There's a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to
recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over -- and to
let go. It means leaving what's over without denying its validity
or its past importance in our lives. It involves a sense of future,
a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving on,
rather than out. The trick of retiring well may be the trick of
living well. It's hard to recognize that life isn't a holding
action, but a process. It's hard to learn that we don't leave the
best parts of ourselves behind, back in the dugout or the office.
We own what we learned back there. The experiences and the growth
are grafted onto our lives. And when we exit, we can take ourselves
along -- quite gracefully.
-- Ellen Goodman
