I loved the responses here and there's so much good advice. Thank you all of you.
I turned 43 in April this year. I find myself in year one of a Masters program (2 years) or a PhD program (5 years) in pre-tirement. I'm unsure; I'll have to see how life unfolds. My 42nd year led to multiple life-quakes and upheavals in my job + marriage + family life situation. In the next decade I will design a life to maximise time with my child in the aftermath of my divorce. Things don't look pretty, but victory in the long game is clear - to ensure my child is healthy, happy and safe. I was managed out of my role last year. I badly wanted to leave, but had I resigned on my own, I wouldn't have received a severance package. I've been on a writing and music making journey which has been rewarding. I performed 50+ times this year. I wrote a hip-hopera and brought it to stage at a festival in Dublin. Though the effort is intense and there's not much financial reward, I sleep better writing bars than when I ever counted sheep. To answer Sandhya's original question - even though I am my own boss, I have come to terms with the fact that I am one of those who will work till the end. My definition of work has changed to focused on doing things that feel aligned with my purpose - of leaving people and places better than I found them, being consistently grateful, following my curiosity and keeping the door open for joy. Pre-tirement is fun so far. 12/10 would do it again. Hari On Sun, Jun 14, 2026 at 7:10 PM Yeddanapudi Radhika via Silklist < [email protected]> wrote: > Never retiring. My profession pays little and demands a lot but I love > it so much. I translate mostly plays. Sometimes I get a chance to act > or get invited to conferences on translating theatre. Other times I > get grants. One day sooner rather than later, I may have to > supplement it by working part-time at the local garden store so I'm > trying to get and stay fit. > > On Sun, Jun 14, 2026 at 10:50 AM Bruce Metcalf via Silklist > <[email protected]> wrote: > > > > Howdy, > > > > On 6/13/26 15:53, Sandhya via Silklist wrote: > > > > > Are you retired? What are you doing post-retirement? On hindsight, > would > > > you give your younger self some advice about what you would do > > > differently? > > > > In a few weeks, I'll be retiring for the third time. Yeah, it gets > > complicated. > > > > In 1998, I escaped a particularly bad work situation, and discovered > > that my wife and I could afford to discontinue full-time employment, so > > we retired and moved to Florida. > > > > I lasted ten months. > > > > It wasn't proximity to my wife (she was still trying to sell our old > > house), it was just the lack of focus to my day. I had hobbies, but > > wasn't able to focus on them sufficiently to fill the time. > > > > So I took on a part-time job. It was a lot of fun, if physically > > miserable at times. The pay was but a pittance, but the benefits were > > outstanding, and we made good uses of them. > > > > But being financially independent meant I could call bullshit when > > management tried it without concern. I also became a union shop steward, > > which made it nearly impossible to fire me. That role led me to read the > > fine print in the contract, and I discovered in 2015 that I was eligible > > to retire, retaining full benefits. Took the company eight months to > > figure out how to retire a part-timer, and I understand I triggered a > > change in the rules, but I was out with my second retirement. > > > > Starting in 2007, I accepted responsibility for a non-profit with a > > healthy publication program, a substantial library, and multiple worthy > > programs. The cause was the death of that organization's founder, and > > his were larger shoes that I could hope to fill, even today. Working for > > a non-profit board is never entirely safe, even when they trust you > > (perhaps too much). It reached the point last year that all but one of > > them stopped responding to my emails, which is a problem when I'm > > supposed to be editing the magazines. > > > > They finally found another sucker, er, volunteer, and this week the > > library and records were shipped to California, with three tons of junk > > discarded. All I have left is a storage unit filled with library > > shelving and file cabinets (which are cheaper to repurchase than move). > > Finding homes for that, I'll be retired for a third time. > > > > I plan to spend a lot more time and energy on my hobbies. I just built > > seven Ikea bookcases to allow me to pull books out of boxes, and some > > general housekeeping (i.e.: junk trashing) is also in order. My wife's > > health has also declined in the past decade, so I'm taking on more > > household chores, more driving to doctors, and indulging her hobby, > > which is taking world cruises (January thru June next year). > > > > Will this hold, or will I go back to work in some form? I can't say for > > sure, but given my track record.... > > > > Cheers, > > / Bruce / > > > > -- > > Silklist mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist > > > > -- > Translator/Owner > AzulIndica Translations > North Vancouver BC, Canada > -- > Silklist mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist >
-- Silklist mailing list [email protected] https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist
