I haven’t accepted the word retirement and I don’t think it’s accurate. But everyone who wants to know how I’m doing asks me how retirement is going! My fondness for food and shelter means I need to work. But it’s kind of like branding; a brand doesn’t get to decide how it’s seen by others. It’s defined by the way it’s perceived. Â
CJBK listeners who phoned, emailed and sent me nice cards, believe that I’ve retired. Bell Media’s benefits company, Morneau Shepell, offered me an insurance/medical plan designed “for retirees”.
But I swear I’m not retired! I’ve moved from hired hand to entrepreneur and I’m definitely open for business. As my Linked In profile says, “will work for Twizzlers and strong coffee”. When someone has said “retired” I’ve come back with “rewired” but that’s usually greeted with rolling eyes. I’ve drastically altered my lifestyle and dog-paddled upstream to make significant changes including our recent big move. But it’s not retirement! I just don’t know exactly what it is.
I like Erin Davis’s term: reWIREment.
Couldn’t agree more. I’m 52 but don’t know if I’m retired…I like rewired!
previously you were operating under the “planned schedule programming” and have now switched to the ‘alternative scheduled programming” which is undefined, flexible and full of potential surprises.
As you know, I’m a BIG fan of the word reWired. It sums up perfectly what you and I have chosen to do: stay busy and active in our chosen fields – in one way or another – but in ways that we might not have previously considered. With the word retirement comes a whole set of preconceived notions: 4 pm dinners (okay, guilty), golf (not yet, you nor I) and a whole lot of leisure time. The last has been accurate in my case but with your busy freelance voice work and the move you’re in the midst of, there’s no such thing for you, my friend! Keep reWiring. You’re making your life lighter and brighter and setting the pace that works for your life and your health. I’m so proud of you. Here’s to a long and busy reWirement. You rock – and I don’t mean in a chair on the porch (unless that’s what you want)! xox
Why do people want to put you into a box? I guess it’s easier for them. Or they have no imagination and can’t figure out the life you have chosen to pursue. Pea brains, all of them.