Homecoming Twice: A Personal Journey of Reflection, Change, and Future Plans

“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” – Jeremiah 29:11

I have experienced “returning home” twice in my life.

I first left Barbados in 1960 at age 19 to pursue higher education in Jamaica, Wales and England, and then seamlessly landed my first job at UWI St Augustine in Trinidad in 1968.

At UWI Jamaica, I had an amazing three-year Caribbean experience followed by a diverse, wide-ranging five-year UK experience before heading back to the Caribbean to start my professional career in fun-loving Trinidad and Tobago.

In 1974, at age 33, I returned home after having been away for 14 years. This was my first homecoming.

Fast forward to 2013, when at the age of 72 and after a wonderful 39-year career in my homeland embracing both the work environment and an entrepreneurship wave, I went to Trinidad to pursue new personal ambitions.

Now in 2024, at age 83, after 11 enjoyable years, I have decided to return home again and persuaded my partner, Judy, to join me. This is my second homecoming.

My first return to Barbados was marked by the excitement of establishing my family, attending to children’s education, achieving financial independence, pursuing physical fitness leading to longevity, embracing spiritual awareness and emotional balance, and strengthening and sharing business acumen. This time around is different. Life has changed, the island has changed, and I must consider how best to establish a playbook for the theme ‘Retired, but not tired’.

It has taken a lot of planning to get to this point, and I can see that this life decision is about our happiness, exercising in an idyllic environment, seeing children, grandchildren and extended family as much as possible, tidying up loose ends in business, sharing knowledge and experience with others, and continuing to practice Rotary “Service Above Self” to make the world a better place.

The transition to date has been smooth. Wonderful farewell functions and categorising personal belongings (donating, dumping or deciding to keep) to create an empty personal space in Trinidad contributed to a positive ending to my time in Trinidad. A warm welcome in Barbados, hitting the ground running, savouring favourite culinary delights and, of course, dealing with the heat, have been a few of the highlights on the other side of the experience.

There is much to be said for executing plans diligently and seeing them come to fruition with a view towards experiencing the next stage of life.