The best approach to your retirement is with a mindset that this stage of your life will be uniquely yours. In most cases, it won't look all that much like your parents' or older relatives' retirement. While there are always exceptions, I think most readers of this blog would agree that how our parents' generation chose to spend the years after working doesn't do much for us.
The focus on leisure or just filling time holds little appeal. The slow shutting down of the mind and body as inevitable, doesn't fly. Most of us prefer to stay active, both mentally, and physically, as long as possible. We do not deny the reality of aging. Instead, we are making the most of each phase of retirement. As a door closes, we look for another door to open.
Because it is the only one I know well, I will use my parents' version of retirement as an example. Know that I loved my parents deeply. They were tremendous examples of 63 years of marital fidelity and dedication. I raised my daughters based on the principles I learned at home. As I told my mom shortly before she died in 2010, I have no bad memories of my childhood.
But, as I move along in my 21st year of retirement I have a solid perspective on their approach versus mine. There are significant differences. After retirement they:
- Didn't develop any new passions or interests.
- Didn't change their lifestyle or relationship with possessions.
- Didn't develop a spiritual life.
- Didn't make new friends.
- Didn't take many risks (except to move closer to my family)
It is important to understand that I am not making a value judgment on their choices. They seemed genuinely happy in how they lived. I think that they believed retirement was a time to do what they had been doing before, just less of it. They led their lives through my family as it grew and matured. Reading, singing in choirs, and watching the Phoenix Suns on TV filled most of their time.
Mom did volunteer as a teacher's aide at an area school. As a school teacher for over 30 years, that was something that she would not give up until her health became too fragile. She tried computer e-mail but went back to written letters rather quickly.
Dad absolutely refused to even touch a computer - a little unexpected from a man with an electrical engineering degree who sold technology equipment for a living! Like almost all men in his social circle, he played golf twice a week but became bored and dropped the sport when costs started to escalate.
The friends they had were primarily the ones they left behind in New Jersey and Massachusetts. Dad's reluctance to become involved in any social activities in their new retirement community meant few local friends to spend time with. As the years went on, Betty, our kids, and I formed their relationship circle.
They did travel both abroad and around the United States during the first decade or so of their retirement. I may have gotten my RV "bug" from them since they loved to take month-long driving trips at least once a year. During the time Betty and I owned a weekend cabin in the mountains north of Phoenix Mom and Dad enjoyed spending time there with us.
They remained loving and supportive to us, always available to help or offer financial support when needed. But, they pretty much stopped any personal growth or exploring new things. As mom's health deteriorated their world shrank around them until it was just a procession of doctor and hospital visits, and the room in the nursing home. Dad did begin oil painting but stopped when they moved into a retirement community. That was a shame; he was showing real progress.
After Mom's passing Dad became even less involved. The community where he lived offered a full range of discussion groups, movie and concert nights, trips to local museums, exercise sessions, aquatic classes, a full fitness center, and bridge classes. He did not take part in any of them. Instead, his days were filled with reading an endless procession of mystery novels.
Except for two meals a day and lunch with us once a week, he rarely left his assisted living apartment. We tried to get him more involved, even taking him to a concert of big band favorites, but he wanted to leave after the first song. I'm not sure if it was the noise, the other people, or simply a change in his routine. But, trying new things was simply unacceptable. Even offering to take him to a restaurant away from the community was politely refused. He died at the ripe old age of 91 in 2015.
I don't think the way he lived was entirely due to mom's death. His interest in other people or activities was always only a reflection of what she wanted to do. Without her presence, he has no one to force him to do much of anything.
I admit I was frustrated by my Dad's refusal to try or experience anything new. I don't understand how he could be satisfied with simply existing instead of living. His short-term memory and hearing were slipping as he aged, but his overall health remained good until the stroke that killed him. He could have participated in all sorts of activities, either with a group or on his own. But, nothing interested him enough to leave his easy chair.
The message I finally learned to accept was that he was entitled to live the last years of his life as he chose. If he was uncomfortable with anything different then I had to abide by that choice and stop worrying that I was not doing enough to make his life fuller. Our retirement journey is unique to us. My view of what he should have done is invalid.
Even so, I just wish..........
