When Your Back Doc Retires

The first time I walked into the chiropractic office of Dr. Bruce Narvey, I was pregnant with my third baby. That “baby” is now 34 years old. Not only did Dr. Narvey keep me in the best possible shape for a healthy delivery, but he has kept Hubby and me well-adjusted through all the years since then. A glance at the diploma on his wall tells patients Dr. Narvey’s been practicing since 1981. Forty years is a long time to practice something, but now that he’s finally getting the hang of it, he’s giving it up for golf and grandchildren. The nerve!

Through the nineties, when I cleaned houses for a living and took care of a large garden, my spine occasionally became so misaligned it left me nearly immobile, and I’d go hobbling into Dr. Narvey’s office hunched over in pain. He’d give me an attitude adjustment and encourage me to proactively come in regularly instead of waiting until I was in trouble. Once I finally settled into an every-three-weeks schedule, I got along much better. I’ve benefited from his ultrasound therapy, too.

Allowing someone to manipulate your spine every three weeks involves a level of trust, but Dr. Narvey has become a friend, too. He knows, for example, that I’m going to start coughing as soon as I lie on my back. I don’t need to explain over and over that it’s a chronic lung condition and not Covid-19. I’ve listened to his jokes and his stories about the aforementioned golf and grandchildren. He’s purchased my books and read my columns. He teases. I give it right back. We occasionally talk politics, but I think that might be his way of figuring out which way I lean on any given day. I tried to convince him to rename his practice “This Joint’s Poppin’” but he refused to crack. (By the way, don’t ever let a chiropractor tell you a joke while he’s giving you an adjustment. It could really mess up your funny bone.)

When my husband underwent an amputation of his right arm, Dr. Narvey went above and beyond. He came to visit Jon at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg and gave him an adjustment right there, helping to alleviate some of the damage done elsewhere by the accident. He and his wife Cheri also blessed us with a care package at that time. Guess you could say they’ve always had our backs.

Photo by Violet Hay

Dr. Narvey deserves a long and happy retirement. Few people return to the town they grew up in and serve it and the surrounding community for 40 years. Although they’ve recently moved to Winnipeg to be closer to grandchildren, I imagine Portage will always feel like “home” to the Narveys. This is where they raised their family and where they donated untold volunteer hours with Rotary Club, Portage Golf Club, coaching, mentoring, fund-raising, and generally behaving like all-around top-notch citizens.

So, to the man who turned heads every time he went to work: I salute you, I thank you, and I wish you God’s richest blessings. Portage will miss the Narveys. You could say it’ll be an adjustment.

 

A Writer's Life for Me

I used to assume that authors wrote one book and moved on to the next. Partly true. Once released, the writing part is over. In many ways, though, the real work has only begun.

With my first novel, I could focus all my attention on that one story. Whether I spent my limited writing time revising or researching or pitching to agents, I gave little thought to a second story. Why bother, until I knew I could write something people would buy?

Since then, I’m discovering the more books you have out, the busier you are. I currently have four books out in the world, a fifth releasing this summer, a sixth releasing in November, a seventh that my agent is pitching to publishers, an eighth sitting in my computer rejected and lonely, and a ninth still in its first draft.

So, in any one week I might be typing away on #9 when I need to lay it aside because my agent wants me to make some changes to #7, hoping to make it more appealing to potential publishers. Meanwhile, the editor who is preparing #5 for release needs me to collect endorsements from other authors. Then my cover designer for #6 sends his latest draft and needs a yes or no.

A local friend calls to ask if she can stop by for an autographed copy of #4 for her mom’s birthday present. Then I find out #2’s publisher is putting it on sale for the month, so I need to send out a newsletter and let readers know and spread the word on social media. Meanwhile, a book club is reading #1 and wants to know if I can join them on a Zoom call. Then our local bookstore calls to say they’ve sold out of my books. I pull some from my shelf, sign them, prepare an invoice, and cart them to the store.

