Turning What You Love into What You Do
By Patrick J. O’Connor
Preamble
Retirement comes in as many shapes and sizes as the people who retire. This segment chronicles the retirement lifestyle of Marilyn Sessions of Kent. Marilyn is well known for her extensive community service contributions. During her full-time career she was active in community service and received virtually every social and community service award in Kent and Portage County. Her remarkable service record was the focus of her Road Less Traveled feature appearing in AroundKent magazine.
Retirement Context
The retirement phase of life is great for some but difficult for others. The main focus for many retirees is financial, which is really important, but so is quality of life. Often, people think it will be wonderful to do whatever they want whenever they want. However, after a while they get weary of golf, gardening, reading or other activities. Some miss the structure, purpose and social connection of work which usually means going back to work. Some flounder as they try to replace the meaning they found in their work.
For many, you find out what retirement is like when you actually do it. You can plan, study, think and fret about it as much as you want. But when you are in it, you find out what it’s really like. It’s a bit like marriage.
Snowflake Lifestyle
Marilyn retired a year and a half ago without any specific plans other than continuing doing what she loves. She thought she would just keep living her lifestyle and enjoy more time for the things she loves: community service, church, golf, gardening, pets and traveling.
Marilyn starts her day watching old-time cartoons such as Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd and others. She loves beginning each day with zany laughter. Also, in addition to her active service agenda, she has been a Master Gardener for 26 years. She shares a love of gardening with her husband Brian in the Kent Garden Club. She and Brian also play golf at the course next to their home. They love to travel, including hiking the Camino de Santiago Trail in Spain, Italy and Portugal. And, there are always dogs in her life. Presently, the stars of the show are their two Goldens, Clyde and Tullamore. Marilyn feels that each day in retirement is like a snowflake — individual and beautiful. And she is always on the move… like a hummingbird.
Lifetime of Service
Marilyn follows the wisdom of Sir Winston Churchill who said, “We make a living by what we get and a life by what we give.”
No longer working full time in human resources and marketing, she leans on her work skills to serve on the boards of seven service organizations (as president of three). She and Brian also have started a number of service activities including Grill for Good, which raises money for various organizations in Kent. She is also active in the Dog Days of Summer festival, which raises money for animal welfare. She and Brian are the proud “parents” of Buddy, a Golden Retriever that is the subject of the Buddy Sessions Top Dog Award at the festival held each August. Recently she has become active in three more organizations that are very close to her heart.
HopeTown is a non-profit in Windham that supports men in recovery. She serves as board president. Hope Town is a recovery “ecosystem” that includes housing, peer support networks, employment initiatives as well as Hope On Wheels, a program which provides transportation services to clients. Many have lost their driver’s license which is a major barrier to securing work. This service reduces that barrier which is an essential part of recovery. More information can be found on their website.
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) is a group that advocates for children in trauma situations. Sometimes with parents who are struggling and a tangled up legal system, children of trauma and abuse can be overlooked. CASA is a service within the Juvenile Court in Portage County that ensures children are included in the solutions to their situation. Check out their website to learn about the important service they provide.
As a teenager, Mariyn felt she wanted to be a Catholic nun because of the TV show, “The Flying Nun.” Her devotion to this life of service has found a home. She will be commissioned as an Associate with the Immaculate Heart of Mary sisters with the Community in Scranton, PA in September. Their program of work is attention to justice, peace and sustainability. Check out the amazing work of this group of women at their website.
Psychic Income
When we do things for others without expecting anything in return we contribute to our Psychic Income account. This account is a deposit only account as there is no way to spend the money in it… We just save it. The adage that “you can’t take it with you” no longer applies here. We can take our Psychic Income with us when our time comes. Thanks, Marilyn, for turning what you love into what you do.
