A Crash Course To Retirement And Beyond
A Crash Course to Retirement and Beyond
For this 24 year veteran Lieutenant, retirement from the Oklahoma City Fire Department was a question of when is a good time for Tim Farmer to retire? Avoiding the question seemed to be working until one fateful day when Tim's question was answered for him.
The morning of May 15th, 2008 was beautiful, sunny and for Tim a great time to catch a nap after being up much of the night working. Unfortunately, Tim was in the act of driving when he was napping. The next thing Tim remembers is smashing into an S.U.V. from behind at an estimated speed of 40 m.p.h. The sweet elderly lady that was so rudely run into by Mr. Farmer had recently purchased her new vehicle complete with OnStar and very nicely equipped. Fortunately the woman was not on her brake when struck, unfortunately she accelerated into a semi trailer ahead of her. Fortunately she was only shaken and not hurt severely and fortunately Mr. Farmer had very good insurance that monetarily enhanced this woman's life. Tim has received very sweet notes in the mail from his new friend that he "hit on" that smashingly beautiful day.
As for Tim, well as all good firefighters would do, he sprang from his car to check on the condition of the lady he had just snoozed into. As he opened the door of her S.U.V. she was found to be tapping on her OnStar and wondering why they were not speaking and inquiring about her condition or any of the scenarios we have seen on t.v. Suddenly Tim realized he could no longer breathe and stumbled to the curb, laying on his back and staring at the beautiful blue sky the good Lord had provided. Things got a little fuzzy as breathing was difficult at best. Thankfully a great team of medics arrived and quickly attended to Tim. He vaguely remembers his fellow firefighters and ambulance medics who gave him aid (not AIDS) that day but will be forever grateful for them.
The local hospital put Tim into a medicated state where the pain that was keeping him from breathing subsided. X-rays showed a horizontally broken and displaced sternum, multiple broken ribs and internal bleeding. Off to I.C.U. for monitoring. The internal bleeding stopped overnight.
Tim got up and left the hospital the next day. Yup, like many, he doesn't like being in or around hospitals, thankful for them but not personally fond of them. Tim to this day is still in physical therapy, but happy to be here alive and well-ish.
Where did all this leave Tim? A broken firefighter can't work. Five children at home, dad injured to severely to return to firefighting for 12 or more months. Welcome to retirement! Unexpected yes, bad..... ?. New opportunities are more available than ever, Tim discovered that even if we are forced into the realm of "what now?" it might be a fun adventure. We all have a choice how to handle the seasons and curve balls of life. Tim always leaned toward optimism but now he had to take some sort of action, his retirement would not meet the needs of the family budget.
Guess what? Tim found his glass is full! Not half empty, not half full but completely full... "half milkshake and half air." Now that is an optimistic attitude. Is this attitude for anyone or just a few. Tim believes it is for everybody. "Remember the old GIGO (garbage in garbage out) acronym? It is still true. The media was depressing me with all its negativity and my friends and family have bought into all of it. I decided not to participate in the recession or the negative rhetoric." Tim elaborates... "Consistent positive input is Ex3: easy, enjoyable and effective. " Some of Tim's mentors are Zig Ziglar, Craig Groeschel, Dan Miller, Dave Ramsey "(Dave is only negative toward debt and stupidity)" and the list is growing. "If we help others get what they want, we will get what we want, and can do what we want, when we want to." according to Zig Ziglar. Tim is proving that to be true.
Ideas are the starting point. But ideas are nothing without making them a reality or as Dan Miller would say "put legs on them." "We need to enjoy our lives not trudge through chained to a j.o.b. (Just Obnoxious Bunk) we hate." Tim declares "We need to find our passions, loves and real interests! We may be able to do many things but what is it we love to do in life?"
Tim is enjoying his next phase of life 2 years beyond his firefighter retirement and enjoys each and every day. "The Lord made us all with different gifts, talents and a wide variety of interests." Tim spends more time with family and friends now that he realizes the importance of loving what he does and balancing the successes of life. Tim says "Spiritual, physical, relational and financial success is our goal. Success in one or two areas is out of balance, we need to improve and evaluate all four areas."
Designing is what Tim loves! He says "I found I was always designing." He loves the artful side of designing, custom homes, murals, renovations, landscapes, he is a design junkie! And happy to be living the life he loves!
Tim also enjoys coaching others to follow their dream! To learn more about how you can really live your life to the fullest, look forward to and enjoy your work and help others do the same check in on Tim. He would love to help you find your direction, passion and new life whether you're fired, tired, retired, or just uninspired. Success stories welcome too!
Contact Tim Farmer via email at timfarmerdesigns@me.com
article by Suzy Deal freelance writer
I am a wife of 27 years, a mother of 5 and so blessed.
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com
