You look AMAZING Julia! I thought you were my age (52). But nevertheless, yes, play is essential to a high quality of life and so many give it up for this elusive dream of retirement. I've told my husband many times that I don't plan to stop working when I retire, I will be able to do the work I've always wanted to do.
I know 3 types of retired people: those who say that they don't know how they ever found time to work because they are so busy now; those who love what they do and just keep doing it (think Sir David Attenborough) and those who stop - and age overnight into slow decay. I love working with with seniors who want to extend their healthspan. With good nutrition, exercise appropriate to ability (I met a 70 year old pole vaulter a couple of weeks back - that's not for everyone!) and a sense of humour, the possibility of a long and active life is there.
I would put them in my type 1. In fact I was reading a study earlier today that found that people who play musical instruments or sing in choirs maintain better cognitive function than people who don't. I wonder if any studies have been done among visually creative people.
One friend of mine goes overseas to do knitting trips. She makes the most gorgeous stuff. I just go out and get injured doing adventure travel. I think she's the one with the brains.
We all have different adventures. I spent an hour or so yesterday in pouring rain and a temperatures way to close to freezing for this time of year retrieving discus at an athletics competition. The other official on retrieval with me was at least 15 years my senior, and not the least phased by chasing aquaplaning thrown objects across sodden grass!
I just posted about this. Digital self-employment, remote work, and people staying healthier and living longer make traditional retirement less relevant nowadays. And why wait until the near end of life to live your dreams? The goal should be to find flexible and meaningful work and live your dreams along the way.
Your ideas echo my original plans. I loved what I did and the pay was decent but everything flipped over when my spouse had a sudden brain aneurysm with lengthy periods of brain bleeding. Since I couldn’t take an extended break from work to care for him, I was required to take early retirement. Estimated recovery time for him was 5 years, however his recovery is still ongoing 12 years later.
I have attempted second career starts but have found many roadblocks due to my age. I am still on the hunt but have learned I will have to work away from home so he will listen to his caregiver when I am away. ( he’s been horrible to his caregivers despite knowing he’s going to have one because I must work)
So I continue to hunt for work because I will stagnant if I don’t!
I have always said I'd never retire -- I'd never be able to afford it, for one thing -- but Corporate America will not hire me. Maybe it's my glorious head of long gray hair. Maybe it's something else. I don't know, but this is why I'm now publishing almost daily on Medium and Substack and writing books. (The Trailer Park Rules just hit Amazon. Check it out!)
This hit…after a 30-year teaching career I retired at way earlier than my peers in 2021 believing I’d resurrect long dormant aspirations in a “second act.” By the start of 2023 I hadn’t gained any traction, struggled with mental health, and battled doubts about where I fit, where I could apply passions, where I could be valued.
And then, I awoke to your idea of fun. Teaching had become a drudgery of sorts; what had been joyful and fun wasn’t. So, fun is what I’d sought in my second act. And service. By mid-February 23 I had not one act, but 2!
I work in Guest Experience for MNUFC, ensuring Loons fans feel welcome and have a great time, win or lose. I also sell bikes about 20 hrs/week where I meet fascinating people, connect riders of all ages with a new bike, and in some cases set them toward a transformative experience.
Your work here affirmed what I have learned the hard way; you’ve also sparked in my an awareness there is still so much more I could and should pursue.
God I love this. May I steal? Also, if I may, please let me know if you want me to credit your comment. Wonderful! Also one more thing, which of you is commenting?
😂😂😂 The missus and I set up a joint account to follow my sis and our niece. I, Chuck, am the closeted writer couching a passion in his comments. And, yes, you may use the thoughts here with attribution.
FWIW, I think attitude plays a huge part in retirement. Seeing oneself as free to choose the alternatives once held at bay by a career; seeing “fun jobs” as pathways; seeing “mundane jobs” as opportunities to emphasize personal desires and strengths you wish to express. Once I said to myself, “What do I have to lose, I’m gonna go after this,” I felt absolutely alive.
