The Company

 Until today I had never heard of Big Panda and Tiny Dragon. A quick Google search and now I am excited to discover author and illustrator James Norbury. I will be checking out his work more thoroughly in the coming months.

You can read about James Norbury’s work at www.jamesnorbury.com.

The above quote perfectly captures my “why” in life and why I wanted to make our upcoming trip around the country to visit friends and family. Through the years I have believed with my whole heart that people are connected for a reason. And it is a responsibility we each have to nourish each other in the moments we are together. This can feel effortless or sometimes it can feel like a burden (no pun intended, Ginger).

It is effortless when the people we see have a matching energy, shared beliefs or interests, and the same core values. Even when they are having a bad day, it feels easy to be with them,

It can feel like a burden when people come into our life and they need comfort from us at a time we are also struggling. It can be for us to do a specific job, or they are struggling with their own demons in the moment, or they are worn out and sad. I saw a lot of this happening around me from 2020 through 2022.

My own depletion of energy helped me to decide to retire. I realized I had used up my energy reserves and could no longer serve others in the capacity I wanted to move forward. So, in mid-2021, I  notified the owners that I would retire December 31, 2022.

That year and a half until retirement felt like a long time. What made it doable (and bearable) were the people I worked alongside. People like Barry, Kat, Elizabeth, Tarah, Kacey, Hannah, Kaliela, Mike, Mary, Kristina, Jen, and many others who showed up every day to support each other and their teams. They TOTALLY embraced that in the grand scheme of life we had a responsibility to create the best products we could while taking care of the people who were making it happen.

Retirement has helped me to restore my energy. I love the time with the ‘company’ I keep and the solitude I enjoy while writing each day. Both are essential to my wellbeing.

As Joe and I prepare for our trip to Crescent City and Oregon in nine days, I am looking forward to connecting with the people we will visit.  Then we come back to finish packing up our house and prepare for our big trip across the United States.