I met an acquaintance while I was out shopping today. Her husband retired about 8 years ago and she followed some 5 years ago. They are about 15 years older than I am and have lived a very different life than most of us baby boomers, having been born before the Second World War and when their parents were still dealing with the Great Depression. They are a very lively, involved pair of people with an active social life and great rapport with their children and grandchildren.

It was wonderful to reconnect with this warm, wise woman. And it reminded me that there seems to be a "phase in" to retirement. Let's call the phases 'getting used to a new life', 'in full swing' and 'coasting to the finish'. This couple seems to be in the process of shifting from the 'getting used to a new life' phase to the 'in full swing' phase.

'Getting used to a new life' is that phase of life immediately after the day that full-time work ceases, where people are actively adjusting to a radically new life. For some people this phase includes part-time, contract or occasional bouts of paid work. For me these folks have a different adjustment path than those of us who don't consider ourselves retired and continue working, but possibly work a little less as the years pass.

For those who 'retire' there is a definite period of getting used to a new life. I've talked in other postings about some of those adjustments: what activities and pursuits are going to occupy our time and do they satisfy and gratify our need for meaning in our life? how much is too much/not enough together time? who's needs and wants take priority? when is it time to downsize and what are its implications? etc., etc., etc. I don't think I can emphasize enough what a challenge it can be to deal with the many issues and challenges that arise during this 'getting used to a new life' period.

But sooner or later what was new begins to become routine. In my experience and from the research I've done into retirement trends, somewhere between years 5 and 8 of retirement, couples begin to shift into the 'in full swing' phase of retirement. An equilibrium in the relationship has been re-established (for better or for worse!), new patterns have been established (again for better or for worse), and couples begin to experience a 'settling into' a life and lifestyle that no longer has the sharp edges, regular new discoveries and periods of active negotiation that characterized the 'getting used to a new life' stage. This stage, of course, only really occurs for a couple when both parties survive the first stage of retirement. For some 15-20% of retired couples they'll never make it to this phase as an active couple. For some, one partner will have died from the biggies like heart attack, stroke, cancer or accident. For others, one partner will have become severely disabled from one of the above or from other diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimers, other dementias or who knows what else. It's a sad fact, but the much anticipated retirement isn't a fun time for us all. There are many people who will go through two stages of 'getting used to a new life': one as a couple adjusting to retirement, the second as an individual adjusting to life without a partner.

But for those of us who create a life where we move on with our partner, the 'in full swing' phase of retirement can be an extremely satisfying and enjoyable period of our lives. My acquaintance and her husband seem to have moved into this phase very successfully. They have created a rhythm for living that works for them both. He has his time, friends and activities; she has hers; and then they have their shared ones. They live in a community with lots of other retired folks and have a 'signaling' system of placing a sign out in the yard on days that they would welcome visitors and have worked out a pot luck process so that the costs are shared yet a sense of connection and community is created.

The 'in full swing' period of retirement can go on for a very extended period of time, as long as health and interests are sustained. But eventually we'll all end up in the 'coasting to the finish' phase. Right now that isn't a phase of retirement that attracts my interest a whole lot so I don't have a lot to say about it. And given my earlier posting about how our beliefs and thoughts create our reality, I think it may well be a phase of retirement that no one knows much about. It could be that our baby boom generation is about to re-write the book on this phase of life. ...stay tuned!

I find that I'm very drawn to people in the 'getting used to a new life' phase because, for me, it feels like a highly potent, creative period of people's lives. Many aspects of their lives are up for grabs in terms of considering new possibilities. Much of what they have held as boundaries, edges beyond which they shouldn't stray or limitations they carry are open to reconsideration. Renewal, reawakening and rejuvenation is palpably present in their thoughts. They are, for me, very exciting people to work with and I get to discover so much about myself in the process. It is great to be present to people's discovery that now is the time of their life when they can give themselves permission to become Self-ish and to journey with them as they go boldly where they have never gone before!

There was a 2-page spread in my local newspaper the other day about epigenetics. That's a newish branch of science that acknowledges that the DNA conversation isn't quite as cut and dried as many would have us believe. While DNA may encode many traits and diseases, we now know that there are things such as perception that act upon DNA to activate it or even to change its coding. Cool, eh? Having been a fan of Dr. Bruce Lipton's work for some time, I became aware earlier than many that the human body didn't operate quite so much like a machine as many scientists and doctors would like. Because we carry a gene for something doesn't mean that we are doomed for it to become active. It appears that our beliefs about our world are powerful mitigators in a complex process that determines what gets activated and what remains dormant. For me, this kind of article in the popular press is always exciting because it tells me that new discoveries, new thinking is not only possible, but that even though it takes longer than I'd like to impact the world, it still happens.

So what does this have to do with retirement you ask? Well, for me, it speaks to the fact that our perceptions about the world around us have a direct impact on our physical health. And let's face it, whether you are edging towards retirement like me, are boldly stepping into it, or are still trying to decide, health is an ever present conversation connected to aging ...for our generation, at least.

It may well be that for our children and grandchildren the conversation will change dramatically as the implications of epigenetics are explored. How much of the decrepitude that we presume is a fact of aging is a fact only because we presume it to be? Are we really genetically encoded to physically go to hell in a handbasket as we age? Or is it that way because we think it is that way?

The link between our habits of thought, our deeply held beliefs and our physical 'reality' is one that has fascinated me for a long, long time. My coaching and workshops are an exploration of these topics and the creativity work I do with clients shows me time and time again just how powerful the link is. So I am wondering a lot these days about what the future is going to look like for us boomers because we think differently.