I agree. I practiced retirement each summer after I closed up my elementary classroom. I could never get all of the things done that I wanted to do- I was just beginning to get in good bicycling shape and find my other hobbies when August lead me back into that creative work of teaching grade 5. I started a “when I retire” list. Five years into my life “like a teenager but with money and a car,” I joined an orchestra, make sewing projects and quilts to donate, and join new friends at the HS pool and gym. My husband has a different list of activities so we spend dinners chatting about our days. I’m always looking for another thing.
I LOVE "like a teenager but with money and a car." What a wonderful line, Sharyl. And isn't it lovely that curiosity keeps us hunting for another thing!
I agree Julia and mostly with the point about exchanging time for money with the goal to receive a reward. I was into flying jets for 22 years because that was my childhood dream. Then I worked in corporate consulting for 10 years and am getting to the end of my third career of helping people invest in residential real estate. I chose all three careers and could stop any time. Most people suffer, as you wrote, because they chose something once.
There is a lot to dig into here, Dr M. I love that you point out that we can choose- true for all of us in one way or another, above all it's that we choose how we see our conditions, and from that perspective much more is possible. I badly want to fly jets as a young woman but that wasn't available to military women at the time. I ended up with what was right for me- my journey has been to love the journey as it unfolds. Slow lesson but I got there. Am still getting there. Thanks so much for your comments!
We are singing from the same hymn sheet, just different sides of the pond! You make soooo many good points. Keep doing great things, and calling it out
I love the article and at not yet forty think and dream about retirement all the time. I think passion and purpose are absolutely necessary and not hard to come by (for me at least, but I know it’s not really true for others.) However the problem is that most jobs aren’t really amenable to “just a little” there’s a lot of all or nothing that’s artificial (we need to change this) but nevertheless very real if one of the things you want (not unreasonably) is progression of career and responsibilities and power. So one can choose to play more… and give up on their professional dreams or live with playing less and hope for the future to get it “all.” There are also jobs where real urgency comes baked in and is unavoidable. I just want a long vacation really - but it’s hard to get that and participate in mainstream American life/jobs.
I want to tease out one thing: to get it "all." What is that, precisely? We are as women sold the idea that we can "have it all." What does that mean to you? In the Eighties, we women really believed this as well, and we never got it all either. I think that if we can lay this out and challenge it, and ask ourselves if that is what we truly want or if it's just a bill of goods we've been sold, we can better navigate our futures.
A meaningful, interesting career in the field of our choosing with meaningful responsibility and authority and enough leisure time to rest and enjoy friends and family :).
You look AMAZING Julia! I thought you were my age (52). But nevertheless, yes, play is essential to a high quality of life and so many give it up for this elusive dream of retirement. I've told my husband many times that I don't plan to stop working when I retire, I will be able to do the work I've always wanted to do.
Thank you Jen ( blushes) there are days I look eighty, too....goes with the territory!
This is priceless and spot on! That's for validating my philosophy about play being the fountain of youth!
I am all in. It's taken me a lifetime to stop taking myself so seriously and find more ways to play. If nothing else that's given me years.
I know 3 types of retired people: those who say that they don't know how they ever found time to work because they are so busy now; those who love what they do and just keep doing it (think Sir David Attenborough) and those who stop - and age overnight into slow decay. I love working with with seniors who want to extend their healthspan. With good nutrition, exercise appropriate to ability (I met a 70 year old pole vaulter a couple of weeks back - that's not for everyone!) and a sense of humour, the possibility of a long and active life is there.
And don't forget those who discover new creative passions... or maybe those folks are in your type #1...
I would put them in my type 1. In fact I was reading a study earlier today that found that people who play musical instruments or sing in choirs maintain better cognitive function than people who don't. I wonder if any studies have been done among visually creative people.
