Today is the official start of my second year of retirement from corporate life. A year ago, I entered this new phase of life with some ideas about what I could or would do with the opportunities it presented. Here's a look back at how well that went, for my friends who are still working and for the amusement of friends further along the retirement path than I am.
First of all, I want to say that the ability to enjoy retirement and accomplish things that are important to me is not something I take lightly or for granted. Long life, physical health and mental health are not guaranteed for any of us. Even just having the time and ability to share these thoughts in a blog is something to be grateful for.
As I entered retirement, I wanted to accomplish a few things with the time formerly occupied by corporate life. This is roughly how my plan went.
First, I wanted and needed to be more available for my wife, Denise, and her mom Alice (AKA, Gram), both of whom have gone through some pretty major health challenges this past year. Caregiving and supporting family through aging and health challenges are major priorities for me. I've done my best to fulfill that commitment over the past year, and it has become a big part of my life. Those who have been there know what I mean. For those who haven't, chances are the day will come. If you know, you know.
Second, I wanted to nurture and grow my creative side as a writer and songwriter. That's been going pretty well, though not yet at the level I'm shooting for. It's nice to have time to write and, in addition to this blog, I have three book projects in process. I've discovered that writing books isn't necessarily the biggest challenge. Dedicating the time and energy to promoting and selling them is. I've watched several friends do it over the past year or two, and it takes a lot of time, travel and hard work.
My songwriting output has improved as well, and that is truly one of the things that keeps me sane—or possibly insane, if you've heard some of my songs. Either way, anyone contemplating retirement should have a plan to keep busy, keep learning and keep growing. Retirement can't just be about what you stopped doing.
Along with nurturing my own creative side, a related passion is growing and supporting other creative people through 3rd Street Coffeehouse, which is now in its 40th year as a live music venue. I'm working hard on several projects to build on our existing platform and relaunch it for the next generation of musicians to receive and build upon. It's a sacred place in our community, and I'm honored to be part of the long legacy of people who are, or have been, a part of it. We'll celebrate our 40th anniversary next April, and I'll definitely be writing more about that.
Lastly, and unexpectedly, I've followed in my father's footsteps this past year by getting involved in grassroots politics at both the local and national levels. Over the past year, I found myself more and more disenchanted with the changes I was seeing in national policy and felt obligated to seek and support what I believe to be much-needed change. When Beth Macy announced her run for Congress in my district, I knew I'd regret it if I didn't support her.
My dad was a Democratic Precinct Captain back in the day, so I guess it's in my DNA to get involved at the grassroots level. Perhaps my efforts will help steer the country toward a better place. I hope so. I also hope Dad is looking down with his buddies from some smoke-filled cloud and they're proud of me. Knowing Dad, he's probably thinking four moves ahead of me and I hope he’ll pass along some good advice from the cloud.
Being that this is my first retirement, I still make rookie mistakes and I'm still learning. Mostly, I learn from people like you—people who may have different ideas from mine and challenge me to look at things from their point of view. Challenge accepted. I'd genuinely like to hear your thoughts in the comments. Are you currently retired or planning to be in the coming years? If you're retired, is your experience anything like my own? If not, how has it differed? If you aren't retired, what are your goals and plans to stay engaged, keep growing and stay busy?
Please share your thoughts in the comments. I hope our conversation will be thoughtful, respectful and productive.
If you try to leave a comment and receive an error message, your browser may be blocking third-party cookies. You can select "Anonymous" in the "Comment as" field and simply include your name or initials if you prefer.
Thank you for reading—and for walking this road with me.
No comments:
Post a Comment