A note arrived after my last nugget regarding retirement from my good friend, Jerry Bellune of the Lexington County Chronicle in South Carolina. Jerry and I also met virtually and became friends and colleagues sharing information over the years.
In Jerry’s words on how he first dealt with retirement and continued to thrive.
“Retirement can be a jolt. I didn’t retire but when the Philadelphia Bulletin went out of business, a lot of people who used to call me stopped. I soon realized we didn’t really have a friendship. I was just a way to get their names and news into the newspaper.
“It gave me a hollow feeling,” he said. “But I decided to take responsibility.
“I made a list of people I really wanted to maintain a relationship with and invited them to lunch. We found other ways to help and encourage each other. I’m still in contact by email with a few of them 34 years later.
“I’ve thought about my own retirement and what I want to do,” he said. “One is to stay active in our community here and to maintain an email relationship with good people like you. I won’t go gently into Dylan Thomas’s good night.”
**** Thank you so much, Jerry for sharing your thoughts. ARN
Jerry Bellune
Lexington County Chronicle
& The Dispatch News
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LexingtonChronicle.com
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www.JerryBellune.net
803-331-6695
PO Box 1500
Lexington SC 29071-1500
Winners have faith.
They believe in themselves,
their purpose and higher calling.