The Rigors and Joys of Retirement (Part Two — The Joys)

Ah, the joys of retirement.

It has taken me over 2 years to even begin to get the hang of it. It's a whole new way of life and, as indicated in the previous column, it is not entirely an unadulterated pleasure. But the pluses far outweigh the minuses.

There are many minor but pleasurable benefits which were not readily available previously: A leisurely lunch with friends, without glancing at my watch because of an urgent office appointment to rush back to;

A casual trip to the library just to browse instead of hunting against time for some particular book;

Shopping during uncrowded hours or being available during the day to the plumber or TV repairman is a luxury rarely given to working people;

More time to visit with elderly parents whose obvious pleasure at my appearance is rich reward;

It's a relief to leave a preoccupation with money matters — not only my own but also the clients'; and

Time for trivia and to putter.

Mostly, though, it's a time to think, a time to reflect, a time to stop and smell the roses and, especially, to explore new facets, dimensions and talents that may have lain dormant all these years.

It's not the element of free time upon retiring that enables you to seek other avenues and outlets. Rather, it is that your thinking is different: when you are liberated from a structured work environment, you are both literally and figuratively unshackled and cast adrift from your moorings. It is like sailing in unchartered waters without a compass.

Frightening, yes, but also exciting and a chance to discover an unknown island.

That's how I got into writing this column. My friend Stuart said, "Why don't you write an article for us? We could use some new material for the paper." Not having the excuse of an oppressive work schedule and tentatively wanting to explore somewhat, I agreed to one column only. I'm now on my 25th.

As a youth I always had 10-year plans. Well in advance I had plotted my college and career programs, and adhered to them. Such self-discipline and dedication was conducive to climbing up the ladder but it sure didn't leave time to improvise, give play to the imagination or stop to savor the flavors. Now, in retirement, I operate on an ad hoc basis and don't know what I'm going to do tomorrow, let alone one year hence.

I always had the notion that most of us have untapped talents, and yet the exigencies of work and striving to get ahead tend to channel aptitudes along limited bounds, namely: how to make more money. So retirement represents an opportunity to utilize hidden and latent abilities that many of us may have. How to uncover and develop those unused skills which have been long quiescent while we were making a living is an intriguing challenge.

How do I know that the two professions I had followed (accountancy and law) were the only ones that gave true expression to my natural capacities? Perhaps if I had followed another course, I might have been a successful producer of plays, teacher, historian or, even, a writer!

I find such exploration, tentative though it may be, exciting and rewarding.

I don't miss the stress of the corporate world. It's true that I found the excitement and challenge of work stimulating, but it really was time to let go after 45 years in the business world and seek adventure and growth elsewhere.

Fortunately, I was never a workaholic. To me, the thought that there was no more to life than work, work, work was unacceptable.

I have always been fascinated by the metamorphosis of the butterfly from the caterpillar. I view retirement in a symbolic sense as my opportunity to evolve from a plodding caterpillar to a soaring butterfly.

It won't happen overnight. It's tortuous. But I'm determined to embark on that journey.

Minor joys of retirement are augmented by the chance for discovery

Difficult as the transition has been, I have no regrets. Some additional thoughts on that aspect — next month.