Retirement

I was going to write about retirement and my trip to England, but retirement sort of took over. It's not what you think it is. You reach a point in your life when you're just plain tired. Tired of the commute, tired of the conflict, tired of fighting the same battles you've fought for thirty years. The kids are too unruly; the parents too disinterested; the faculty meetings are too brain-numbingly boring.  You've lost your zip; your dewy freshness. As much as you hate to admit it, doggone it,
you're Tired!

You just plain want to hang it up.

The last year of work, you start to slip away mentally. You try not to, because you want to go out with your reputation intact, but you need to plan, and that means your thoughts begin to move away from the job and toward the future. You get as much of the financial picture in place as you can, see if it's feasible, and then set the date. Oh, the longed for date of retirement! Freedom! Every night is Friday night when it comes.

But after a while, Friday night gets old, especially without the rest of the week, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. there to give it some savor.

Now what? You've got to fill the time. Not just aimlessly but with something productive; something worthwhile.

Ay, there's the rub, my friends. There's the rub.

That's the question I'm exploring. I'm a Baby Boomer. I'm the generation that doesn't expect to age... which makes it all the harder when we do.

I don't have any answers yet... just questions. Bill Clinton (my age) seems to be at a loss as what to do. He's persona non grata politically... well, maybe not with the North Koreans. But look at him... still has all his hair. What a 63 year old to do?
President Numb-Nuts (John Stewart's term) seems to be happy jest a sittin'. Hilary's busy, and probably very good at what she does. Her worries will come later, if at all. I think she's in the Jimmy Carter mold. Hilary will always find something useful to do.
And Al Gore's got the environment.

We've all got the environment, frankly... that's something we all need to pay attention to.

But how to fill the time wisely?  With what? With whom?