Some consider retirement a career change

Not long ago I wrote about different ways patients of mine have prepared for retirement. Some considered their retirement a career change, some were looking forward to having time for hobbies or avocations, some wanted time for themselves.

Whatever their ideas were, they had made plans and were looking forward to them.

That column brought responses from those who found there was nothing final about retirement. Work of some kind goes on, they said, and they refer to it as a new life pattern.

• One recurring comment was that retirement is not a time to say, “I have quit working.” Instead it is a time to say, “I have changed or modified my schedule, my daily pattern.”

Instead of 8 to 5, five days a week, 12 months of year, patterns vary. Some say they savor a day when they wake up and wonder what in the world they will do that day. Then at the end of the day, they delight in measuring the hours spent in pleasure, service or diversification.

• Another repeated comment was that retirement opened up avenues for learning, time to gain knowledge about topics of interest or to satisfy an urge to discover a new identity.

One woman was studying languages. Another said she had never before been able to read books on philosophy. Many were taking courses in new technology, computers and word processors. One individual was learning sign language and working with the hearing impaired.

• Several couples wrote that retirement bonuses and annuities had enabled them to start new businesses.

One couple were operating a lodge on a resort lake where they used to vacation. Another couple had invested in a travel agency. By taking groups on tours, it allowed them to see places they had never seen and reduced their personal expenses.

Another couple used their gardening expertise to grow and sell fruits and vegetables at a co-op market. Many retirees are making articles for craft shops and malls.

• Opportunities for volunteer work seem to be unlimited. Visiting nursing homes, working in hospice groups, reading to and teaching youngsters in neighboring schools, delivering meals, arranging classes for children in libraries – volunteers for all these services voice satisfaction from these endeavors.

• And there were those who said leaving a job to which they had devoted 25 to 30 years was a void they could not fill. When invited back by their corporations, they began consulting or participating in special projects.

• Some report that financial planning was a big trap. They had relied too much on former high interest rates and had failed to get retirement planning advice. They had been forced to accept work to supplement income.

But almost all retirees who wrote – those who had reached the age where they could benefit from traditional retirement plans – were finding new ways to adapt to this stage of life.

In another column, I will relate some factors to explore before asking the question “Am I ready to retire?”