What Is Retirement?

Bay City, Texas

Weather: low 56 degrees, high 82 degrees, partly cloudy skies, windy

I’m not going to say anything about the problems at work today except that we continue to face the issues and solve them as we move along. Instead, I was thinking about what motivates people to go back to work when they’ve worked all their lives so they can do what they want when they retire.

The most obvious reason people go back to work is because they don’t have enough money to live on. That can be due to poor financial planning, medical emergencies, the cost of living increasing, or the stock market taking a dive and devastating a person’s investments. Other reasons people go back to work is because they become bored, they miss the social aspect of work, or they miss the sense of accomplishment that comes from being part of a team that develops and executes plans for large projects. I’ve heard some people say they missed the regimentation that working brought to their lives by having a place to go every day.

More and more, I hear people say that they don’t want to be like a person they knew that retired, sat on the front porch watching the world go by, and died six months after retiring. If that means working longer will keep them alive, they’re prepared to do it. Then there’s those who are concerned that if they stop using their brain in stimulating ways, their memory will be less sharp, as will their reasoning skills. It’s been well documented that it’s important to continue to exercise our minds as we get older.

My first encounter with retirement was back in 2000, when I took advantage of a very good early retirement package. The only condition of the package was that I stay on the job until a project I was working on was completed. Word got out to the industry that I was leaving that job and job offers started coming in. As a result, five days after “retiring”, I was working in another job 1500 miles away. That project lasted for 15 months, and was the type of job that I finally had to leave because I would have worked myself to death if I had stayed. There was so much to do and a great urgency to do the work, but a lot of resistance from an entrenched culture. Two weeks later, I was back at the plant I had retired from, working as a consultant on a project that lasted for another 15 months. So, 30 months after “retiring”, I was working more than when I was not “retired”.

When the latest job was finished, I thought I was finally ready to enjoy retirement. Ha! After three months of doing what we wanted when we wanted, I received an offer to take part in a project that had never been performed in this country. That caught my interest, but not Carolyn’s. I finally accepted the job, but only because it was for only three months. Then it was back to real retirement. For 18 months, we traveled, visited family, slept late, went to bed late, and generally stayed busy doing what we wanted. Life was good, and getting better all the time. I was used to being retired, and every day was like Saturday. Job offers were coming in, but I was turning them down.

Then came a visit from an old friend who was working near Fort Worth, Texas on a project that needed someone with my skills and experience. Carolyn and I talked it over, and I accepted the job. That one lasted 26 months, and was one of the best jobs I ever worked on. In addition, we found an area of Texas that we could see ourselves settling down in, and we made a lot of new friends. After that job was finished, plus a short consulting stint of two weeks at another site, I decided I was done. No more work, retired.

A little over two years later, here I am working again. So, does that mean I’m retired? In my mind at this time, I am, because I have the option of working or not working. I don’t want to do anything long term, and have the freedom to turn work down, which I have done on a regular basis. Can I walk away from work and be happy? Absolutely!! I find that when I’m not working, I don’t have any problem with staying busy and keeping my mind challenged. I can never see myself sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch, watching the world go by.

This was a long post, but it’s something I’ve been thinking about for awhile. I hope it’s not been too boring.

More later, be safe.

Today’s Town – Brevard, North Carolina: Home Of The White Squirrels

Not all who wander are lost.