Henry David Thoreau, at the end of "Walden" said he was leaving because, "I have other lives to lead."

I am not of your community, but what I note about all of you is that at the end of the day you can point to a guy in the hospital and say, "He is alive, and if it was not for me, he wouldn't be."

Pete,

My first career was in telecoms, starting with being Crypto in the Navy, eventually owning my own two way business, and ending with being part of an elite team on a large federal facility. I always enjoyed the work, and it kept me outdoors and in God's country most of the time as a civilian anyways. I gave that up in 2005 for my other career in Construction Management, a job I don't particularly enjoy much due to the political aspects, but which I am fairly good at and able to make a substantially better living with. I will always miss being the tinkerer who gets to go to the tops of remote mountains and other pristine locations.

I doubt I will ever get to return to my first love, at least until after I retire some years from now in my current profession. Even so, I've found there are ways for me to keep my hands in the radio business, as a quasi amateur or occasionally to help someone out. There is always something you can do to stay involved, but we must all face the inevitably of change, and keep a good attitude about it. As with our children, relish the memory of the times you've had doing what you've done, but be aware that good things and bad come and go from our lives, and the best we can do is enjoy it while it lasts, and appreciate the opportunities we are given, and try to find a way to continue making our lives have value.