An Honest Review of Life North of 60

And the anatomy of starting over... Part 1

The wealthy retire easily. Others work forty years, plan ahead, and retire. Trust fund surfers stop trying to make it look good and retire. Lottery winners retire. And eventually the declining mind, body, and spirit are forced into retirement.

A few refuse to retire. They cling to their work like drowning men holding on to a life raft in fear their identities will sink into deep waters forever forgotten. Some are forced to work a part-time menial job to supplement meager social security income.

And the rest of us fall somewhere in the middle.

And for those of you who are too young to retire now, read on… at some point you will need to address the (new) hybrid way of retiring.

Rocco Pendola writes about living a semi-retired life. Rocco is south of 50 and writes about living a semi-retired life. I recently subscribed to his newsletter because I’m interested in his approach of living the semi-retired life.

Living The Semi-Retired Life: Here's How My Blue Collar Dad Spends His Retirement

His article got me thinking about where I stand inside the aging bubble. I fall between blue and white collar work from inside my productive days.

Photo by Marten Bjork on Unsplash

During our employment years the first question typically asked at a cocktail party, the doctor’s office, or the local watering hole is…

“What do you do?”

Followed by “Where do you work?

“Do you like your job?”

When we retire our answers will change somewhat dramatically. We talk about our children, grandchildren, pets, aches and pains, and what we had for dinner. Our world can (and will) shrink. If we allow it.

If you’re over 60 and retired what do you find interesting? How do you stay busy? Is your life defined by your work? Do you have an interest to stay connected with current events, or do you find yourself drifting off thinking about the good old days?

Ageism is a real thing….

I left my brick and mortar job recently. I was the eldest employee. I used the job as a social outlet and a way to earn extra income. It was a part-time job and I was grateful to have it. The work let me massage manual dexterity, keep my mind alert and active, brush up mathematical skills, and I got to laugh and joke most of the shift. It was like hosting a nightly party.

Until one day a new manager came in and took over. He was coming out of a two-year retirement from a factory job to help run the (poker) room part-time. He was close to my age and rough around the edges. And he had no filter.

“You’re never going to be a professional poker dealer at your age, or even good enough to deal outside this room. Your expectations are too high. Just be glad you can work here. You know at 64 you should be retired and happy to stay home. This is just something to keep you busy…”

Hearing this frequently enough from then-manager caused me to start second-guessing myself and lose self-confidence. And eventually I felt uncomfortable working there.

Wait.

Let me finish that last sentence.

I felt uncomfortable working there because of my age.

I held on for a few more months, paid for professional training, graduated with above average skill and competency, and came back to the room brimming with a new outlook, and more advanced skills that would be eventually be lost because they weren’t needed in the job.

“Use it or lose it” is an expression often times used while working out.

It was no fun anymore. The money wasn’t as good due to changes in the room. Cush assignments were given to others, with empty promises being thrown to me like a meatless bone to a starving dog. And the pain of going to work outweighed the reward. That was the deal-breaker.

The career that I planned to sustain me into old age was betraying me. Or, was I being forced to abandon it due to ageism? Sometimes it’s better to let go and accept what is, rather than fight for a place in the system.

Finding my place…

Today, the goal is to find a sustainable income to help support my thirst for seeking adventure and live a more-than comfy lifestyle.

The first obstacle I face is accepting I have no tangible (working) skills to fall back on.

And I’m not interested in getting a part-time retail, hospitality, or sales job. Trading my precious time for someone else’s gain is no longer an option for me. I hate punching a time clock or being chained to a desk.

So it’s time to test the deep waters swimming solo.

Whatever this new endeavor winds up being it must be somewhat profitable and something I like investing my precious time and money into while learning where I belong in this changing world.

I opened an Etsy store this week after months of learning new skills to start an online business.

No guarantees the store will make money. Starting a successful online business from scratch isn’t as easy as it sounds, even if you have the skills, or think you have the right product needed to get it up and running.

What I love about this new project is that no matter how frustrating; the thrill of learning new skills and building self-confidence from starting fresh is exhilarating.

Waking up and looking forward to a new day is what life’s all about at 65, don’t you agree?

I’m curious.

If you have a moment, please share what you like or dislike about how you’ve chosen to retire. Retiring has changed so much since the days of our parents and grandparents. I truly believe we are one of the last generations to have choices similar to recent generations who lived before us this late in life.

Change is inevitable. Part of the challenge is being able to stay with change, no matter what your age is.

See you next week!