On The Fly

Today’s " Professional Skeptic"  knows exactly how retirement is supposed to unfold: you lose your job, your identity, and your purpose. Within months, you're complaining about restaurant portions and detailing your blood pressure to strangers in line at the post office. For a generation distrustful of leaders, convinced the future is a rigged game, a peaceful retirement is an outdated myth. The working world expects you to stay “on the hook.” Former bosses are quick to ask, “Can we call you? What are your consulting fees?” So, just for fun, picture a deeply suspicious, invisible observer lurking in my kitchen. Let's call him Captain Content. The Captain doesn't wear a top hat or wring bony fingers. Instead, imagine a younger guy glued to his smartphone, heavily caffeinated, and entirely convinced the system is broken. He live-streams my morning routine to his echo chamber while on a conference call with 48 attendees on his second phone, waiting for the inevitabl...

It always makes me smile. The moment people learn I've officially entered what I like to call the Great Un-Working (retirement), they almost immediately ask the same question: “So . . . What do you do now?" I think they're expecting me to say I'm restoring a vintage sports car, hiking the John Muir Trail, or finally becoming fluent in French.   Instead, I tell them: "I live life deliberately." That's usually the point when I get a polite nod, followed by the unmistakable look of someone wondering whether I've simply found a more sophisticated way to say, “I’m becoming a bum.” Apparently, "living deliberately" sounds suspiciously like unemployment, just better branding. The truth is, what living deliberately looks like for me right now is taking time to synthesize a lifetime of experiences into these weekly reflections. It's slowing down long enough to ask what those experiences have taught me, while keeping the door wide open to the poss...

In this episode, the Retirement Mulligan Welcome to the first official morning of the rest of my life. With no alarms and no meetings, chasing a little white ball around The Lakehouse—a par-58 canvas—felt like the perfect way to christen retirement. Golf is a game of profound integrity, so I must disclose that my playing partner, Steve, and I took a couple of mulligans off the tee today. When you overswing like you're launching into low-Earth orbit, the most mature choice is sometimes a do-over. In retirement, these aren't mulligans. They are Executive Retirement Relief Strokes —a benefit package we’ve earned. When the swing connected exactly as intended, it was pure geometry in motion. Watching a crisply struck iron trace a towering parabolic arc against the San Marcos sky is the everyday magic we try to capture here at On the Fly . We witnessed it eleven times today, to be exact. Hitting eleven greens in regulation meant I repaired so many of my own pitch marks that I wonder...

Well, the time has arrived. Yes, July's drawing near, And somehow I've managed to last seven years! I've analyzed forecasts and studied the trends, While spreadsheets multiplied without seeming to end. We've planned for the sunshine, the storms, and the load, while Mother Nature kept changing the code. But through all the numbers, the forecasts, and charts, the best part of Cenergy's always been hearts. The people beside me, year after year, Made even the toughest challenges clear. To the bright, talented folks reading this today, The future is yours now—you're well on your way. And unlike my era, here's the key: You’ll work with AI just as smooth as can be. The reports that took hours may take only minutes. The models you build with intelligence in it. The data will flow faster than ever before, While AI handles tasks that are mostly a bore! But here's my advice as I head out the door: Technology changes, but people matter more. AI can predict, calcula...

In this episode – Keep Smilin’ Alex   . . . Welcome back to this week's On the Fly . The Cenergy Team wants to recognize the dedication, steady hand, and contributions of our Senior Accountant, Alex Shoushtari. As he takes the next step in his life's journey to serve others and fulfill his mission, we want to express gratitude for his hard work, integrity, and commitment. This special tribute episode features lyrics to the iconic Dion Warwick song "That's What Friends Are For” by Burt Bacharach.  Click the link to listen to the original song " That's What Friends Are For " as you read the lyrics. Music by: Burt Bacharach -  Lyrics by: ChatGPT, Kevin Osborne, & Patrick Ball   Keep Similin' Alex Verse One For years, you’ve always led the way, Shuffling checks and books each day, I’m so glad I got the chance to say,                   With every balance, every call,                 ...