Bob, with all due respect, you're framing your parents' lives through the perspective of your own values. It would be interesting to know if your Dad was content. If he was, it doesn't matter how large or small his world was. My father did nothing in his retirement other than watch TV, tend a small garden, meticulously maintain our home and car, and drive across town on Sunday afternoons to visit with his sisters. He didn't have any other hobbies, he didn't socialize and he didn't want to travel. He encouraged my Mom to enjoy her activities, but he truly was content in his own little world. Remember, that generation didn't grow up with the technology that allowed instant access to almost anything in the world. Aside from one brother who retired to Florida, my father's siblings all lived within 10 minutes of our home. Except for one family of cousins, all of my mother's family lived within 20 minutes. Life really was simpler for our parents' generation, and maybe your parents truly were content with that simplicity.
ReplyDeleteI freely admit in this post that I was judging Dad's lifestyle against my own, until I finally stopped worrying about the different ways we approached retirement. I think he was satisfied with his life after mom died. I thought he was missing opportunities to get engaged with life, but that proved not to be true.
DeleteThe overall point is that our generation usually does not view retirement the same way as many in my parents' age group did. I did judge because I was comparing apples to oranges. I was wrong to do that. That said, I don't personally know any retirees of my age who would be content with that lifestyle, hence the blog title.
My Dad died at 71. He had been debilitated since age 61 w/COPD (although they wouldn't call it that in the 80s.) So his ability was cane and Oxygen dependent. He loved to travel and they did plenty of that via car/hotels. Mom lived to 84. She began her volunteer career at the local hospital shortly after Dad died, doing 2 days/week. She traveled easily through 4 states driving just 5h daily-she thought that was enough. She continued this until age 80. After that, she traveled to family events/gatherings. She'd call a kid (3 of 6 lived within 2h of her) and say "you're in charge". We would make her plane and hotel reservations and rent a car that was comfortable for her to ride in. She always paid her own plant/hotel. She also became a walker after Dad died. Until 3y prior to her death she could do 3 miles easily. As she aged, she would drive to the mall in the next town so she could walk on a flat/safe surface. She and her 3 sisters in the Netherlands did a group trip to somewhere in the Northern Hemisphere every other year-I believe 8 times?
ReplyDeleteSo, I had some great examples of how retirement can look. I like Mom's better though ;-) Right now we're on day 10 of a 15d trip of the South. We were at the Daytona NASCAR races last weekend and we'll be at Darlington this weekend. Once we flew out here from the NW, it's been drive drive drive. We'll have put close to 2000 miles on our rental car by the time we turn it back in at Charlotte. This is our first big trip since C19 hit.
Like Mom, I've taken up walking. Some days I walk 3miles and others nearly 6. I've been a quilter since the 90s and now it's my 'job'. I aim to donate at least 36/year in my community.
I look forward to hearing other's stories!
Your mom clearly believed an active life and an active mind fed off each other. My parents did travel a lot until mom became too sick to enjoy it; dad didn't continue after she passed.
DeleteWalking is one of the best e\exercises for us. In places like Phoenix, that simple act becomes dangerous for several months each year. Coupled with very few enclosed shopping malls still in business in my area, I must make do on the treadmill at the gym, but that is a poor substitute for fresh air and nature.
I like your goal of 36 quilts each year for the community. That is a tremendous use of your passion and skills.
Your father, Bob, sounds like my mother though as long divorced woman she did have a circle of friends she played bridge with once a month. But these were the same friends she'd been playing bridge with before her retirement. My mother's view of retirement was that she'd worked long and hard and she was going to rest. Other than her monthly card game she pretty much never moved out of her chair watching TV or reading novels. That was retirement for her and she seemed quite happy with it.
ReplyDeleteIn June of 2019 my mother moved to a retirement residence and they had lots of activities though it took a few months for her to take some tentative steps to participating. She attended one or two activities, seemed to enjoy them, then the pandemic hit and that was the end of that. Such a shame that just as she was adjusting everything was closed down and it stayed that way until she passed away in 2021 at 91.
My father on the other hand was active into his 90s. Traveled with his 5th wheel RV all over Canada and the USA, wintering in the southern US, and in the summers rode his motorcycle with his wife on the back until he was 88. He had many friends and was well known in his neighbourhood. The last few years his circle shrank as health problems for both him and his wife cropped up. In his 90s due to vision problems he lost his driver's license but that didn't slow him down too much. He bought a 4 wheeled mobility scooter and for the last few months of his life rode around his town on that scooter visiting people and running errands. It was a real sight seeing him cruising down the side of the highway heading to the grocery store on that scooter. He was just as happy with his retirement as my mother was with hers. Different people with different ways of living and, as you said Bob, each entitled to live the last years of their lives as they choose.
