A while back, I wrote a reflection note with my own words called FIRST, now it is just 16 days to go, I am ready to reflect the final wind-down. AI gave me some reflection questions to ponder on and I find it helpful and healthy to go through the motion. Below is the advise from AI of what I should do with the remaining days in office.
As you reflect, return to your own FIRST:
- Finishing Well: What genuinely needs my attention before I leave? What can I confidently entrust to someone else?
- Innovating Myself: Which parts of my identity do I want to develop beyond my official role?
- Refirement: Which contributions would I choose freely, once they are no longer duties?
- Strengthening My Health: What would a good first month of retirement look like for my body, my rest and my family?
- Tributes: Who should hear my thanks directly, while I still have the opportunity to say it?
Also set aside one quiet hour for yourself: walk through the office, take a few photographs with permission, and write what you will miss, what you are ready to release, and what you hope will continue.
You can express your farewell with warmth even while an extension is pending: “As I prepare to complete this chapter of service, I want to thank you personally. Whatever comes next, I am grateful that we have had the opportunity to work together.”
Here are my reflections :-
Finishing Well
What genuinely needs my attention before I leave?
A properly documented handover. There is still some work to do, particularly as our section’s functional files are not yet properly organised. I need my PA’s help to open the necessary project and programme files, and to print and file the key decisions recorded in my digital documents.
The budgets we have prepared. Hand over all the source files, explain the assumptions and revisions, and highlight where further adjustments may be needed.
Complete project records. Organise the supporting documents so that the team can refer to them easily and be ready for future audits.
Project FATs and final meetings. Chair the meetings that can reasonably be completed before I leave. Some programme discussions, particularly for EGS, may not happen in time. My requests for a discussion have yet to receive a response, so I will record the outstanding matters for follow-up and focus my remaining time where I can make progress.
What can I confidently entrust to someone else?
I am so thankful to have found such a wonderful group of people. I have spent time with them and witnessed their growth: their trust in me when we ventured into unfamiliar territory, their willingness to try my sometimes crazy ideas, and their enthusiasm in saying “Yes!” even before they fully understood what I was proposing!
It has felt like a bus full of enthusiastic friends and colleagues who willingly jumped aboard for the adventure. I love each of them, each in their own way. I know I will smile whenever I think of them.
Within our project groups, we have shared successes and frustrations, worked through delays and faced challenges together. I have watched them grow as project managers and leaders, and that gives me confidence in leaving the work in their hands.
In both DGD and KPSTI, there are capable people who can carry these efforts forward. With new leadership and their own growing experience, they may approach things differently. I look forward to seeing how they make the work their own.
Innovating Myself
Which parts of my identity do I want to develop beyond my official role?
I have told my children that, for my 60th birthday, I do not wish for a big party with 60 guests—or even 30! I feel this birthday is a time to celebrate myself quietly and personally: a soft launch of the next version of me.
I want to spend time reflecting on who I would like to become. Very likely, that will include:
Being a mentor and encourager to friends in the civil service, available to help where I can.
Reconnecting with retired friends and forming a little league for fellowship, learning and growth.
Finding like-minded friends with whom I can work on meaningful projects.
Refirement
Which contributions would I choose freely, once they are no longer duties?
I already have a mental list of contributions I would like to give more time to. But first, I need rest, recovery and rejuvenation. I trust that, as I regain my energy, the shape of my refirement will become clearer.
Alongside my ideas, passions and dreams, I will rely on God’s timing and provision. I choose to wait upon His calling and allow things to unfold in their proper season.
At this age, I can say that doing the right things, at the right time, with the right people can be magical!
Strengthening My Health
What would a good first month of retirement look like for my body, my rest and my family?
Knowing myself, it may still feel a little like “working while on leave”! I sincerely hope the team will feel comfortable calling on me for help with reports, gaps in documentation or discussions to support the next few projects.
At the same time, I want to make proper room for rest, recovery and my family. I am learning that caring for my health deserves the same attention I have given to my work.
Tributes
Who should hear my thanks directly, while I still have the opportunity to say it?
I already have my list and the gifts ready. Now comes the difficult part: shortening the list, because it is far too long!
If someone does not receive a gift, it certainly does not mean that they matter any less to me. My resources are limited, so there is a limit to the number I can prepare.
My gratitude, however, reaches many more people. There are still personal messages to write, memories to share and thank-yous to send through WhatsApp. The gift list has a limit. The thank-you list is much longer.
Finally, a poem to complete my golden reflection:
The Golden Reflection
I finish well, with a grateful heart,
Trusting new hands to play their part.
Still learning, growing, becoming me—
With room for all I’ve yet to be.
I rest, recover, then refire,
Let faith give shape to fresh desire.
In God’s good time, with people dear,
New purpose slowly becomes clear.
To those who walked this road with me,
Your kindness lives in who I’ll be.
The golden gift these years have shown:
How much we’ve shared, how much we’ve grown.
~ Doria TYT
Reference :
https://life-salad-bowl.blogspot.com/2026/09/retirement-thoughts.html
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