Starting a new year that will include rewirement

Happy 2020, the year in which we should all see more clearly. I'm especially looking forward to that clarity as I prepare for my mid-year rewirement. Whenever I tell someone I'm rewiring, they first wonder if I've had Novocaine and dental work. If I write the word, the editing program consistently tries to auto-correct to "retirement." But I'm not planning for retirement. Yes, I will pass on the privilege of leading Volunteer New York! to someone with similar commitment to our mission but fresh ideas and new approaches. I'm excited to see how this vital organization continues to build an instinctive culture of volunteerism throughout our region. I have no doubt that Volunteer New York! will keep evolving to meet the needs of our community, as it has for the past 70 years.

This has been the place where my purpose has felt so perfectly aligned for a decade, but Volunteer New York! is not the only place where I feel I can make a difference. And frankly, I need more time to focus on my family and on me. The family time is going to be personal -- more traveling as a couple, enjoying grandchildren and children, while needing to care more directly for our parents. An international scoring system that has just gone into effect may provide some instant help to lower my golf handicap (we'll see), and I plan to dedicate more time on bucolic courses with dear friends. But the focus will also include continued work I want to do on myself and my values.

For 10 years I've held my tongue and fought back the urge to share my thoughts and take actions as honestly as I might have if I wasn't a recognized leader of a nonprofit with such an extensive mission. Now I may feel freer to speak out, but I have more learning to do first. I identify as a woman, as someone who grew up in the south and has spent most of her life in the northeast. I'm Jewish. I'm white. I'm privileged. I'm a cancer survivor. I fear the clock is ticking way too quickly, and I'll never make as big a dent as I want to on issues I care about: racial and gender equity and pathways to leadership; development of sound public initiatives that encourage everyone to reach for and attain their fullest potential; utilizing the act of volunteering to break down barriers and bridge differences; and more.

I will always, always credit my Leadership Westchester experience and the dogged push of then facilitator Robert Krenza with really forcing me to lock in on my purpose in 2004. It is in front of me physically every day, and in my bones. My purpose is to inspire, motivate, and lead others to choose a life of community involvement that creates a positive and ongoing legacy of social action. So you see, it is not possible for me to retire. Watch me as I rewire and keep moving forward with purpose and more flexibility to engage with loved ones who have always supported me.

May 2020 and the decade to come bring clarity to you. Find your purpose. Create your legacy. Think about how you will be remembered.