For us, my wife and I are staying fairly active, certainly we travel a fair bit, we have a winter home in Mexico (I never thought I'd ever buy a winter residence but now we have one) and we really enjoy seeing our 3 grandchildren that all live close to us in Canada. I have been active in hiking groups both here and in Mexico though some foot issues are starting to interfere so that may change. I guess like life itself retirement is always a work in progress and you make your own path. But I have no complaints--so far so good.
I have a great picture in my mind of your dad zipping along the streets in a specialized scooter. In some of the retirement communities in our area, souped-up golf carts seem to be a rage.
DeleteIt is absolutely a matter of choice how we spend our retirement years. I believe earlier generations (your dad is a noticeable exception) saw fewer options available than we do. Medical and technological advances and a different approach to our final phase of life will produce a different result...not necessarily better, just different.
There is a distinct difference between how you and I see retirement than most others here at my retirement community home. There are very few people here under 80 years old, and we have several centenarians. Generally, it is more active here than what you described with your parents, but there is a very noticeable difference between us Baby Boomers and the Post War (1928-1945) generations. My RetCom was started 22 years ago, and I kinda feel that they will be quite surprised we Baby Boomers very soon start flooding the facility.
ReplyDeleteI hope they successfully manage the transition, as I do like it here and am finally making some meaningful friends. If they only move away from the "feedlot" dining, I wouldn't think of looking elsewhere. Due to not being able to keep a reliable wait staff, they have us throttled down to just a dozen tables for 200 residents, thus the name feedlot. That type of dining is totally incompatible with my Aspie traits, so I, for the most part, just fix my own meals.
When Betty and I toured the community where my parents lived, we were both amazed at how many things there are to do and stay active, both physically and mentally. I am sure some of these opportunities didn't exist even as recently as 8-10 years ago, so the community is changing to meet the needs of a different type of retiree. Heavens, they have even added a roof top bar on one of the new apartment buildings.
DeleteA rooftop bar, that's my kind of place. 🤪
DeleteOne of the places I visited on the trip in May had pickleball courts on the roof.
Each to their own. When we feel strongly about something, sometimes it's because we never want to be that way; we never want that to be us. So many things impact our retirement path - patterning a previous generation, personal values, physical ability/health, finances, family/friends, lifestyle, opportunity, etc.
ReplyDeleteI heard someone once say... "Each generation says: I won't make the same mistakes my parents made. And they don't. They make different mistakes."
DeleteEven heading into retirement we think the same thing--I am not going to be like my parents. Perhaps it will be ever thus.
I guess that is part of human nature: wanting to have our own distinct persona. My parents were a positive model for me in all the important ways to help me build my life. Disagreeing with their retirement choices is really unfair, since life, health, and opportunities are quite different today than even a decade or two ago, as they will be for my daughters and grandkids.
DeleteBob, my thoughts are like Mary's comment above. My parents were born in 1930 and 1932 and when they retired in 1990 they just wanted to work in their yard, visit occasionally with lifelong friends, and spend time with their two sons and the two grandkids. That's what made them happy. In my parents' case, they both were high school graduates who worked blue collar jobs their entire lives--and they were tired. Physically I mean. They were in good health but their world was much more localized and limited throughout their lives. And they liked it that way. I have to admit that sometimes I can relate. While my wife and I have been much more adventurous and happily moved 1400 miles away from our home area in retirement there are moments when want to just "be". Stimulation, new interests, travel, and constant activity are not necessarily what drives everyone. From what I can read, the single most important health danger for older adults is loneliness. So, if someone has "enough" people around so that loneliness is not a danger to their emotional (and physical) well being then I say that qualifies as a good, well earned retirement--regardless of how much or how little "activity" they pursue.
ReplyDeleteThe Covid lockdown period gave me a new appreciation for staying put. My wife and i are both. homebodies, so we enjoyed the enforced solitude.
DeleteNow, with things opening up again, so are we, with several trips planned over the next few years. How either of us will will respond when physical limitations control what we can do, is an open question. I expect our various creative interests will keep us mentally active, even if the body says, "no more."
Yes, I agree that you are being quite hard on your parents. Reading mysteries, singing in the choir, following the Phoenix Suns, oil painting, volunteering, interacting with family seems a very full life to me. I really don't mean to sound critical, but what more did you expect? I cringe when I think of what you would say of my retirement.
