The Next Act
Julia Child, who loved her work and never wanted to retire. Source.
A long-time colleague of mine recently announced her retirement. She’s not much older than I am. Another long-time colleague and I were recently reflecting upon people we’ve known or worked with who over the years have dropped dead at their desks, some at a (relatively) young age, and just how much we don’t want to be one of those people. All of this has me thinking more than ever about what the next stage of life will look like.
As much as I fantasize about leaving the day job to work on blogging full-time, that’s just not in the cards or in our financial plan now. But le Monsieur and I have had ongoing discussions over the past few years about how we envision the next (fingers crossed) several decades of our lives. I’ve never deluded myself that I could be happy running away to live on a tropical beach and having nothing on the agenda other than deciding which color flip-flops to wear that day and whether to have a pina colada or a mojito. I need purpose. Which doesn’t necessarily mean a job, but I’d be miserable under conditions of extended idleness. I am certain that I want to live in a vibrant, diverse community with necessities and cultural events and activities within reach of public transportation (having known too many elderly people who become quite isolated and/or dependent once they can no longer drive).
But aside from logistics, it’s also important to think about what will bring purpose and satisfaction into our later years. A few weeks ago I came across this article in the The Atlantic, Making Aging Positive, which has me thinking about what I want to do as much as where I want to live.
We are a species wired to feel needed, respected, and purposeful. The absence of those qualities is actually harmful to our health, as public health and social scientists have demonstrated.
The gist of the article is that a) people live longer and enjoy better health if they have a positive attitude about aging and feel “needed, respected and purposeful” and that b) our society doesn’t currently do a good job of supporting this. Nothing there comes as any great surprise, but it’s a good reminder. I think we as a society need to shift our thinking about our retirement years as being a time of leisure and invisibility, to being a time of contributing and finding new purpose and meaning. Which means that we not only have to think about our own futures, but have a lot of work ahead to collectively change cultural attitudes.
Perhaps for some, family and grandchildren are already providing that sense of purpose. Perhaps there’s a passion you’ve always wanted to pursue but never had enough time. It might indeed mean a paying gig for us too either out of necessity or desire, but perhaps in the next stage conducted more on our own terms. I’ve envisioned my “retirement” lately as one where I’m still productive, working at something I love (and now that’s looking like blogging, though what form that may take in a few years may change), and finding time to volunteer. I’d love to work with Dress For Success, or something similar helping women to put together interview and work wardrobes to re-enter the workforce, or with some sort of literacy program, or helping shelter animals to find new homes. Or all of it, I don’t know.
How have you envisioned your retirement, or this next stage of your life if you are already retired? What will bring a sense of purpose and being needed into your life?
