Olá amigos!

I’m Johnny.

The interesting parts of our stories aren’t the places we’ve been or the famous people we’ve met…

Or when we gather with loved ones and binge on Netflix with a few beers and a bag of chips. Or the times when everything is basically working.

The interesting parts are when all those things break down and you are left to deal with the adversity that life throws at you. The interesting parts are how you react when faced with such adversity.

2020 has been a year of such adversity for all of us, each in different ways:

My entire family contracted Covid in March from a visiting home-hospice nurse who was tending to my dear, sweet mother in her last days of battling cancer. The very same day she passed away, we found out that several of us tested positive for Covid and our thoughts shifted from mourning my mother to self-preservation. The depths of processing that were unfathomably surreal. I credit God and my family for helping me understand and navigate through both the sorrowful process of her battle, and the directed path to achieving peace.

All that I am today and will to be tomorrow, I owe to my Mother and Father. And, it is because of their love and support that I am in a position in my life where I can switch gears and do new and interesting things. This year has given me pause to reflect on my own life as I have decided to slow my pace down and enjoy every upcoming day to the fullest. I feel delighted and thankful that today, I am able to announce my retirement!

I will honor my parent’s memories by continuing to build on the interesting parts of my story as I feel grateful and blessed to share that with my retirement, I will be realizing a longtime goal of living in Lisbon, Portugal! I have been extremely fortunate to have had the help and support of my family, my friends, and so many of my colleagues throughout my professional career to get to this celebratory moment! I am so excited about writing new and exciting chapters. Peace!