As one matures, one seems to have a good feel for where your life takes you.
Looking back over the years of school, graduation, profession, marriage, motherhood, career path, I feel a "fast forward" to where I am today. Hank and I have raised two wonderful children who have blessed us with eleven grandchildren. My nursing career has come to a close following forty five years of work. Through the years (1967-2012) I am proud to say that I have never been unemployed from nursing. I would choose this profession again, without question, and have been fortunate to have been able to touch many lives and have found nursing to have been very rewarding. I've managed to have worked in many areas of healthcare and have remained in direct patient care until retirement from Good Samaritan Hospital, San Jose California. My last twenty five years has centered around Critical Care - Coronary Intensive Care, Cardiac Surgical (Open Heart) Intensive Care, Medical Surgical Intensive Care, Pediatric Intensive Care and Neuro Science Intensive Care.
My Mother always said "Maureen, you'll know when 'enough is enough' and that will be your queue to bow out gracefully." I remembered her wise words and knew when it was right for me.
Looking back I see Hank and I working hard, always saving, but we always managed to travel. I firmly believe that you cannot buy back time in life and if you plan well you can make anything happen in life. For the last twenty years, we have both had the same thoughts which was to live two places when we retire. Some would say that this is a dream. For us this became a reality. As of today we live seven months in Florida and five months in California. So far, so good. People ask me which state do I like better and I really have to say 'both'. When we arrive at either home, it's like coming home twice. If and when the time comes that we would have to choose one home, I know that it would be California. Hank feels the same.
Nearly three years since retirement, yes, the time has flown by. We have been fortunate to love our bi-coastal life and travel has been a high point.
Since retiring I am grateful for more personal time, more freedom and the money to enjoy it all.
Our family is well and we look forward to more travels. Our next trip will be a nonstop flight from San Francisco to Shanghai on September 15, 2015 and we will cruise the Yangtze River and travel on to Hong Kong, our second trip to China.
I believe that there is no time like the present. Make it happen !
