Thursday, March 10, 2016

There are 'seasons and I am entering a new one in my life.

You probably know that famous song about there being seasons in our lives, a song based on scriptures. Not that I am religious in the traditional sense, but I can relate to the word as expressed, either in song format or from a 'good book.' For quite a while (indeed, even in the introduction in some of my books!) I have been saying that I am preparing for retirement. So what I am about to say, is hardly a secret. I am entering a phase of my life whereby I 'tone it down a bit,' take more time for myself, leave behind the stress of full-time work and indeed, the craziness of a big city. I will not be doing this immediately; I shall take my time and gradually enter a more peaceful time of my life, yet still be involved in working with people. I have let my employer (for my full-time job) know that I intend to leave. It is time for someone else to take over that role, one with more energy. I will miss the students and my special friends, but hey---they are hardly going to be rid of me. They will know where I live and get to know the sound of the campervan (yet to be purchased) as it trundles up their drives or glides into the school car park----oops no---I will get CLAMPED!) . My presence on FB of course, will keep me in touch too. When will this all happen? Well---there is the issue of finding a home in my target area---Thames/Paeroa. Once that aim has been achieved (I am working on that from this weekend on) I shall give my notice. For my new clients (they know who they are) and 'supervisees', nothing will change, other than where I come from geographically. My aim is to travel to Auckland on Thursday and Fridays, stay in my campervan and see my supervision clients on those days and evenings. Of course Perdy will accompany me, but she will be sent to doggie care most of the time. So---my friends---watch out for how things proceed. I do not want to hurry this phase in my life. I want to achieve a balance that supports my health and allows me to keep on working in a job I love. Nothing has changed in that respect, just the manner in which I achieve my aims. OH---one last thing---will I still be 'writing? That all depends on how the books sales go for Roskill and the downloads for Talk To Me, the latter is now on Kindle, via Amazon. Much love, Neil www.auhtorneilcoleman.com