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.
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.
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.
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!
I am 67 and love being retired only because my husband Michael saved and invested our money wisely. If it was up to me, we would be in the poor house. I didn’t think much about the future. I was all for living in the moment because we might die anyway so spend now. Well, we didn’t die.
Thank God Michael saved the maximum in his 401K from the beginning of his career. He studied about finance and investing and he invested well mostly in the stock market. We were blessed to have a bull run the 12 years before our retirement. If we didn’t have money, our retirement wouldn’t be nearly as fun.
I have finished one memoir and am starting on my second one. I love having time to write every day. I love having time to do whatever I damn well please. I love retirement so much. It is one of the best things that has ever happened to me.
Other than writing about my past, my main focus is on the present and future. I love to travel and now that we have the time and money to do so, so we are front loading the travel at the beginning of retirement because we are in good health now and don’t know how long that will last. So far, I have been retired 18 months and my husband, six months. This year we have gone to Hawaii and Tahoe. We are going to our place in Tahoe again in August for ten days and then in September we have planned a five week road trip to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary to Las Vegas, Utah, Arizona and Colorado culminating in our niece’s wedding. We will be exploring a lot of geology because my husband is a retired geologist. Then in October we go to both of our 50th high school reunions, mine in St. Louis and his in Albuquerque. Then in November we are taking our daughter and her boyfriend to Kauai.
The first two months of this year we finished the remodeling of our home with new hardwood floors, new paint in every room, new countertops and new, used furniture (our daughter helped us find incredible deals on Craig’s List). It was way past due. Our furniture was literally falling apart and our carpet was on its last legs. We also finished our landscaping including an incredible succulent garden in the front and a pond, fire pit, succulent garden and gorgeous veggie garden in the back. Also we had golden pavers put in the driveway, front walk and side yard. Our house is just the way we always wanted it and we love hanging out here everyday when we are not traveling.
My husband is starting an art class and golf lessons. I am taking a writing class and a laughing class once a week.
I am committed to walking every day and doing some yoga or qigong as well. I also love to meditate daily.
I am not bored. Even with all of our hobbies and travels, I have plenty of free time to just hang out and chill. I love the life we have created for ourselves.
I am 66, graduated high school with someone we both know and love. I served in the USAF for 21 years. I then “retired” and started my 2nd career. I’m currently overseas taking advantage of income tax free wages. But as it is contract work it is subject to the political whims of the host government and I’m being “terminated “ as of Aug 31. About a year shy of when I wanted. (Paid off house) C’est la vie. I can live comfortably on my Air Force pension And Social Security but I will probably drive my wife nuts so I’ll probably get a low stress job at a home improvement store take advantage of my employee discount and get supplies to remodel the bathroom and kitchen. All of my savings/401k are being saved for my wife after I pass. Definitely plan on doing some traveling. Taking the entire family to Egypt in February. Hopefully Get back to Holland for the 50th, (God willing) and go see my brother in Alabama. Live life to the fullest. Tell the people in your life you love them, EVERYDAY! Finally, Pray and read the Bible daily.