blessed to experience so many things. While I am moving toward retirement, my mind will do anything but that, or at least that is the plan. I hope to find new things, new places, new adventures, and yes, new ways to learn and grow. I hope it is through my words and actions I leave the most important things for my students, my relatives, and my friends. I hope it is through the way I treat others that people will establish the most insightful understanding of the person I am. All the stuff in the world will fade away, but I do not plan to do anything of the sort, whether I am retired from work or life. A few years ago, working with the idea of image and understanding ourselves, I used the groundbreaking series Glee in my first year writing class. The video below was the last song of the series that served as a wrap for their amazing splash into America culture. It has been almost 10 years since the show completed, but there are still things we could learn.
Thanks as always for reading.
Dr. Martin
thewritingprofessor55 
First of all, I would like to say congratulations to your retirement. Such a monumental moment in your life. I feel like it might be difficult at first to get used to life outside of your workplace. Something I have always thought, was that not every one of your hobbies has to be a career. I always thought that it was important to keep a good balance between the two. As I move forward in life, I hope that my future career is something I enjoy. For example, I love to play guitar, but I do not have to be a musician. I love to read, but I don’t have to be an author.
Now that you are moving forward with your life past your career, I think it is important to do just about the opposite of my perspective before my career. As you have been teaching and writing for so long, don’t feel the need to get rid of this aspect of your life for it made you who you are. Change is so scary, and it might help to take advise from someone younger who is optimistic, and fearless. I have not had many hardships in my life so far, which might make me seem out of touch, but I still understand the way things should be.
You can be any one you want at this point in your life, which I think is very cool. If you feel rushed to leave behind a legacy, don’t because your legacy does not have to be over just with your career coming to an end. If you are not teaching students, teach younger loved ones or friends. There is always a way to move forward and embrace change.
Hi Dr. Martin,
I really enjoyed reading this blog post. Congratulations on your retirement, as well! I am sure that is exciting. I am sure you are going to experience many great things when you retire with whatever you do or wherever you go. It is interesting to read about you and see that you are close to retirement whereas I am about to begin my life. It is an exciting next chapter but also very scary in a sense. When I read about how you lived in a dorm when you were a college student struggling to find ways to pay for groceries, I am currently experiencing the same thing. It is hard but I know I will look back one day and miss it.
I think everyone collects “stuff” and it is important. No matter the value of the things you collect. I like that you are saving your dishes and glasses to give your niece one day. I know she will appreciate it when she receives this gift. I remember when my grandma gave me her teapot set a few years ago just before she passed away, it meant a lot to me and it still does. I hope to give that to my daughter one day.
I am currently in one of your classes and I really enjoy it. I feel like I have learned a lot even though it is an asynchronous class. When asked to write the Google map, I was unsure of where to start since I am 20 years old I feel like I have not experienced a lot in my life so far. But I am glad that you had us do this project. When I was writing it, I kept thinking about what it would be like if my parents had given me something similar. I would have wanted to know how they spent their days as kids, what they did, and who they were friends with. They have told me many stories about their past but I truly feel it would have been better written out so I could have kept that for myself.
The mention of your father’s sweater really hit home with me this week. My grandfather just passed away, and I actually wore his sweater to his funeral. It was how I felt close. It is how I felt connected. Now that the funeral is over and the cloud of grief is lifting. I am thinking about things, his things. Unfortunately, he did not have the forethought to give his sentimental possessions away before his passing. Now we are left to decide what to do. It seems everything I touch has a memory. My poor grandmother is lost in her own world but wants everything done this second. I have a tight-knit and very loving family, but I am still lost. I want to keep all his “stuff” exactly how it is. His coat lying on the back of the chair, his boots by the front door. I understand that these things are not heirlooms or sentimental, but I want everything to stay the same.
Now I think of my parents, specifically my mother who loves to keep “stuff.” She has my first report card from preschool! What in the world makes her keep such things baffled me, but now I think I understand more. She wants everything to stay the same too. She has totes set up for my sister and me for when she passes. They are being filled with the memories she wants us to hold dear. What do I do if like you mentioned, I want to live from a suitcase? What do I do with all those memories? Are my memories always going to be attached to things and stuff? Who will want my stuff when I am old?
I am afraid for the future right now. I realized with my grandfather’s passing that everything is finite. Some day someone will be going through my things wondering what to keep and what needs to go.
First and foremost, I would like to say a big congratulations on your retirement! This is a big accomplishment and significant moment in your life that I hope is not being overlooked in any way. I think building a life outside of your work environment may take some getting used to but it is not an impossible feat. It may be a similar transition to when you first moved out from your childhood home with your parents. You will have to find things outside of your profession that make you happy, such as traveling as you’ve mentioned before. I’m not quite sure how I would feel retiring from my profession, something that I’ve been doing for so long. I could see myself traveling as well to see what the world is like outside of my workplace on an extended timeline.
