And just like that, a 40-year career spent primarily in publications of the daily, weekly and trade variety ended three weeks ago.
Retirement has brought a time to reflect, as well as an uptick in physical activity; daily bike rides, up to 12 miles, weight work and the treadmill for aerobic three to four times a week.
Gone are the concerns about headlines and deadlines. No more cranky readers. My time is now mine to catch up on things that have had to go neglected, and move on with other projects.
Little by little, I'm getting over concentrating on such news as traffic accidents or new businesses. They are simply not my concern anymore.
The rest of my life is here, and the goal is to make the next 25 years even better than the last 44.
Not that the years haven't brought their unique moments. I had the unique experience of working in New York City for the better part of 13 years. Exciting? Yes. Hectic? Absolutely, but I survived the daily commute on the train. Along the way, I was blessed with the opportunities to experience a New York Yankees championship parade, in 1996, a Rockefeller Plaza tree lighting and a Times Square New Year's Eve Ball Drop.
My travels in that job took me to trade shows in San Diego, still my favorite, Palm Beach, Florida, Boston and Scottsdale Arizona.
Through it all, from the time I walked into the newsroom in New Jersey as an intern until the time I walked out the front door of the daily in Prescott Valley Arizona, I always tried to keep the reader first and foremost in mind; imagine sitting in your easy chair at home reading the paper, what do you want to know most? Is the paper designed attractively? Honestly? Look at it from the reader's perspective, whether it's content or the stories themselves. Is it interesting? Does it all make sense?
