Don't step away; step aside and stay involved

Peggy Been McCook Community Foundation Fund

Retirement is finally here.

I recently entered this new phase of life where I moved from the highly-scheduled routine of a professional working day to the less-scheduled day of home projects, traveling and a variety of community efforts.

This will require a transition period. And I am finding that I need to add some routine to my days or I can simply while my time away. Without adding some intentionality to my schedule, weeks and months could slip away with little to show for my time.

Thinking about my personal transition, I realized there is a commonality with transitions in our workplaces, government entities, social groups and civic clubs. So many of these organizations have reached their own “retirement” age and now need to address succession planning or a handing over of the reins to new members.

I want to commend one local group for illustrating a powerful way to do this. If you attended the recent performance of Little Women, put on by the Southwest Nebraska Community Theatre Association (SWNCTA), you would have been treated to an excellent musical production by local artists.

More importantly, you may have noticed that there was a host of younger people debuting their passion and skills for performing. Even the director was from the younger generation.

Could these young performers have put together a successful show on their own? Not yet, but they didn’t have to do so. Instead, many of the older and experienced members we have watched for many years did not step away but merely stepped aside.

Just a few examples of “regulars” I noticed: Kathy was in the ticket sales booth, Jim was greeting people at the front door, Don and Alice were taking tickets, Mark and Tim were helping with the stage crew, Chuck was on set construction, Russ, Sue and Darrin were manning the sound, several remained on set design, Sheryl handled costumes and the list goes on.

Was the acting of the new performers as polished? Not yet. Was the singing as lyrical and beautiful? Not yet. Was the dancing and on-stage movement as fluid? Not yet.

The key word here is “yet.” With these young performers’ natural talents, combined with their passion for sharing their gifts and having the guidance of experienced people walking beside them and teaching them, they will surely become our next group of local stars. I imagine there were moments of frustration on everyone’s part through this transition and learning process. New life only comes through change, and change can be hard. What was displayed on stage for the audience, however, was a professional and entertaining show with a host of new members.

We can all learn from SWNCTA on the importance of sustaining our organizations into the future. Whether it is a business, public office, community nonprofit, church group, or your own clubs, we are at a crucial time in our community to pass on the knowledge and talents to new members -- or watch many of these groups slowly slip away.

Don’t step away – step aside – then stay involved to help with the transition. Regardless of your stage in life, find an area in which you have a desire to make an impact in our community and get involved. Consider serving as a mentor or asking someone to be your mentor.

If we work together to step aside and not step away, we will continue making McCook an even better place to call home.

— Peggy Been recently retired from MNB Bank after 25 years, but remains secretary for MCFF and will undoubtedly stay actively involved in the community.