ReplyDeleteAnd I have found it's extremely hard to make friends as you age, acquaintances are easy, friends, not so much. And certainly some people are not outgoing and gregarious and don't excel in this area. I do have a few friends, but I have also let go of some that were sucking the life out of me. My husband is my best friend and the person I most enjoy spending time with.
After a few years, travel gets wearying. Your bucket list might be checked off, and travel just for its own sake is for the young.
It's also enviable that your parents interacted with you and your children. I have listened to a lot of the elderly who have estrangement issues and don't enjoy a loving family in their golden years. It's very sad when that happens. In any case, unless your parents complained of an emotional lack, I think you have to assume they were pretty content.
Yes, I have been properly chastised. It was impossible for me to place myself in their shoes; their lives and motivations came from their upbringing and experiences, not mine.
DeleteFamily was very important to them. They left all their friends and familiarity behind in Massachusetts to move to be near us in Arizona, Gatherings for holidays, birthdays, and other occasions happened with some regularly until mom went blind and dad lost his driving privileges.. We still got together, but less often.
Thanks, Anne, for your honest assessment. You are right.
Actually you may be more like them than you realize! You recall early on travel and RV ing. Move/staying near family. Focusing on family activities. A return to art activities. Individual previously enjoyed activities. And then you mentioned your mothers vision issues and what your dad is not doing in his 80’s to 90’s as a widow also. A return to art. Enjoying previously enjoyed activities. It seems like they did a bit in their seventies! Where you are now. It’s not predictable what you all will be interested or able to do in your 80’s and 90’s.
DeleteMy father passed away at the age of 49 had a short stint of disability retirement due to his cancer. He did not get to enjoy one minute of retirement due to his battle. His situation makes me want to do more and savor things more in retirement. My mother retired and enjoyed quilting and watching television. She did not have a very active retirement life, but she seemed to be content with it. I feel like any day I'm not doing something fun is a wasted retirement day. I have found out that not all days can be fun and exciting as daily life continues to require household chores and daily activities.
ReplyDeleteSome days are diamonds and some days are dust. What is clear from the comments and our own experience is the definition of any particular day is entirely based on our own needs, interests, and circumstances.
DeleteI appreciate reading everything I have. I guess I feel both my parents and my husband's parents were good retirement role models. My MIL is still here, spry at 82. All lived in their own homes, though moved to sensible one level at ages 60-70. This kept independence. All travelled a bit, but also we're fortunate to have family close. They read, went to grandkids events, and enjoyed simple pleasures like going to fish fries, or watching sports or a favorite program on TV as well. They all volunteered and regular activities, MIL still does. I'm not sure how I'd make a better retirement.
ReplyDeleteYour MIL sounds like she has had quite a complete and satisfying retirement. I believe having family close makes a lot of difference. I hope someone calls me spry at 82.
DeleteMy parents responded to retirement very differently. They were born around 1920 and came of age during the Great Depression. For my father, being a hard worker and a successful family breadwinner was central to his sense of self -- so he mostly tried to avoid retirement. He kept working at his job in the steel forge (long hours and heavy physical labor) into his seventies. When he was no longer able to manage the physical demands of the work, my parents began to spend winters in Florida, where they had a set of grandchildren they otherwise had little chance to see. My mother got involved in many activities there (choral singing, volunteering at the local school) and made new friends. My father quickly got a job (part year, but almost full-time) at a local supermarket. He was a very gregarious person, and taking people's groceries out to their cars for them gave him a chance to chat them up (and almost always find some point of connection!) He stayed at that job into his eighties, when his final illness left him too frail to do the work. After my father died, my mother (then in her eighties) had no interest in going back to Florida and happily settled down to spend time with her sister, family, and old friends in Massachusetts. Although she no longer had an active life outside the home, she was still mentally very active, doing the NY Times crossword puzzle (in ink!) every day. She got her first-ever computer as an 83rd birthday gift and took to it like a duck to water, happily learning to play online games, and using email both to keep in touch with distant family and to make her displeasure known to various companies that did not live up to her expectations! (When she couldn't get a big box store to come service an appliance that was still under warranty and not working properly, she went online, found the name of the company CEO, sent an email, and got assigned someone at corporate headquarters to solve her problem. She was a formidable personality until the day she died.)
ReplyDeleteJean…I want to be like your mother. Thank you for sharing. Charlene H
DeleteMental agility is something that can outlast our ability to do much physically, but I believe can make our last years feel full of life. Jean, your mom's approach proves the point. I would use the word feisty!
