Those of you who know me best are aware of my affinity for hats. Through the years, I’ve always been told how good I look in them . . . fedoras, newsboys, deerslayers, baseball/golf caps, fezzes, berets, even yarmulkes. Perhaps it’s the shape of my head, or a matter of peoples’ preference that I cover up as much as possible. It doesn’t matter; my love affair with hats has shaped my fashion sense, and much more. As a professional educator and researcher, I’ve never been satisfied wearing one hat. Now, with full-time retirement from beloved Plymouth State approaching, my approach is one characterized more by anticipation than trepidation. On December 31st of this year, I’ll remove the academic hat for the last time. However, my head won’t be bare for long. I’ve lined up a number of others to wear and, G_d willing, those should keep my head occupied for decades. I’m very proud of my newest hat. I recently met with Andrea Greve, the owner and editor of El Coqui of Rincón, a bilingual community magazine published in the town of Rincón, Puerto Rico. El Coqui of Rincón is a magazine about and for the residents of Rincón and the area’s diverse visitor population. Andrea is a delightful young woman, not much older than my university students in New Hampshire. What I like best about people like Andrea is her willingness to take chances. Magazine ownership/editorship is a tough business, yet here she is pouring her energy and resources into the process. Getting back to the subject of this post, Andrea has been kind enough to provide me with a new hat, that of a contributor to her informative local magazine. Marla and I have been spending as much time as possible in this area during the last decade. Given the fact that my ninth book, Another Paradise Lost, will be set in Rincón, I have been slowly building a knowledge base
–admittedly from the perspective of a snowbird–about this comparatively quiet, albeit exciting corner of Puerto Rico. Thanks to Andrea, I’ll be contributing my perspective to her magazine on occasion in the future. So, as one hat is placed on the shelf, others appear–if we’re open to wearing them. Isn’t that what makes life interesting?
Mark, you are the best example of what a retiree should be; starting new chapters, beginning a new life, anticipating the sometimes sadness of retirement from a career, along with the joy of new challenges AND the time to do those things. God bless you. I’m sure Plymouth State U. will miss you and perhaps, you them. But you have managed to balance your professor career with your writing talents and earn a living from both. Like I said before, God Bless You and please, keep up your blog. dot.
Thank you for your support and kind words, Dot. Truly, I’ve been fortunate that several decisions have worked for me. I’m not a plotter or a planner. I just follow perceived opportunity. I just picked up a job as a contributor to a magazine here in PR. No complaints, that’s for sure. Be well.