Shyam Sunder wrote:
Their family perhaps doesn't want them hanging
around all the time.
As in Sara Yogev's _For Better or for Worse, But Not for Lunch_?
You make an excellent argument, Shyam, that a person should know what
they intend to do with their time when they slow down.
I switched over to the slow lane after the birth of my first child and
spent > 25 years there as I raised and educated my brood. I had plenty
to do and I had a purpose. I also got the message very early that
maintaining my serenity was critical to being a good mother. I cut way
back on busy-ness during that time and focused on the essential work of
raising human beings to be happy, healthy, and productive adults.
Now that the children are well on their way, I want to merge back into
the fast lane, to be part of the bustle and busy-ness, to do more than
the part-time keeping-my-hand-in work that I have done for most of my
adult life.
I have the time now to give more attention to the work that I've always
loved. I want to merge back into the fast lane and enjoy a decade or two
of intense effort and productivity.
My grandmother retired at 50. Over the next 43 years, her world shrank
and she became peevish and cantankerous.
Perhaps as a result of her mother's example, my mother continued her
psychotherapy practice until she was 75. Her brother intends to continue
his law practice as long as he is able.
Our professions give us so much of who we are. They give us purpose and
focus. They give us the satisfaction of making a contribution to
society. They stimulate and irritate us and keep us from getting stagnant.
--hmm
