Tag: Retirement

With great risk

mountains
Birdwoman Falls…500′ tall.

With great risk, generally, comes great reward.

You’ve heard the timeless cliche…

Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

And who can forget…

Burn the ships.

(die or succeed because retreating is not an option)

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This website is about our HOME. This is the fifth of five daily, differently-themed blog posts about: (1) mind, (2) body, (3) spirit, (4) work, (5) home. To return to Mid Life Celebration, the site about MIND, click here.

A funny thing happened on the way

Pre-retirement party. Out on Disney’s Contemporary Resort observation deck. Accessed through Disney’s California Grill.
Disney Institute interns are a lucky group. Disney Institute is equally lucky too. Note: The 4 on the right are interns.
At this table L-R: Jungle Jeff, Fran Santina (sideways head and former Philly Police Officer), Stu Levine, Monica Jordan, and Joseph Gardner.
Two of my favorite Disney Institute colleagues.
Fun, Disney Cast Member style, which isn’t any different than any other employee group. It’s just that outsiders rarely see us act in a “Backstage” manner.
L-R: Jungle Jeff, Monica, Bob Spina, Stu.
L-R: Jungle Jeff, Lori and Joe McColgan.
Joe, Karel Rhodes and Jungle Jeff go all the way back to Disney’s Grand Floridian Concierge. As their leader, it was a privilege and an honor to help them develop into statused (salaried) Disney Leaders.
Nutty, blurry, perfect.
More nuttiness. More perfection.
It went by fast. Not the 30-year Disney Career, the retirement party.
Final Disney retirement party photos. There would have been more variety except for one fact, i would have felt awkward being my own event photographer. Tried to balance being the Guest and being “on the job”.

A funny thing happened on the way to the party.

A late-season (it was November 17) thunderstorm rolled in, fogging up the gigantic windows facing the Magic Kingdom.

Could have been worse.

Weather is always a potential challenge in WDW operations. Always.

We roll with it and never complain about it.

The smaller head count allowed for the food and beverage menus to be upgraded. Yes, these events have a budget – which is decent for a 30-year Cast Member. It was first class all the way.

Our drive home after the party took minutes.

It is never lost on me that the original vision was to live within five minutes of Walt Disney World.

Check.

To this day, it remains a “check”.

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This website is about our HOME. This is the fifth of five daily, differently-themed blog posts about: (1) mind, (2) body, (3) spirit, (4) work, (5) home. To return to Mid Life Celebration, the site about MIND, click here.

Inspiration Alley at Disney Institute

My boss, Wayne Gagne, procured the Jungle Cruise hat from Wardrobe. Can’t recall why, but i offered to return it on the drive home. On the ride home, i drive past Magic Kingdom Wardrobe. Wayne does not.
Now the hat makes sense with the leopard-print…befitting a Jungle Boat skipper.
Stopped taking the elevator years ago. One final walk down the stairwell.
While easy and natural to second guess yourself, it did not happen on this final stairwell trip down.
Some of Jungle Jeff’s final steps while still “on the clock” during his final, Magical, day.

So what is such a great question and has unlimited applications.

So what? Was it worth it, all those years at Disney and Disney Institute?

H, e, double-hockey-sticks yes!

Knowing six years in advance i’d be retiring at 55 instead of 65 provided enormous opportunity to cherish and savor those final years in a glorious, yet private way.

Remember, i was the only one who knew. Cheryl knew of the intention, but couldn’t fully appreciate the commitment to it. It’s easy to change your mind when no one knows.

The final-five-year countdown was visible only to me.

In hindsight, now seven years into retirement (and running my own business, since 2009) it is unanimously the best work decision ever.

Best decision by an order of magnitude, whatever that means. It sounds big to a guy from the small Paper Mill town of Spring Grove, Pennsylvania.

From pulp dust to Pixie Dust.

Second star to the right. Straight on ’til morning.

To infinity and beyond!

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This website is about our HOME. This is the fifth of five daily, differently-themed blog posts about: (1) mind, (2) body, (3) spirit, (4) work, (5) home. To return to Mid Life Celebration, the site about MIND, click here.

Backstage Disney retirement

Backstage look at creating seemingly insignificant Disney plastic toy figure photos. The towel helped (a little) keep me dry.
It ain’t the Magic that makes it work, it’s the work that makes it Magic.
Little more context. See the top shelf characters as well as the lower left posse?
Is that the ocean? yes.

Backstage Disney retirement.

Front row seat.

As a participant in 2014.

And…

As the spouse of a participant on Valentine’s Day 2020.

So cool.

Hey curators (and god bless you for your skill set), this is what i mean by curator. You have no insider experience. An interview with a Disney legend, or executive is not the same as working with the legend or executive.

Not. The. Same.

Ever.

Riff is now completed.

Please watch your head and step as you exit the vehicle.

If you bump your head, please watch your language.

(Over and over and over)

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This website is about our home health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my mental attitude website, click here.

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She’s in an enviable position

35-year Jiminy Cricket award.

She’s in an enviable position.

Who?

My wife.

Thirty-five Magical years.

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This website is about our home health. To leave this site to read today’s post on my mental attitude website, click here.

If you want to stay on this site and read more posts from this Blog, click here.