Retirement (by Prime Time Radio Host, Mike Cuthbert)
Every possible weekend, which this summer has meant every weekend, I drive up the highway to West Virginia and spend at least two days playing golf. I don’t play all that well, which frustrates me, but I spend a lot of time with the Men’s Golf Association where we have our summer place and I learn a lot.
Many of the men I play with live in retirement at the resort; many are like me: weekenders. Every week the question of retirement comes up and I am fascinated by the responses. About half say they are delighted to be retired, though they’re not sure about how their wives feel about it. The other half are like me, convinced that they will work until they drop.
I feel that way largely because I have never been confident that I would ever have enough money in the bank to be able to do nothing to earn more. Another reason is that, if I wake up in the morning with literally “nothing to do,” I feel strange, as if I’m ill.
On a recent show we talked with Mark Freedman about “encore” careers and it occurred to me again that there’s another way. [after August 14th, check local listings]. Freedman talks about people who get up in the morning and want something to do but they want whatever they do to have a wider impact than their first career, which was for themselves and their families. At the same time, he makes the point that volunteering is nice, but everybody takes what you do more seriously if there is some recompense. [More about Freedman on his website Civic Ventures.]
So, as I face my second total knee replacement in five years next week, I’m starting to look around for things to do to replace the golf I may not be able to play next summer. I’ve got some ideas that could help people while earning a little recompense. I wonder how many people are doing the same thing, even if they have both knees?
Retirement? I still can’t imagine it. But I’m working on some alternatives and that’s reason enough to get up in the morning.
Many of the men I play with live in retirement at the resort; many are like me: weekenders. Every week the question of retirement comes up and I am fascinated by the responses. About half say they are delighted to be retired, though they’re not sure about how their wives feel about it. The other half are like me, convinced that they will work until they drop.
I feel that way largely because I have never been confident that I would ever have enough money in the bank to be able to do nothing to earn more. Another reason is that, if I wake up in the morning with literally “nothing to do,” I feel strange, as if I’m ill.
On a recent show we talked with Mark Freedman about “encore” careers and it occurred to me again that there’s another way. [after August 14th, check local listings]. Freedman talks about people who get up in the morning and want something to do but they want whatever they do to have a wider impact than their first career, which was for themselves and their families. At the same time, he makes the point that volunteering is nice, but everybody takes what you do more seriously if there is some recompense. [More about Freedman on his website Civic Ventures.]
So, as I face my second total knee replacement in five years next week, I’m starting to look around for things to do to replace the golf I may not be able to play next summer. I’ve got some ideas that could help people while earning a little recompense. I wonder how many people are doing the same thing, even if they have both knees?
Retirement? I still can’t imagine it. But I’m working on some alternatives and that’s reason enough to get up in the morning.
Labels: aging, mike, retirement
posted by Mike Cuthbert at 10:24 AM
1 Comments:
It always seemed strange to me that just as you reach the age where you are an expert in your field, you have to stop it all. There must be a way to share this knowledge and experience with others, at the same time bridge the generation and cultural gaps.
Perhaps the answer to this is more blogging. :)
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