I'm quite sure someone has looked at it but I'm not aware personally.
anecdotally there seem to be a good number of older folk both knitting and designing over on Ravelry!
One friend of mine goes overseas to do knitting trips. She makes the most gorgeous stuff. I just go out and get injured doing adventure travel. I think she's the one with the brains.
We all have different adventures. I spent an hour or so yesterday in pouring rain and a temperatures way to close to freezing for this time of year retrieving discus at an athletics competition. The other official on retrieval with me was at least 15 years my senior, and not the least phased by chasing aquaplaning thrown objects across sodden grass!
There is so much room for all of us to find a different way to age on our terms, Stella. So true.
Julie you might enjoy the work of Ray Glier at Geezer Jock. I love his stories about elder athletes!
thanks Julia, I'll take a look!
I wish I could be retired now while I have young kids, and then work until I can’t anymore.
I understand the sentiment and I wish our world were organized otherwise, Kat.
I'm looking forward to my retirement in three months. So I can stop repeating myself to people who won't/ can't listen
And spend time volunteering at addiction recovery, botanical garden, and whatever unpaid job needs me to get shit done!
So right, Dave, thank you!
I just posted about this. Digital self-employment, remote work, and people staying healthier and living longer make traditional retirement less relevant nowadays. And why wait until the near end of life to live your dreams? The goal should be to find flexible and meaningful work and live your dreams along the way.
https://craigguillot.substack.com/p/is-retirement-an-outdated-concept
Absolutely! I just love that attitude
It's immensely relevant ,Craig, and I am so glad so many of us are calling the crap out. Thank you.
Your ideas echo my original plans. I loved what I did and the pay was decent but everything flipped over when my spouse had a sudden brain aneurysm with lengthy periods of brain bleeding. Since I couldn’t take an extended break from work to care for him, I was required to take early retirement. Estimated recovery time for him was 5 years, however his recovery is still ongoing 12 years later.
I have attempted second career starts but have found many roadblocks due to my age. I am still on the hunt but have learned I will have to work away from home so he will listen to his caregiver when I am away. ( he’s been horrible to his caregivers despite knowing he’s going to have one because I must work)
So I continue to hunt for work because I will stagnant if I don’t!
That is incredibly tough. I hope you find something that is fulfilling and meets your needs.
I have always said I'd never retire -- I'd never be able to afford it, for one thing -- but Corporate America will not hire me. Maybe it's my glorious head of long gray hair. Maybe it's something else. I don't know, but this is why I'm now publishing almost daily on Medium and Substack and writing books. (The Trailer Park Rules just hit Amazon. Check it out!)
Loved this piece!! Thank you. Lots to chew on.
oh, if only they were donuts, but at least words aren't fattening. Thank you!
This hit…after a 30-year teaching career I retired at way earlier than my peers in 2021 believing I’d resurrect long dormant aspirations in a “second act.” By the start of 2023 I hadn’t gained any traction, struggled with mental health, and battled doubts about where I fit, where I could apply passions, where I could be valued.
And then, I awoke to your idea of fun. Teaching had become a drudgery of sorts; what had been joyful and fun wasn’t. So, fun is what I’d sought in my second act. And service. By mid-February 23 I had not one act, but 2!
I work in Guest Experience for MNUFC, ensuring Loons fans feel welcome and have a great time, win or lose. I also sell bikes about 20 hrs/week where I meet fascinating people, connect riders of all ages with a new bike, and in some cases set them toward a transformative experience.
Your work here affirmed what I have learned the hard way; you’ve also sparked in my an awareness there is still so much more I could and should pursue.
Bravo! And thanks for this piece.
God I love this. May I steal? Also, if I may, please let me know if you want me to credit your comment. Wonderful! Also one more thing, which of you is commenting?
😂😂😂 The missus and I set up a joint account to follow my sis and our niece. I, Chuck, am the closeted writer couching a passion in his comments. And, yes, you may use the thoughts here with attribution.
