Looking Backwards Through the Rearview Mirror

Somehow, it never occurred to me as a youngster that there would be moments that were neither exciting or terrifying throughout life...that there would be moments that were more bittersweet. The passage of time eventually places such events in the positive or negative outlook, but at the time, such things encourage a kind of uncertainty that is not pleasant.
Retirement is such an event: the minute one walks out the door for the last time in a place he or she has spent a great deal of energy and effort, a sense of regret sets in. Of course, by then, the door is locked securely behind, and the only way to move is forward. Driving away, one looks in the rearview mirror and senses the passage of something important, and the fear involved in a new opportunity.
As a result, I totally understand all those people who retire only to return very quickly to the safety of a life they have known: a life that insures a degree of comfort based on certainty. Face it: relationships are like that in that they begin and end eventually, either in figurative or permanent separation. Careers end and change begins: not necessarily a pleasant thought, but it can be an exciting one.
Be sure you want to leave before pushing the proverbial door handle for the last time. There is seldom an opportunity to retreat to the safety of a former life, but the challenges ahead can be stimulating.
Hopefully, I can heed my own advice in the coming year...as yet another part of my life recedes in the rearview mirror, surrounded by the "traffic" of new challenges.