Reblog Note: WordPress notified me today that on this date in 2019, I posted “Coming to Terms with Retirement.” I hardly know what to say about it, except that I’m in about the same boat now as I was then, for the most part. I’m not sure what stage I’m in now in retirement. It’s not comparable to the 5 stages of grief by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross. Maybe I’d called it resignation rather than acceptance. The word “resignation” fits better but it’s redundant. I donated Dave Barry’s book “Lessons from Lucy” to Goodwill. I’ve re-read “The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” again.
I’ve kept my promise not to write another work-related book. Hey, you can still buy my book, just a suggestion. Incredibly, I still check my office e-mail every day. No new messages. In a way, I’ve made dozens of YouTube videos I could subtitle as “A Day in the Life of a Retired Psychiatrist.”
I was never neuralized into retirement, which might have worked out better in the long run—maybe. The Weather Channel is on the fritz more often than I care for, so I don’t watch it much. Men in Black reruns are becoming more infrequent, but I still look for them.
I don’t edge or trim the lawn anymore. I gave that up a couple of years ago after we moved for the umpteenth time. We have a very good lawn service guy. We even exchanged Christmas cards.
After our move, we also reestablished Christmas cards with one of my former teachers and a major leader in developing ways to meet the needs of patients who have both medical and psychiatric problems. Dr. Roger Kathol, MD developed the Medical-Psychiatry Unit at The University of Iowa Health Care. The Association of Medicine & Psychiatry (AMP) has an award in his honor. The Kathol Award nomination form reads in part:
The Roger Kathol Pioneering Spirit Award was established in 2016 to honor Dr. Roger Kathol, founding member of AMP who exemplified the award criteria. He is an Internist and Psychiatrist who is both innovator and pioneer of the model of integrative care in the inpatient setting. He is an outstanding clinician, providing integrated medical and psychiatric care for his patients, as well as dynamic educator, astute businessman.
I’m beginning to sound like I miss something. There are just a few symptoms of Chronic Post Retirement Syndrome (CPRS) that never go away. But I still exercise and meditate. I did pick up about 20 pounds since I retired. I’m working on it. I will never get PTSD from cooking—because I don’t do that ever since I burned down the house. I didn’t know kale could catch fire so fast.
Go Retire Psychiatrist 
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