<p class="ql-block">Retirement, that much - anticipated milestone we've been counting down the days to for years, finally arrives, and it's like stepping off a well - worn treadmill only to find ourselves adrift in a sea of uncertainty. As the old saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for," because once the dust settles on that last day at the office, we're confronted with a stark, white canvas that seems to taunt us with its endless possibilities. It's a bit like being handed the keys to a luxury sports car but having no idea where the open road even is.</p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block">Ernest Hemingway once wrote, "There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self." In this new phase, we're presented with the opportunity to redefine ourselves, yet the blank page can be more intimidating than a room full of critics. We've spent our working lives coloring within the lines of schedules, meetings, and projects, and now, with all that structure gone, it's as if we've been tossed into the deep end of a pool without our floaties.</p><p class="ql-block"> </p><p class="ql-block">Some might say it's a golden opportunity, a chance to "seize the day" à la Horace's famous "Carpe diem." But the reality is often a whirlwind of mixed emotions. One moment, we're elated at the thought of never having to set an alarm again, and the next, we're lost in a maze of indecision, asking ourselves, "How do I even begin to write this new story?" It's a conundrum that many of us face, a beautiful but bewildering paradox of freedom and the fear of the unknown. The question isn't just what to write on that blank paper; it's how to find the courage to pick up the pen in the first place.</p>