In just a couple of days, I will re-retire. What a strange word! Or wait, is it really a word? Or is it something I’ve just conjured up to describe my situation? It doesn’t matter. When it comes right down to it, I am retiring again. Yes, three years ago, I decided to retire after leaving my job of 20+ years. That lasted a year and a half. Then, an opportunity came up that I was drawn to, so I “unretired” and went back to work. Read more about that here. And now, I’ve decided to close the door once and for all. (I think?)
When I began writing this blog back in 2021, it was because I couldn’t find much information about retiring other than financial advice. Three years later, there still isn’t much information about retirement, especially for the second time. You’d think there would be, because it looks like people are redefining retirement. Many are returning to work, taking on various part-time jobs, and learning new skills. Retirement will never be what it used to be. A Google search brings up articles about finance and sports figures. Basketball legend Michael Jordan and I have something in common.
I skimmed over a few of those articles. Many authors assume that if you are retiring for the second time, you have figured out where you went wrong the first time or retired too early. Nah, those two things didn’t influence my decision to retire again. My decision was based on purely selfish motives: I missed my freedom. Friends and acquaintances asked why I would want to leave a 12-hour-a-week gig. Sure, 12 hours isn’t much, but it is two days! That is two days of physically being in the office, but many hours of thinking about work on my time off. We all do that, right? Work can be quite consuming, no matter how many hours you put in. The mind doesn’t stop when you walk out the door. And then my decision to not renew my contract was validated when my employer decided to restructure and offered me more hours (double) and an increased workload, of course.
I wasn’t even tempted. I’m tired. I also knew that I could not do some of the added work and lacked the desire to learn. Been there, done that. There are many things I do want to learn, but financial admin is not one of them. LOL!
The great part of retirement is that you are no longer responsible to someone else other than yourself and your family. You can take time off whenever you want, stay in your pj’s and read whenever you want, or walk the dog whenever you (or the dog!) want. Your time is your own.
I am much better prepared this time, and I am really looking forward to the future. I had my doubts the first time; I didn’t know what to expect, and I didn’t know if I could keep busy, manage my freedom, and find purpose in life. I tried to do too much at first. I joined a few groups, took out various memberships, went to meetings and workshops, and even served on a few committees. I burned out quickly. It was the work grind all over again, without pay. I had big, lofty dreams and, oh, so many plans. Those plans fell by the wayside as new opportunities came up, leaving me feeling quite scattered. I’ve never liked loose ends.
I still have my blog. I have my art. I have pickleball! Yes, I had to cut back on that when I returned to work. With two extra days to accommodate, I will need to design some kind of routine. A flexible routine, but a routine.
In the wise words of Mister Rogers (Fred Rogers, American TV personality), “Often when you think you’re at the end of something, you’re at the beginning of something else.”
I’m excited to see where it leads!
Interesting Reads & Things
Nada. I couldn’t find anything about retiring for the second time. If you have any info, please share!
Wanderings Art 