Like many people of my baby-boom generation, the idea of retiring the way my parents did (e.g. quit work one day and spend the rest of my life on an extended holiday) holds little appeal for me. There are days when the thought of life becoming a round of shopping, gardening, visiting family and friends with the occasional vacation trip thrown in for some excitement seems appealing ...for about 5 minutes!

Then the thought of not having something meaty to chew on in terms of challenges, of not having the excitement of wondering what new client might call today, of not being out and about in the world in the way that is only available through work rises to the surface and I know that the traditional retirement path is not one for me.

Now it's not like I'm one of those people who only has work in her life or whose identity is shaped and framed by work. I have lots of interests and hobbies ...and an abiding joy for the type of work I've created for myself. I also have lived huge parts of my life focused on creating a way of living that is unique to me and that works for me rather than following social conventions. So it really feels like creating my own unique response to the later years of my life is in keeping with this tradition.

And I know that I am not alone in my interest in creating a new way of retiring. Actually, I've been working for some time on finding/creating a new name for the process because "retirement" doesn't really apply to how I view my future. I have several friends who join me in these conversations on a regular basis and we all seem to be searching and seeking in a similar way of talking about the later years of our lives.

I'm also aware that as 60 looms closer and closer much is changing about me, both attitudinally and physically. Many habits I've had for decades seem to be shifting all by themselves so that I notice that I'm enjoying things I never used to and I no longer enjoy some of the things that were big parts of my life in earlier years. For example, I recently noticed myself actually having fun doing garden maintenance.

I've been an intermittent exerciser all my life. But I'm noticing that the bouts of exercise I engage in are becoming more frequent ...who knows, one day they may just meld together and I'll have become a regular exerciser. Lord knows, I could certainly use it. While I have lots of energy, I do notice that I huff and puff more than I used to and my old joints aren't as fluid as they used to be.

My tolerance for the nonsense of political correctness is also getting thinner with each passing month. I am a fat person and I really notice my intolerance in that arena. People really become uncomfortable when I refer to myself fat ...they rush to assure me that I am merely pleasantly plump or lecture me about how hard I am on myself, etc., etc. Another big topic filled with political correctness is the topic of aging. I'm sure I don't have to tell you about the euphemistic terms people use!

And that brings me back to an alternative term for "retirement". I've been web surfing extensively in the past few days and have come across these gems "golden odyssey" "2nd act" "third life" "golden age" "new retirement" "unretirement".

My plan for this blog is to capture my thoughts about the whole "retirement" topic. And perhaps through this exploration create a new word or perhaps even vocabulary for the experience.

Your thoughts on whether you are edging towards retirement or whether you are jumping/have jumped right in are welcomed!