“Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else,” the late Fred M. Rogers once said. Mister Rogers’ emotional intelligence impacts all ages of people who have big feelings around life changes, self-acceptance, new beginnings, loss, and loneliness. The Emotional Roller Coaster People anticipate the day they’ll have no commute, office gossip, or problematic people. Colleagues may offer gift cards, books, and travel advice, and pitch volunteer opportunities. Some fete with a party. Those first few weeks may find the newly retired jetting to a well-deserved vacation. Some exhale responsi­bilities, sleep in, now off the clock. Yet for others, anxiety, disappointment, and despair surface when reality hits fantasy, especially if retirement was not their choice. A business closes, artificial intelligence (AI) takes over a job, or a federal career ends amid RIF (reduction in force) or VERA (voluntary early retirement authority). In 2025, the term “fork in the road” quite aptly applied. Physically demanding jobs wear workers out; yet, with home and car payments, plus dependents, they …