Well that’s a really good question! I’ve been sort of busy living life.

My last post was in July of 2022, marking the 1 year anniversary of the death of my brother Ron. Since then, so much has happened. I left work in April of 2023 and officially retired in February of this year. It has been a rollercoaster, and to know me is to know I hate rollercoasters!

My life in public safety communications spanned 38 years. I began my career as a Dispatcher for the Bentley College (now University) Police Department. I worked nights and overnights and loved it. I met my best friend at Bentley and here we are over 40 years later and still bff’s! I loved working there. A college campus is very much like a small city or town. The same things happen just in a smaller space. We had a great department with lots of fun characters that came through over my 10 years there. There were shenanigans during summers and break times. We had cookouts in the middle of the night. We went to bars for breakfast. I formed a close relationship with the students from the college newspaper. They would bring me the mock up paper for the publisher to pick up at the police station. I guarded it with my life! These kids were great. Smart, engaging, fun. I also thoroughly enjoyed working with one of the sorority groups. During “pledge week” the young ladies would come into the station late at night and as was customary, I could have them do anything I wanted. There was no hazing here, just fun. I always asked the girls questions about themselves and at the end, asked them to sing the sorority song for me. It was harmless and fun. After 10 years at Bentley, it was time to move on and up to the big time.

My hometown of Newton Ma had combined their police and fire dispatch centers and was for the first time, hiring from “outside”. I applied to be a Dispatcher and was hired. There was so much to learn in a big city dispatch center. Sending cops to calls was easy. The fire department was much harder to learn, at least for me. But I was determined and became very good at the job. After a few years, any and all Police Officers assigned to Dispatch were removed and they made the center completely staffed by civilians. They hired shift supervisors that worked under the command of the Patrol Bureau Captain. Eventually, Dispatch became it’s own specific bureau with a Captain in command. I was promoted to Shift Supervisor and was in charge of the overnight shift. This was my choice. I had always loved these hours. I stayed in that position for several years until the position of Senior Supervisor was created. It became clear that the Captain needed someone to navigate many of the tasks of Dispatch. It became clear because I made it so! I worked exceptionally hard writing training programs, implementing emergency medical dispatch services, creating cohesion between police and fire…so much more.

The position of Senior Supervisor gave me the ability to work not just with the people in dispatch but also throughout the Department and then on to various City Departments. I was a member of the Citywide EMS Committee, I sat on the Fire Department EMS committee, I worked closely with our medical control doctors, the Health Department, School Department, and even the Executive Offices. I did numerous public appearances teaching people about dispatch and EMD (Emergency Medical Dispatch). I spoke to kids, senior citizens, school nurses and so many more. I loved this part of the job. It was very rewarding. But yes, there were parts of the job I did not like. I choose not to lay bare the specifics but just know that in the end, the bad became unbearable. The job took a toll on me. It was time to go, so I did. After 28 years, I left a job where I know I made a difference in the lives of those who I worked for and with. But mostly I made a difference for the citizens of Newton. Nobody can ever take that away from me.

Retired life does not suck. I only answer to me now. I do what I want, when I want. I have spent the months enjoying life. I swim and water run a lot, as much as I can. I worked on my garden. I purged so many things from my home. I bought a new car. I sailed…in June, early September and the end of September. I finally feel like I can travel beyond my comfort zone. A 2-night trip to New York City with my bestie MC awaits me in just over a week. A 10 day pool and sun filled vacation in Florida in November is up next for us. So yeah, retirement does not suck. I don’t know what the future holds for me. But I do know that the choices will be mine. I do hope I will return here more often to tell you all what’s happening in my little world!