DeleteYou know, retirement can mean ( and like did for your parents) from 65 on up. If you dad was retired until 91 that's a 25 year period or perhaps more. So my first question is are you comparing dad and mom at eighty something to ninety something to your lifestyle now?or earlier? I certainly don't believe the retirement I have now will be the one I have at eighty. Or later. I also have to agree with Anne and others. If they felt or seemed lonely or isolated and were too frozen or rigid to step out of that, it's one thing. But if they were comfortable otherwise and healthy I say good for them. Most of my retirement has been spent doing the things I liked to do before retirement,I was already spiritual and religious and I'm generally risk adverse. I also prefer to spend four days a week at home andi expect I'll nest more in the next ten years. Travel doesn't call me like it once did. It's true I have friends, almost all from church. My parent died at 70 however they were early retirees. My father was a type a international sales manager type with all that implies. When he retired he became the nosiest guy in his little housing enclave. Cooked, occasionally went crabbing and regularly went the local watering hole in the evening. It was the happiest I saw him in years and the only travel they did was to family or for moms genealogy visits.
ReplyDeleteI traveled so much for business and vacations when our daughters were young, I am traveling now primarily because Betty still has the bug. I would be content to not get on another airplane but while we can, we are still going places.
DeleteI have been retired for 21 years and am likely to be out of work longer than I was employed. Yes, retirement needs and interests change over time. What I will be mentally and physically able to do in my 80's is yet to be determined. Who knows, I may need to write a follow-up post (if still blogging) that says my parents were right on track.
My dad planned a 70th birthday bike ride (70 miles of mountain biking, in 24 hours). It was delayed to last summer due to COVID, so he rode 71 miles of incredibly difficult terrain in 24 hours, as a fundraiser. He loved it. It was his idea, planned the entire thing, got hundreds of people as support, and had a blast. The ride was so difficult that my very sport teens could only do 2 of 3 legs. He put them to shame. ;-)
ReplyDeleteBoth of my parents are in great shape. My dad spends the majority of his time supporting various trail activities - trail maintenance, planning work parties, and biking. He loves it, and started the year I went to college.
They are going to Hawaii next week, and while they don't travel a ton, they are very happy with their lives. I can only dream of a retirement like my parents!
I am not likely to ever do a super long bike ride, but I salute his dedication to his passion for so many years. And, any reason to go to Hawaii is a good one.
DeleteI don't believe my parents changed much as they aged. You know, like continuing education or personal growth? But they were busy. My mom outlived my dad by 25 years, and she and her companion traveled all over the world, played bridge and socialized. My husband Art and I are still learning and growing. But we're not as active as we were ten years ago when we retired, and our travel is not as active. Aging hips and knees can slow a person down, even if those joints are replaced. I spend more time in my recliner now than I used to. But we're still as busy as we're able to be.
ReplyDeleteAdjustment to physical reality doesn't have to mean everything starts to shut down. As you and Art demonstrate, more time in a recliner only changes how and for how long you stay active and engaged.
DeleteThanks, Linda, and best of luck on your passport problem!
One thing that hasn't been mentioned in all these comments is mental agility. I don't know how many years I have left, but I pray my mind stays at least somewhat alert. Senility is my worst fear. Just in the last few years (age 75) I more frequently forget short-term things list when I started to brew a cup of coffee. I often find a cup of cold coffee three hours later. When I am driving I constantly remind myself to "stay in the moment", as sometimes I drift off into other thoughts.
ReplyDeleteAs our physical world shrinks, our mental engagement doesn't have to follow suit. Dementia or other forms of mental acuity are facts of life. But plenty of research has shown that keeping your mind active pays big dividends on the quality of life.
DeleteJust reading, or listening to an audio version, of a book is helpful. Crossword puzzles have proven to keep vocabulary skills intact. For people like us, RJ, blogging is a big plus.
Short term memory will erode eventually. But the part of the brain that learns new facts or stays stimulated doesn't have to.
Perhaps the exception proves the rule but my father stayed sharp right to the end at age 92 and I never saw him read a book or do a puzzle, occasionally he'd read the auto section of the newspaper and that was about it, my father only had a grade 6 education so reading didn't come easily to him. My mother, who in retirement was an almost full-time book reader and crossword puzzler, developed dementia in her 80s. She was convinced that voracious reading and crossword puzzles (of course these were things she liked to do) were the way to ward off dementia but for her they weren't. Perhaps the fact that my father was physically active and my mother was sedentary had something to do with it but I don't think any really knows why some of us develop dementia and some of us don't.
