Redefining "Retirement"

Spring officially has returned - with it comes a certain restlessness, birds creating a fuss in nearly bare branches, chill wind ruffling the first crocus blossoms. It is a time of resurrection, reinvention. A time to start off down unfamiliar roads looking for adventure! And to my way of thinking there can't be a better time to "retire"!


But what does that word mean these days? Not what it used to mean, that's for sure. Which is a good thing. My understanding of "retirement" is that it was a concept invented sometime during the early 1950s for people who never existed. These mythical people worked forty years in factories to earn fabulous pensions which allowed them to utterly quit all physical and mental activity at the age of 65, sailing off into their sunset years to bask under tropical sunshine for the balance of their long blissful lives. That was the Cold War propaganda I grew up with. It was a lie my generation swallowed whole. Though I can't help wondering where we got such a weird notion. Our ancestors didn't retire. They worked at this and that until they dropped in their tracks. Both of my grandfathers died in their eighties after putting in a full day at work. And women NEVER retired - and still don't. My 94 year old mother works around the house morning till night keeping the household running smoothly.

So I reject the fantasy of traditional retirement - which isn't to say I'm going to cling indefinately to the 40 hour plant care route. No, I'm ready to scale back on the "day job" to make way for other adventures. I have five novels in first draft stage that I need to revise and boot out into the world. I'm eager to volunteer at the local Senior Center. I want to explore all sorts of interesting opportunities and meet vast numbers of fascinating folks. I already have a handfull of exciting part-time gigs lined up that are bound to keep me on my toes. Yep, I'm ready to fly! Ah, Spring! What could be better than starting off into a bright new season?

But for now, I guess I had better get myself out of this chair and into the backyard to clean up the remains of our Winter storms. First things first.