Aside from traveling, you should find other hobbies and activities that make you happy inside to fill the place of how you felt being a professor. With that being said, you don’t have to completely forget your occupation now that you’re retired. Teaching and being a writer is something that you enjoyed for so long, it would be good to integrate pieces of that into your newly retired lifestyle as well, for some familiarity. Change is something that doesn’t come easy for everyone and keeping some constants through this change will be beneficial.
Along with retirement, comes an additional layer of freedom. I felt that freedom a year ago when I first moved into college, but I can only imagine that feeling now after completing so much in your life. Yes, you could be whoever you wanted before, but now this time is truly meant for you to do whatever and be whoever you want to be. Enjoy this new journey and make the most of it!
Hi Dr. Martin,
Congratulations on your upcoming retirement! I’m sure it is exciting to see where life takes you without having the duties of teaching classes. It seems very relaxing! I really enjoyed the post that you have written. I am currently in one of your classes, and appreciated where you mentioned the Google map assignment. I have just completed that and I think your intentions with the assignment were great! After completing it, I realized that I see the world one way now, but I am only 20. I have so much more to learn throughout these years. My opinions will change and I hope to add onto my map over time, so thank you for that assignment your encouragement to add to it.
When you talked about how everyone collects stuff, I couldn’t agree more. Collecting things is a way of holding onto things you love, important memories, or important times. Often, I find myself holding onto little things that I don’t actually need, but want to make sure I remember. I have boxes on boxes of memories throughout my life to look back on as years pass. I personally would encourage everyone to do something like that aw well!
I hope that you enjoy your retirement! Throughout your life you have worked so hard to be where you are. It is so rewarding to be able to retire and do the things you have always wanted to experience but never had the chance too. I hope you continue to travel around and share your experiences in more blogs. Congratulations again!
Carly Spodofora
Dr Marin,
Congratulations on your retirement. Few people have reached this milestone, and I hope to achieve it one day. Hearing that you must also fight to wake from a relaxing slumber was relatable and relieving. I also felt choice overload when choosing a career path or field to specialize in. However, comparing my experience to yours, I can only imagine how powerful the sensation must be when deciding what you want to pursue after doing so much. I envy your ability to start a new life with the essentials only and thrive. I have yet to start over in a new place and have some anxiety regarding the scenario, but I will leave that to future me and cross that bridge when I get there. Growing up in a materialistic society makes it difficult not to accumulate items. I commend you for resolving the dispute of bequeathing things now because I have seen firsthand how it can tear families apart.
The distinction made between taking care of someone and giving consideration to someone was helpful for my understanding, as I would mix the two and consider them identical. Writing the Google Map Memoir gave me some nostalgia and reminded me of how far I have come and not to lose focus or dedication to my goals because they are not that far away anymore. I am very grateful for the assignment and thank you for allowing me to reminisce on my life.
Dr. Martin,
I would like to start off by congratulating you on your retirement! This will be a whole new chapter of your life, and hopefully an enjoyable one. I understand it can be hard to separate work life from personal life because a lot of the time you can really let work consume you. Leaving you with no time for yourself or to do the things you like to do in your spare time. With retirement, you will definitely get that well-deserved relaxation!
In regards to collecting things, I am actually quite fond of doing that myself! Although I am not sure at what point it is considered hoarding rather than collecting, I think that when you collect something, it is a constant memory of how much you love it. Or maybe it can even evoke an emotion or remind you of a memory. Some may even consider collecting a sort of hobby, depending on what it is you are collecting. My immediate thought goes to the individuals who collect trainsets, which is not relevant to the post as what you spoke about collecting was glasses for your niece, but worth mentioning.
As for the Google Maps project, this is not my first time completing it, but it is pretty crazy to see the vast difference between what I revised and the past pins. A lot can change in a short amount of time, and I think that is the beauty of life. Even if it isn’t necessarily a good change, you must have the negative to get the positive. Personally, I don’t know what relatives will discover my map, but I hope they enjoy what I have to share. I am 20, so I am unsure of how much sound advice I can give someone, but I know a few things that could help people in a similar position to mine.
Once again, I hope you enjoy retirement, and I enjoyed what you had to share!
Dr. Martin,
My teacher in tech school was thinking of retiring after finishing our class. He dreamed of opening up a boat company or selling cars as a fun retirement job. He said that he could not imagine himself not working so he was planning on a simple retirement job. I think that is a good idea to keep yourself occupied and thinking after retirement. These things he chose as a retirement job were all hobbies, he wished he had more time to do while he was working.
One thing I commend you on is not quitting and staying. What I mean by that is when you know you are quitting and silently reduce your effort and work ethic knowing you are leaving. I can see that you want to finish off strong and leave a good impression on your students as you leave. Unfortunately, my tech teacher did not have the same mindset. The timing of the pandemic and the changes to online just before he was retiring destroyed his work ethic. He was a computer teacher, but he was a bit dated in his knowledge. He specialized in older systems claiming they are better than this new complex stuff. My father who works in tech described my teacher as an “ignorant dinosaur” due to him not wanting to learn new tech practices and teaching us about computer systems from 20 years ago, and not move on to newer topics like the cloud. With the shift to online, his reluctance to adapt to the class was never the same. Most days he would complain about current word issues and how this online teaching is bad rather than adapting and actually teaching. I have so much I can say about my experience with this teacher but the key takeaway from this experience is do not quit and stay. He had a decent reputation with the school and other teachers before this but after his behavior, they all lost respect for him.
