Page 22 - Senior Link Magazine Winter 2022 - Online Magazine

Exceptional
T wo years into retirement and
life is good.
Eleven years ago, I turned
sixty. Friends began asking when I
planned to retire. At the time, I had
no plans. As the CEO of the South
Plains Food Bank, I was working for
an organization I love, with people
I love, feeding food insecure people
in a community that I love. Why
would I want to retire?
But the seed was planted. What
would retirement look like for me?
I consulted experts with retirement
experience: the retired volunteers
who show up at the food bank
every day to keep the food bank
going. I discovered retirement
looks different for everyone. Some
of what retirement looks like is
because of choices we make, and
sometimes there are forces out of
our control. Stay flexible.
Advice ranged from, “‘Work as long
as you can” to “It's the best thing
Thank you, David, for your service on our Board of Directors and for
your support of Breedlove Foods for almost 30 years!
22 Lubbock Senior Link
SENIORS
Moving
on to the
Next Stage
by David Weaver
of purpose.” This key bit of advice helped by the food bank and want
you will ever do.” “Have a sense
to “return the favor.” Whatever
came from Kent, one of our faithful their motivation, they have a sense
of purpose and perhaps, more
volunteers who showed up every
day to help sort food and make food importantly, they have a good time.
boxes.
Keren, my wife, and I began talking
When we needed someone to about retirement six years ago.
oversee the food box room, we (She was worried about having
thought of Kent. He was perfect. me hanging around the house
He knew what needed to be done, too much. I was, too.) We talked
how to make it happen, plus people about things we would enjoy doing
enjoyed working with him. We together if we had more time, places
asked him to join our staff. He to visit and possibly live. We have a
thought about it and said, “When I wonderful network of friends and
come here as a volunteer, I ‘get’ to family in Lubbock. How would
be here. If I worked for you, I would we maintain those friendships
‘have’ to be here. I like getting to and create new relationships? My
volunteer rather than having to daughter Grace wanted to know
show up for work.” It made sense to why I hadn’t retired much sooner.
me and offered me another insight
into my retirement future: What As much as I loved my job, I also
will I get to do in retirement rather loved the South Plains Food Bank
than what will I have to do? and realized that a change in
leadership could be and would be
Some of our volunteers show up healthy. I worked with our Board of
because of their faith, some a sense Directors to begin the transition to
of civic duty. Many have been new leadership.