When I return, I find an email inviting me to judge a writing contest. Another asks me to participate on a panel in a Zoom tutorial. I say no to one (this time) and yes to the other. I spend time creating memes to promote my books. Another day, I give my book launch team a virtual tour of my home office via Facebook just for fun.

Then there’s the relentless deadline of a weekly newspaper column.

And keeping track of income and expenses so I don’t run into trouble at tax time.

And continuing to develop my craft by reading good books and attending online conferences.

And growing a thick layer of skin to handle negative reviews and rejections.

Somehow, I figured retiring from my day job would allow all the writing time I needed and then some. But, as most retirees say, I’ve never been so busy. Some days I feel like a one-armed juggler. I could spend zero time on actual writing and still call it a full-time job.

Honestly? There’s little of this I don’t love. I thank God every day that I get to do this, and I ask Him to partner with me in all of it. To empower me, stabilize me, give me both confidence and humility. To use me and my work for his purposes. To grant me the grace to accept His outcomes when they don’t look the way I’d hoped—which happens a lot.

Seems like a full-time job for God, too. Thankfully, time is nothing to Him. He wants to partner with each of us—with you, in whatever you do, whatever your passion. Invite him into your world and your work. Watch what happens.

But be warned. You may become busier than you’ve ever been.

 

Lessons for the Retired, the Re-retired, and the Just Plain Tired

If you’re a faithful reader of this blog, you may remember how, after 18 months of retirement, I returned to my old job at city hall this past October “for a couple of weeks” until the position could be filled again. Three weeks into my “couple of weeks,” health restrictions tightened and many of us began working from home. I did so almost exclusively, going into the office only three or four times over the following nine weeks.

Once my replacement started, I agreed to train her. It’s tough to teach anyone all your bad habits remotely, so I spent my last six mornings in person at city hall, trying to stay six feet from my student, both of us in our masks. Fortunately for me, for city hall, and for taxpayers, my replacement is a smart, capable, and experienced worker who also grew up here, knows the city, and caught on quickly.

All told, my couple of weeks stretched into three months and I’m happy to say, “I’ve done enough damage here for this time around.” I’m tired!

Returning to my old workplace held some surprises in store.

When I initially retired, thoughts of work had fled my mind shockingly fast. When invited back, I feared I’d remember nothing and prove more of a liability than an asset. But within a day or two, I was even more surprised by how quickly I began “owning” the job again. Thinking about it when I didn’t need to. Solving problems not really mine to worry about. That’s not bad, but it’s exhausting. The effort has confirmed for me what I already knew—I’m not capable of holding down a permanent job and being the writer I want to be. At this stage of life, I must choose.

I also walked away with a few tips to share.

Firstly, don’t burn your bridges. When it’s time to retire or resign, leave with integrity. Once you’ve given notice, remaining invested can be hard but it’s worth the effort. Do everything in your power to finish what you began. Clean your desk thoroughly for the next person. As much as lies within you, provide your co-workers whatever they might need from you. People who do not leave well do not get invited back. (And even if you refuse the invitation, I can tell you it feels darn good to be asked.)

Secondly, whatever you’re working on, give your all. While working from home, I used the same space for my city work as my writing work, but two different computers. I made sure one was completely shut down and out of reach while working on the other. Carrying around ideas for both jobs in your head is challenging enough without having them drawn to your attention by pinging emails or chirping text messages.

Thirdly, be willing to adapt. Living and working through this pandemic is teaching us all new skills we never needed before. I was impressed by how well my coworkers committed to the protocols of mask-wearing, sanitizing, temperature-taking, distancing, and “zooming” without complaint. I admire how our I.T. team of two keep everyone’s computers functioning, especially with many working from home. I couldn’t believe how well it worked to be able to access files from home, thanks to the brilliance of those who understand this stuff. Kudos to all!

And now, it’s back to story-writing for this old retiree. But first, perhaps a nice long nap.

“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,  since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:23-24 NIV)

City Hall in Portage la Prairie, Manitoba