Releasing the Pebble

(Jakub Hałun, CC BY-SA 4.0

<https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0>, via Wikimedia Commons)

Author: Pam McDonald, BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development

Do you follow the Chinese new year and their zodiac animals? 

I was born in the year of the snake and formed in the womb during the year of the wood dragon. As I begin the glide to retirement, 2024 is the year of the wood dragon; I will retire in the year of the snake. Coincidence? Not really, the calendar is on a 12-year cycle. I will be eligible to retire on my fifth cycle of the Chinese zodiac. I (the snake) will be slithering away from 38 seasons of wildland fire suppression (the wood dragon). It was my destiny and my legacy.

Having been with the Wildland Fire Leadership Committee since its inception in 2001, I have learned a lot about leadership and myself. I have seen a lot of people come and go over the years. Some kept their retirement secret, others had big parties. Some cleaned their offices; others left the cleaning for someone else. Some prepared their organizations for the void; others just walked away. My retirement is not a secret, my office will be clean, I will prepare others for my departures, and I might have a big party. (I like parties.) Preparing others for my departure is who I am. Mentoring and coaching those who will lead the areas I leave will be my focus in 2024.

Growing up, I watched the show "Kung Fu." I watched Grasshopper grow and develop, all the while trying to snatch the pebble from his master's hand. I have taken to using the grasshopper reference with my mentees, many of whom are close to snatching that pebble.

Don't know Grasshopper's story? Here are a few clips...

I have snatched my share of pebbles. This time it is I who will leave. As Michelangelo said, 

"Release the hand from the marble that holds it prisoner." I have held that marble long enough. Those who have snatched it are ready to lead while I pursue new adventures and seek grasshoppers in a new field.

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About the Author: Pam McDonald is a writer/editor for BLM Wildland Fire Training and Workforce Development. The expressions are those of the author.