FWIW, I think attitude plays a huge part in retirement. Seeing oneself as free to choose the alternatives once held at bay by a career; seeing “fun jobs” as pathways; seeing “mundane jobs” as opportunities to emphasize personal desires and strengths you wish to express. Once I said to myself, “What do I have to lose, I’m gonna go after this,” I felt absolutely alive.
And that as they say made all the difference. I love that Chuck. All the research backs the attitude piece.
I agree. I practiced retirement each summer after I closed up my elementary classroom. I could never get all of the things done that I wanted to do- I was just beginning to get in good bicycling shape and find my other hobbies when August lead me back into that creative work of teaching grade 5. I started a “when I retire” list. Five years into my life “like a teenager but with money and a car,” I joined an orchestra, make sewing projects and quilts to donate, and join new friends at the HS pool and gym. My husband has a different list of activities so we spend dinners chatting about our days. I’m always looking for another thing.
That's a great line "a teenager with money and a car"!
It’s really bc I have a great pension and social security. I’m lucky.
in today's world, you are indeed
I LOVE "like a teenager but with money and a car." What a wonderful line, Sharyl. And isn't it lovely that curiosity keeps us hunting for another thing!
Winnie looks like he was crafted out of a potato.
A Pooh-tato, if you will.
He does. He's a gift from my best friend; it's hard plastic and I suspect Pooh's looks are the result of many decades of kiddie love.
I agree Julia and mostly with the point about exchanging time for money with the goal to receive a reward. I was into flying jets for 22 years because that was my childhood dream. Then I worked in corporate consulting for 10 years and am getting to the end of my third career of helping people invest in residential real estate. I chose all three careers and could stop any time. Most people suffer, as you wrote, because they chose something once.
There is a lot to dig into here, Dr M. I love that you point out that we can choose- true for all of us in one way or another, above all it's that we choose how we see our conditions, and from that perspective much more is possible. I badly want to fly jets as a young woman but that wasn't available to military women at the time. I ended up with what was right for me- my journey has been to love the journey as it unfolds. Slow lesson but I got there. Am still getting there. Thanks so much for your comments!
Hello Julia,
We are singing from the same hymn sheet, just different sides of the pond! You make soooo many good points. Keep doing great things, and calling it out
My blog from yesterday https://open.substack.com/pub/1000weeks/p/enough?r=mt7ck&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I have only just got started with lots more to come. I shall enjoy following you x
Heartfelt thanks Ruth. Lots to do, lots to live, lots to come!
I love the article and at not yet forty think and dream about retirement all the time. I think passion and purpose are absolutely necessary and not hard to come by (for me at least, but I know it’s not really true for others.) However the problem is that most jobs aren’t really amenable to “just a little” there’s a lot of all or nothing that’s artificial (we need to change this) but nevertheless very real if one of the things you want (not unreasonably) is progression of career and responsibilities and power. So one can choose to play more… and give up on their professional dreams or live with playing less and hope for the future to get it “all.” There are also jobs where real urgency comes baked in and is unavoidable. I just want a long vacation really - but it’s hard to get that and participate in mainstream American life/jobs.
I want to tease out one thing: to get it "all." What is that, precisely? We are as women sold the idea that we can "have it all." What does that mean to you? In the Eighties, we women really believed this as well, and we never got it all either. I think that if we can lay this out and challenge it, and ask ourselves if that is what we truly want or if it's just a bill of goods we've been sold, we can better navigate our futures.
A meaningful, interesting career in the field of our choosing with meaningful responsibility and authority and enough leisure time to rest and enjoy friends and family :).
We would all treasure that Yanina!
Your time will come.
Hey that’s my line! I’m too old for this (bull) shit!!😉
I wish I'd originated it. First time I heard it was in Lethal Weapon, from Danny Glover. I suspect it was enshrined long before then. Yay for us both!