One more sleep, one more day and I begin a new chapter in my life.
I cannot tell you the exact date but it was about a week
after the anniversary of Ron’s passing.
I realized that I had spent a year honouring Ron and keeping his spirit
alive. I cannot imagine doing anything
different. While it was a year of pain
it was also a year of acknowledgement and growth for me. All the decisions I have made, looking back,
I do not regret a single one.
Decisions. Some
decisions were very difficult and painful, others were extremely simple and
needed little thought. Retirement, for
instance, some would think it would be a drawn out process to come to a final
decision. Not for me, I gave it serious
thought for about 24 hours. I must
confess I dabbled with the idea on February 22.
It was on that date I attended a pension seminar. It was there I met Wolf, a pension
counselor. He kindly gave me his
email. Little did I know that we were a
match; me with questions, he with answers.
I also, unconsciously, found myself one evening cruising the
net. For what, I did not know. Does not matter because it is what I found
that matters most. It was a sight for
photojournalism. Better yet, it was a
school and even better, it is in Victoria.
Next. If you remember
in a previous post I wrote about my sitting in front of the appeal board on
February 6. On February 27 I received an
email and telephone call revealing the results.
I had to read the email three times to ensure I was seeing what was
actually written. The telephone call
confirmed it. The appeal board ruled in
MY favour. It was a bittersweet
moment. I was happy yet I cried as I
recalled the reason for the event – my grief for Ron.
On February 28 I seriously thought about retirement. Yes, there would be a difference between my
pay cheque and my retirement cheque. It
was a difference I felt that I could live with and more than likely could make
up doing something else. Recall the
photojournalism school. It was meant to
be. The ideas were flowing and the
decisions clicking. On February 29 I
handed in my resignation from the Province of British Columbia; it feels so
good, it feels so right.
Somewhere in here I fit in a trip to Whistler to visit my
good friend Cecilia. We had the time of
our lives; skate skiing, a day at the spa, and a biathalon. Yes, you read right. Cecilia signed us up for a beginner
biathalon. It was something I had always
wanted to do. Skating and shooting –
something I need more practice at but if I lived in Whistler I could get
hooked. Practice round of shooting
0/5. First race round 3/5 which garnered
me two penalty ski loops. Second race
round I managed to hit 5/5 targets and no penalty loops. My skate skiing sucked but I had a blast!
Needing to know more and true to my character, I researched
the school, visited the premises, and interviewed one of the instructors. The Western Academy of Photography is for
me. Next task - upgrade camera equipment
– stay with Pentax or switch to Canon or Nikon.
My head swirled in technical data from the hours of research. A decision was reached. I am now a Nikon girl and am undergoing a
steep learning curve with my D7000 but loving every moment.
I have been winding down at work, sorting files, deleting
superfluous emails and updating schedules. I will miss my workmates and the support they
offered each and every day.
I will spend the summer cruising and getting to know my
Nikon. School starts in September. It is a ten-month course. I will have to face my fears, acknowledge how
little I know, and rise to my expectations.
One more sleep, one more day and I begin my new chapter.