I want to start by congratulating you on retiring. I’m very glad I was able to experience your class before you retired. And I think with how good your class is and how well you teach them, I believe you deserve this retirement. I just hope you have more hobbies than grading papers.
As in my criminal justice course I was warned to get some hobbies prepared as I will retire after only 20 years of service. Which means I would retire at the age of 41. And then like you, I don’t think I would have enough passion to reach for multiple jobs unless I needed more money. So, I don’t know what I would do after retirement myself. I might just continue working in criminal justice.
Maybe it’s because I’m only 18, but I have not accumulated any “stuff”. And I’m not one to get sentimental over anything. But I hope that one day I’ll find some stuff that I’d like to hand down as well. And maybe it’s just because of how young I am still, but I’m not bothered by not leaving a legacy. Because what I do, I do because I like it and nothing of it is noteworthy.
But I believe even with you retiring, you have left a pretty sizable legacy already. I believe this blog is one example, plus all the students that you’ve inspired. But with life being as short as it is live life how you want, and I believe your legacy will ride itself. Maybe one day in the future we’ll meet again, and I’ll tell you about the legacy I decided to leave behind.
Dr. Martin,
I want to start this by congratulations on your retirement. I have very pleased to be having you as my professor before your retirement and getting to know you now. I think about how even though it is a short amount of time we’ve met and know each other; you have helped me and have taught me so much already.
Wanting to be an Author, there is no set date in years that I would want to retire, it would be my choice of retirement. Going through the process of writing and ideas, only being 18 I have a ton of ideas and thoughts that I want to get out there. I want to educate people’s minds and I want to help children love to read and be invested in reading. To help people find a passion of what they want to do, as I have found a passion of wanting to be an author.
I believe that as your retirement is coming, you have left a huge legacy to Bloomsburg University and have helped students with multiple different aspects of their life. Even reading through your blogs and hearing that past students still reach out to you for help, shows that you have left a handprint on all your students that you care about their life’s, and you love helping people. I believe that your legacy will go on through more years to come and you will always be remembered at Bloomsburg University. I hope one day we’ll meet again, and I have the opportunity to tell you the impact I have made.
Congratulations on retirement! I am sure you are looking forward to it.
You discussing having to restart your life 3 separate times stuck with me as I read this blog post. I have gone through a few big changes in my life – when I was four years old, I moved halfway across the country away from my family and my family’s friends. While I had not laid down roots much, I no longer had extended family to easily visit or the friends of my parents’ that I had gotten used to regularly hanging out with. I adjusted well, though, once I started school and made friends. My next big change was returning to Pennsylvania for college. My sister had also chosen a school in Pennsylvania, and some of my extended family and friends are still in PA, so I had connections and support; but I was entering a completely new environment and figuring out how to live on my own. I did well academically, but socially I struggled. I was nervous to engage with community and was painfully shy. I was in a relationship and spent all my time with him instead of branching out. After breaking up, I started to branch out more and make more friends and have been doing better in general.
However, the biggest change so far in my life is back home. My life is being turned upside down and I’m watching from an outside perspective 1800 miles away. My parents are going through a divorce made more complicated by a complex situation (that I do not feel ready to publicly share). They have been separated since my high school graduation, but more complications keep coming up that is making the situation harder and harder to navigate. The divorce was just recently finalized and things are finally starting to settle – just for them to be completely uprooted. I am losing the house I spent 16 years of my life in. I am losing the comfort of my neighborhood; the playground where I would swing until it got dark with my sister; the garden my family grew together; and likely quite a few of my belongings. I understood that after college I would move out and live in my own place. This does not feel like moving out or moving on, though, this feels like it is being torn away from me. I can’t do anything other than bear it and try to focus on school and that really upsets me.
Material things are things, but I find it so hard to break away the sentimental value they have for me. Having to leave my belongings and my house is painful and I wish that anybody who goes through experiences like this heals and has the support they need. I have been relying on my friends very much and cannot express how much I appreciate their support.
Good Morning Dr. Martin,
I greatly enjoyed reading this blog post this morning. Congratulations on your retirement that is coming up very soon I believe. I am not to the point in my life that I can begin to understand that, but other big life changes like that are very anxiety-inducing to me, like changing careers and going to college in my mid-twenties. I wish you the best of luck with retirement.
It is always interesting to me to hear of others collecting things for sentimental value. I was essentially raised by my grandmother a large chunk of my childhood and she was a bit of a hoarder. Rooms filled with things, dining room table was always covered in things, etc. so that made me always want to get rid of things. In my adult life, I try my best to not have that in my own house. I have things, but I am not super sentimental to things and give things away or get rid of things freely.
This is the last response for the summer session. I would like to say thank you for the knowledge and insight you have given me on writing and best of luck on your retirement.