Retiring? Who, Me?
"Don't underestimate the value of Doing Nothing, of just going along, listening to all the things you can't hear, and not bothering." ~ Pooh's Little Instruction Book, inspired by A.A. Milne
I cannot picture myself 'Doing Nothing" but I am intrigued by the thought of listening to all the things I can't hear, and not bothering. To me, that means being in nature, listening to the sound of the wind tickling the grass, hearing the birds chirp in the early dawn, the babbling of a cold mountain stream. And not bothering...enjoying the moment and not stressing. Just breathe.
You see, I'm retiring from a full-time position on July 11th, 2018. A Monday to Friday day job that came with the perk of a pension. But after ten years the sitting all day kinda got to me along with other things, so we decided it was time to finish my career in admin and just continue with my photography business.
Projects have been piling up, waiting for my attention. I haven't painted the inside main living areas of our home in over ten years. Paint swatches litter my dining room table. The peonies above have grown from a root of my Aunt Edie's peony garden in Antigonish!
Only three days left to work at my day job, and I'm already chomping at the bit to get painting. But I can wait until my sister arrives at the end of this week to help choose the main colour. Summer is starting to fill up with vacation time, volunteering for Port Moody Rib Fest again this year, photographing the three-day event. Seeing friends, picking up our new (-to-me) Ford Edge. Road-tripping back with Rob. So the feeling that I am now 'retired' probably won't kick in until holidays are over and I don't go back to work.
One thing I try to stick to is doing outside jobs when it is nice outside and leaving laundry and housework, and painting interiors, to when it is not so nice outside. A sunny Sunday today was all I needed to haul out the power washer and clean up the cement, deck landing and stairs, fire pit area and my favourite old Adirondack chairs. Next I will be staining the deck and painting the chairs before moving onto the upper deck area. Nothing like the idea of a summer barbecue with friends over to get things done around the yard! And now, without having to go to work I won't be killing my back every weekend cramming it all in! It's a good thing I love old things! There's something to be said for the comforting familiarity and the memories that come with them.
But I do still have a boss. Me. Dreamer that I am, I have worked on my photography business ever since I came home from Image Explorations in 2011 with a new Canon 7D I had to pay for. And the endless purchases of great lenses and PPOC Conventions and education and the list goes on! Silly me, I thought I'd leave my day job a year later! Not so! And if you're an aspiring photographer, let me tell you something. It is a lot of work to build a photography business. The most important thing I believe is getting the education from both skilled photographers and professional photographers. I list both because I have had much encouragement and guidance over the years from both hobbyists and pros alike. And they share one thing in common with me, Passion. Passion to create, passion to learn, passion to share.
So it will be hard for me to "Do Nothing" just yet since I plan to continue to photograph football this fall (my ninth year already), grow my children and family photography, do some commercial work and head shots, keep active and volunteer for PPOC, and work on my current personal projects.
Terrill Bodner, MPA is an Accredited Professional Photographer living in Prince George, BC, specializing in Family Portraiture, Lifestyle, Headshots, Real Estate and Fine Art photography. Terrill is a member of Professional Photographers of Canada, accredited in Fine Art/Photo Decor, Animals, Wildlife, Nature, Ornithology/Bird, Botanical, Pictorial/Scenic, Travel Illustration, and Night Photography and holds the designation of Master of Photographic Arts from Professional Photographers of Canada.
She shoots in studio and on location. Come on in and snoop around!
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