Have you ever noticed that the words “relief, grief and disbelief” seem similar?

I’ve been thinking about that these past few weeks-saying “goodbye” to cherished patient relationships up to thirty times a day has been overwhelming and has left me emotionally spent…and that’s not to mention saying “goodbye” to my wonderful work family that has seen me through so much over the past 7 years.

My BPE (Best Partner Ever) Dianne blended our traditional Christmas party with a lovely “retirement” slide show as she knew I would not go for a traditional party, and I sat watching in the corner, somewhat stunned.

Am I really leaving all these incredible people?

I’ve been walking through this last week in a bit of a daze-on the verge of tears one moment, excited about our upcoming road trip the next, and with each patient chart completed feeling a bit of relief to be escaping the relentless documentation grind that has been too large a part of my 35 year career.

I’m sure as the days go by I’ll accept that I’m not returning to the practice Dianne and I lovingly built, but at the moment all my emotions of grief, disbelief and relief are bouncing about my brain like a game of pong gone wild-and perhaps the reference to pong truly underscores that it’s time for me to retire!