Retirement
So, I've been retired since August 1, 2012. People ask me a few standard questions and I never know how to respond.
1. What are you going to do now?
2. Are you bored yet?
3. Why did you retire so young?
They also make statements such as:
1. You are so lucky!
2. I wouldn't know who I was if I was retired - my job is my life.
3. You are too smart to stay retired - you'll get bored (see number 2 above).
As I think and write in this moment, I can think of comebacks and smartass retorts, but not thoughtful, contemplative responses. What I want to say are things such as:
1. I don't want to do anymore, I want to just be.
2. Bored of what? My life? I don't think so because I don't like the alternative.
3. Because I could after staying with the same career for 32 years. Do you ask military personnel why they retire young because some of them do too?!
4. Lucky? Luck has nothing to do with it. It was part of the plan and everyday that I woke up and didn't want to go to work I remembered that retiring at 55 was part of the plan (and most educators have put in their 30-35 years by my age or before.
5. That WAS my problem...work WAS my life and I want to live differently now. I WANT to find my identity outside of the path I choose to take when I was 18. Seems to me that is what life should be about at this stage, right?
6. What does this mean? That if you are not smart, you can be retired? I think not! In fact, being a smart retired person seems pretty appealing. AND I want a chance to be bored...after working 60 hour weeks AND taking my work home with me after those 60 hours AND being on call for 24 hours a day a little boredom may actually give me time to dream of what to do with the next 40 years (wishful thinking).
So, do I enjoy retirement? I enjoy having time to be bored enough to figure out my next journey. I enjoy receiving the income I saved over my long work years so that I can choose if I want to work or not in this part of my life. I enjoy spending time in my home and traveling with my spouse-partner (something that was often denied due to my work life). I enjoy connecting with new friends and reconnecting with old ones. So, yeah, I guess if these are things associated with retirement, then I enjoy retirement.
Life is good.
1. What are you going to do now?
2. Are you bored yet?
3. Why did you retire so young?
They also make statements such as:
1. You are so lucky!
2. I wouldn't know who I was if I was retired - my job is my life.
3. You are too smart to stay retired - you'll get bored (see number 2 above).
As I think and write in this moment, I can think of comebacks and smartass retorts, but not thoughtful, contemplative responses. What I want to say are things such as:
1. I don't want to do anymore, I want to just be.
2. Bored of what? My life? I don't think so because I don't like the alternative.
3. Because I could after staying with the same career for 32 years. Do you ask military personnel why they retire young because some of them do too?!
4. Lucky? Luck has nothing to do with it. It was part of the plan and everyday that I woke up and didn't want to go to work I remembered that retiring at 55 was part of the plan (and most educators have put in their 30-35 years by my age or before.
5. That WAS my problem...work WAS my life and I want to live differently now. I WANT to find my identity outside of the path I choose to take when I was 18. Seems to me that is what life should be about at this stage, right?
6. What does this mean? That if you are not smart, you can be retired? I think not! In fact, being a smart retired person seems pretty appealing. AND I want a chance to be bored...after working 60 hour weeks AND taking my work home with me after those 60 hours AND being on call for 24 hours a day a little boredom may actually give me time to dream of what to do with the next 40 years (wishful thinking).
So, do I enjoy retirement? I enjoy having time to be bored enough to figure out my next journey. I enjoy receiving the income I saved over my long work years so that I can choose if I want to work or not in this part of my life. I enjoy spending time in my home and traveling with my spouse-partner (something that was often denied due to my work life). I enjoy connecting with new friends and reconnecting with old ones. So, yeah, I guess if these are things associated with retirement, then I enjoy retirement.
Life is good.
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