Retirement
One night in 2004 I woke up in a lather around 3am as I had frequently done since IKOY was formed.
‘Damn client, didn’t pay his bill, tried to make me his pencil and now he wants free extras. I’ll be ‘Billmore’ but he hasn’t paid the current bill.’
I lay there in a funk and began going through my investments. We had recently re-mortgaged several projects from 10 5/8% to 5 1/2%, my other stuff was doing fine and the new broker was doing surprisingly well. I ran the numbers on my fingers, got out of bed, went to my desk and got the calculator and punched it all in. And then I did it again, and once more to be sure.
I didn’t have to work!
I’d had a terrific career but had gone as far as a boy practicing Architecture in Winnipeg and Ottawa, Canada could go. I lay there and for some reason thought of boxers I’d admired who just kept up fighting. I smiled, I didn’t have to fight any more and the truth was this kid from Canada was not going to get a big museum in Tokyo, New York or London, let alone Dallas, L.A. or Milan. It was time to hang up the gloves and put my pencil down. If I’d done twenty really good ones would I be remembered better if I did twenty two? I shook my head and fell asleep.
I got up and must say I even tried to whistle. And then I made myself a promise, my retirement would be as good as my career.
On May 1, 2005, I closed the office and retired. I had a great ride and now I’m unbelievably busy keeping my promise to myself, sleeping through the nights, sailing, fishing, golfing, cooking, hiking and writing books. Life is good for this retired Architect.
One night in 2004 I woke up in a lather around 3am as I had frequently done since IKOY was formed.
‘Damn client, didn’t pay his bill, tried to make me his pencil and now he wants free extras. I’ll be ‘Billmore’ but he hasn’t paid the current bill.’
I lay there in a funk and began going through my investments. We had recently re-mortgaged several projects from 10 5/8% to 5 1/2%, my other stuff was doing fine and the new broker was doing surprisingly well. I ran the numbers on my fingers, got out of bed, went to my desk and got the calculator and punched it all in. And then I did it again, and once more to be sure.
I didn’t have to work!
I’d had a terrific career but had gone as far as a boy practicing Architecture in Winnipeg and Ottawa, Canada could go. I lay there and for some reason thought of boxers I’d admired who just kept up fighting. I smiled, I didn’t have to fight any more and the truth was this kid from Canada was not going to get a big museum in Tokyo, New York or London, let alone Dallas, L.A. or Milan. It was time to hang up the gloves and put my pencil down. If I’d done twenty really good ones would I be remembered better if I did twenty two? I shook my head and fell asleep.
I got up and must say I even tried to whistle. And then I made myself a promise, my retirement would be as good as my career.
On May 1, 2005, I closed the office and retired. I had a great ride and now I’m unbelievably busy keeping my promise to myself, sleeping through the nights, sailing, fishing, golfing, cooking, hiking and writing books. Life is good for this retired Architect.
