It’s hard to write for such a broad-based audience as ours!  Some are not even 40 and others such as myself are pushin’ ‘chrono-maturity pretty hard.  I seldom mention ‘retirement’, but it’s good to do so from time to time.

 I’m reminded of a comment one of the women at our March 17 Affiliated Women’s meeting made as she was leaving.  She commented that we are the same age.  As she walked from the door, she threw the phrase, “I failed retirement” at me.

“I failed retirement!”  What a delightful comment.  I guess I failed it too.  In fact, I didn’t even try it and fail.  I simply decided there is too much of life to be experienced in a productive way that to ‘retire’ would be a disgrace.  Besides, I’m somewhat of a late bloomer who didn’t get a handle on what might be my purpose until well into chronological maturity.

Financial planners and advisors; attorneys and all those involved in advising us on our future talk in terms of ‘retirement’.  “Retirement from what?”  We may retire from the ‘well’ we worked for a number of years - but why retire to do nothing.  That used to be the perception of retirement - do nothing.  My parents and their friends, when in Florida for the winter months, would plan their next meal while chowing down the current one.  That was the extent of the excitement, creativity and productivity that passed as ‘retirement’ to them.

Most researchers and experts in the area of the ’silver generation’ (or “boomers”) credit the aging of the boomers with the change in our perspective on ‘retirement’.  They say it is not at all uncommon for folks to retire not once, but multiple times during the years from 50 forward!

Don’t get me wrong.  If you want to retire retire - that’s fine.  But most folks I know talk about retiring as a way to leave what they’ve done for some time and tired of along the way, to do something they always dreamed of doing.  In fact, current research indicates that most of the ’silver generation’ want to work at something productive until they die.

Now that’s what I call a healthy attitude.  Because other research states that when we ’sits down’ & ‘does nuthin’, we shorten our lives by years.

If you are investigating what you might want to do when you leave a current position or make a change in your work life, consider it wise to plan for a 2nd or 3rd or even 4th career. 

Thinking of Pat’s comment as she exited the meeting, I’m thinking that the one place it may be perfectly fine to “fail” at something is to “fail to retire” - at least completely.

Another beautiful day in Arkansas with sunshine and temps in the 70’s.  So wherever you are, have an awesome day with much love & considerable blessings.

Linda