Connecticut Estate Planning Attorneys Blog
By Carol Frances
I’m about to leave the best job I’ve ever had. To work longer hours. To be on my feet all day and to deal with the public. I’m parting company with the finest group of colleagues I’ve ever had the privilege to work with to embark on a journey into the unknown.
I wouldn’t blame you if you called me crazy!
After all, at this point, most of my peers are playing lots of golf, and generally taking it easy. That’s the cultural expectation – to retire – a word that makes me wriggle with discomfort.
Instead, I’m going to open a coffee shop with my husband.
Did I mention I know nothing about running a coffee shop?
I was expecting those around me–friends, family, and my colleagues here at Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri–to think I’ve lost my mind. But they get it! They understand my deep desire to reinvent and re-FIRE myself.
I don’t want to shuffle into the next phase of my life. I want to burst into it!
I plan to meet risk with vigor, and fear with excitement.
I don’t feel like this is the time to play it small. I feel like it’s time to recapture a child-like belief that anything is possible.
Whatever this adventure has in store for us (and I know there will be speed bumps and obstacles), I rest a little easier knowing that new challenges are magical medicine for the brain. No matter what happens, we will be learning and growing and working hard to make a difference in our community. And isn’t that the point?
Gratitude – The gift that keeps on giving
Over the past ten years with Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri, I’ve sent you blog posts and newsletters intended to educate and inspire. I’ve planned events to help you make sense of complicated topics, and to introduce you to our fine attorneys. In turn, you have expressed gratitude and shared your own experiences, which truly helps make us better at what we do.
I’m grateful to you for that.
I am also grateful to this firm and the team behind it, each of whom has displayed unending trust in me. I can say without reservation that this firm has always treated me and my colleagues well and with the utmost respect. Most importantly, I am grateful for the excellence and compassion that are an integral part of how everyone at Czepiga Daly Pope & Perri does the work they do to help others. And I’m especially grateful for all the ways they’ve helped me navigate some of life’s most difficult challenges.
During my tenure here, I have experienced
- the confusion and exhaustion that comes with caring for aging parents while simultaneously raising a child
- the burden of being an executor
- the angst of a grueling Medicaid application process
- the difficulty of long-distance caregiving
- the urgency of finding the right living option when my parents could no longer live independently
- the sadness and guilt that accompanies moving a parent into a nursing facility
- the unthinkable rollercoaster ride of a mother with dementia
I’ve been where you are. Or where you may someday be. My personal experience has been a touchstone as I’ve created the content that I’ve shared with you on so many Saturday mornings over the years. It always came easily to me to write about all the ways the firm can help because I, like so many others, know firsthand the relief their expertise and support have provided.
I’m so proud to have been a part of this firm, and to have played even a small role in the work they do to make people’s lives better, help them through difficult times, and protect their dreams for the future.
Not the end of the road – just a crossroads
Speaking of dreams for the future, while it still feels a little unreal to be leaving this decades-long career that I have loved for so long, I’m also incredibly excited to see what comes next in my journey.
And don’t worry– my successor, Beth Dance (an enthusiastic and compassionate addition to our team) – will still be creating and sharing helpful and insightful content to keep you in the know, help you get your head around complex legal matters, and even just let you know you’re not alone in dealing with a difficult situation.
So, thanks for following along over the years! It always made my day to hear back from you about how a piece helped you fix a problem or maybe inspired you to take action on something you’d been putting off. It has truly been my pleasure to lend a helping hand along the way.
Related Posts:
10 Good Things About Getting Older
How to Find Employment After 50