DeleteI’m not sure about activity and brain stimulation. My mother stopped exercise in her late sixties. She did read the paper, but never did enjoy puzzles or reading. Her sister still does the daily word find and crossword. She walks daily and gardens. Mom is 92 and “sharp as a tack”. My aunt is 95 and has had dementia for ten years- maybe longer. The sister is between passed last year. She played tennis every single day until 91. She could name every child, grand child and great grand of the entire extended family until the end! Seems genetics and possibly medications have the most to do with brain workings.
DeleteWe'd probably all agree that the human brain remains largely a mystery. I have read several studies that suggest keeping the brain active helps many people delay cognitive decline. But, obviously not everyone. As you note genetics plays a big psrt.
DeleteMy approach is to follow the brain activity suggestion under the belief it can't hurt, and may help me.
For sure staying active mentally reading or doing crossword puzzles can't hurt and might help so why not. The same with staying physically active.
DeleteThe problem with most of these studies you read about in the news is that they show correlation but not causation. So, in my made up example, people who play tiddlywinks reporting less dementia than people than those that don't play tiddlywinks might show up in a study. Of course this correlation doesn't necessarily mean that tiddlywinks reduces the occurrence of dementia. It could mean that those without dementia play more tiddlywinks because they don't have dementia. It could also be something else altogether like tiddlywink players drink less alcohol or they get more sleep. There are so many potential contributing factors it's hard to separate them all out for a definitive "more tiddlywinks = less dementia" answer.
Recently I read about another study that looked at regularly doing crosswords and does it reduce future dementia. The result was those doing crossword puzzles got better at doing crossword puzzles but in this study it showed no impact on whether or not they suffered from dementia down the road. Still, as you say, it can't hurt and if you enjoy doing crosswords then you might as well. Maybe the earlier studies had it right after all.
Actually, crossword puzzles drive me crazy, always have. So, reading, taking online courses, and trying different creative outlooks is my preferred path.
DeleteYour point about studies that aren't thorough is certainly true. Studies can prove almost anything. When my mental condition becomes an issue is really not worth worrying about since ultimately I have very little control.
Another one of those studies I saw in the news just today. "Study finds potential link between daily multivitamin and improved cognition in older adults".
DeleteMaybe or maybe not but since I take a daily multivitamin it makes me feel little bit better about it.
https://www.cnn.com/2022/09/14/health/daily-multivitamin-cognitive-function-study-wellness/
I take a multivitamin and probiotic every morning. Does it help? I have no idea, but I am pretty sure it doesn't hurt.
DeleteMy husband is much more like your father. He started working at 14 and stopped when he was 60. Now he enjoys being home- around the house. Cutting the lawn, woodworking, three hours of reading, several hours of internet. This is his happy place. He has little need for social interaction and absolutely hates crowds. If I pass before him, I don’t expect him to go anywhere after 8 am until he cannot get around at all. It is the retirement he desires. I push to get out, but decided lately to just let him be and I am starting to get out by myself. It is what it is- and I love him.
ReplyDeleteWhat a kind conclusion to your story. Isn't that ultimately what we all desire: the freedom to be what we want and someone to love us for who we are.
DeleteHi Bob! The comments on this post are almost as interesting as your post. It's amazing that so many people felt that you criticized your parents. I didn't read that at all. Like you I don't think my "retirement" will ever look like my parents but quite frankly, my life doesn't look much like theirs as well. I am sort of an outlier to my family anyway and I've grown to accept that in my life. And speaking of retirement, I'm not sure I ever will. As a person who has been self employed the vast majority of her life I can never be fired NOR do I need to "quit" a job I either dislike or grown tired of. I like what I do and get to make my hours any way I want. I like staying engaged in things that interest me, and pretty much let go of what doesn't. I realize I will "slow down" as I age, but just shoot me if all I want to do is stay in one room and watch (bad) television all day and night. Living to me means really living and I intend to do my best to make that happen (and fortunately Thom does too.) But as for other people, they too can do what makes them happy but I also feel that many of us have so much to offer future generations (not to mention the planet herself) so just staying in our little world and not contributing seems rather sad. So that's my 2 cents! ~Kathy
ReplyDeleteI certainly didn't write the post to critize a differrent way of retirement. But, if that how some interpreted it that is OK because there were a lot of interesting comments.
DeleteThe key point remains that our generation has more retirement choices than my parents did, and many choose a different direction.