When I think about why people retire, I think it’s because they want their time back. Many people spend their careers showing up to a place and working eight or more hours per day doing something they may or may not enjoy. They would probably rather spend that time with family or working on a hobby. They want to have choice.
Early in my working years I used to envy older employees who were about to retire. It seemed like a sense of accomplishment. I would think damn, “they made it.” They seemed like the lucky ones.
Now that I am in the middle of my career I view retirement differently. I wonder what people are going to do with their time. The thought of operating without a purpose sounds depressing. I bet that’s why there are stories of people dying not long after they retire.
My favorites retirement stories are of folks who start another career. Not because they need the money, but because they have the option to choose something different for themselves. My girlfriend’s dad volunteers 30 hours per week as the president of his neighborhood’s HOA. He doesn’t do it because he needs to, but because he wants to.
Retirement is not about walking off into the sunset and living a life of leisure. As human beings we need purpose. And there is nothing purposeful about leisure.