Already we are experiencing some of that change in the "60 is the new 40" phenomena. Mind you, I sometimes wonder how much botox is keeping that boat afloat! However, I look around at many of my friends and see so many alive, vibrant, creative, lively people who don't look or act their chronological age. (I also see lots of people significantly younger who look old and used up before their time and who seem to have very negative outlooks on life.) Even those who, like me, aren't fitness freaks and who choose to let the gray show seem able to move through the world with an energy and optimism that I don't remember being present for my parents or their friends when they were the same age.

I believe that this new 'think young' approach many of us have is going to serve us well as we add more calendar years. And here's what I think is the challenge for many people: 'retirement' for many signifies slowing down, moving away from too much involvement, etc. When that is our attitude, I don't think that ill health and decline are very far away. And the stats are there to back it up ...death rates are high in the first few years after retirement, and it appears that they are higher amongst those who have created the fewest meaningful plans for themselves. A real 'use it or lose it' scenario.

Dr. James Nininger, a former CEO of the Conference Board of Canada argues that we need to 'get a life while you're working' based on his study of retirement. He found that an active and varied life outside work helps people make a smooth transition into retirement. And StatsCan has lots of data linking our investment in preparing for retirement to the quality of our experience of retirement. Surely concrete evidence of a link between our thinking and the outcomes we experience.

So back to epigenetics ...I am extremely curious about how our thinking about ourselves as we age will impact on the rate at which many things we presume to be genetically encoded will actually occur. I wonder what the long-term health impact will be for those of us who continue to create meaning in our lives rather than allowing ourselves to quietly fade away on some ingrained set of societal beliefs about what's possible for us as we age.

My cozy little world got well shaken a few days ago when I found out that a good friend and colleague had lost her home in a fire and that her elderly mother had died in that fire. It was yet another reminder about the fragility of life as we know it ...and an invitation to ponder how often we create those invitations for ourselves as we age.

Like me, I'm sure if you are edging towards retirement, or are actually living it, you'll be finding that the number of times you hear about friends, acquaintenances and colleagues dying is increasing. Now I hold myself to be fortunate in that I was widowed at a very young age so have carried with me all my adult life a mindfulness that life can change in a heartbeat. Many of my friends and clients are only now coming to grips with this 'reality' and I've had over 30 years to live in such a way that I savored life as it unfolded rather than defering my enjoyment of it until some mythical time in the future.

In chatting with my good buddy Mike, we are both struck by how strong the belief is amongst our peers that deferred gratification is somehow good for you. We've also noticed that in our generation it is also a specific kind of defered gratification ...creating a meaningful life seems to be something many of us keep putting off until other goals and objectives have been reached and satisfied. We're not very good at deferred gratification in the physical sense: we want the big houses, nice cars, quality furnishings, glamorous vacations, spa treatments, nicely turned out bodies that require frequent trips to the spa and esthetician, kids who are well dressed, well (and expensively) educated, etc., etc., etc. And most of us are prepared to work at jobs that drain our soul (or that we detest) in order to have it all.

I was talking to a potential client one day about his future. He had just spent some time telling me about how miserable his life was, how trapped he felt by many things and that the only thing that kept him going was the dream of a retirement where he would finally be able to be happy, to relax and enjoy himself and where he'd have all the time in the world to discover his true Self.

He was startled when I asked him how he thought he was going to accomplish all of this when he was 55+ if he wasn't able to now. It had never dawned on him that there was no magic switch that turned on and turned him into a different person when he got the gold watch at his retirement party. It was shocking for him to discover that all the things that he dreamt about retirement were based in patterns of thinking and that he was investing himself not one iota in learning how to think himself into being happy, being relaxed, enjoying life, discovering himSelf.

Happiness doesn't happen just because you've saved the requisite amount of money that financial planners say you should and you no longer go to work every day. Happiness and contentment are things you learn to create for yourself. You have to be awake to notice when they are present and you have to invest yourself in a discovery process so that you know what brings you that state of being.

One of the exercises I get my career transition and retirement clients to engage is an exploration of the topic "success". Try it yourself ...make a list of 20 successes you've had in your life. Make the successes as specific as possible ('I took vacation with my kids that summer that my boss required so much overtime' as opposed to 'I was a good parent'). Have them be things that are meaningful to you about your life as opposed to what others thought were successes ('I turned that difficult client into an ally' rather than 'I got the 2004 Customer Service award). Go back as far in your life as you want and look in all areas of your life: work, home, hobbies, sports, community, spiritual, etc., etc. When you have your list completed, reflect on it for a while. What do you know about your rules for yourself and success? (e.g. could you even find 20 stories or is your benchmark so high that only the most noble efforts quality?) What are the patterns hidden in your list? (e.g. do you only notice success if you've had a problem to overcome?) Do your successes cluster in time? (e.g. all your successes happened before you turned 35/after you got married or promoted/when you were taking courses).

When you've completed this exercise, make a list of all the people you know or know of (include celebrities or public figures). What is it about them that you hold them successful? What are the indicators you use to define success in someone else? How does this list compare to what you know about how you assess success in yourself? ...don't be surprised to discover that success in others in measured largely in things like accumulation of status symbols (including recognition), apparent wealth, etc. Also don't be surprised to discover that the measures you use on yourself are significantly tougher, more values based and dismiss many of the external trappings of your life. What does this mean for you in your later years do you think? Will you continue to feel like a success when you are no longer gainfully employed? When you no longer have travel and a nice job title to back you up? How do success, happiness and contentment dance together for you?

What's their relationship to resilience? Because what I've noticed as I've lost friends through death, addiction or diseases such as Alzheimer's is that my resilience is key to my remaining hale, hearty and whole as my life moves on. I choose not to become brittle and embittered despite whatever tragedies occur around me. And I know my investment in my own Self growth is the key to it all. I am absolutely convinced that staying awake to my inner states is critical to living richly and rewardingly, regardless of my age or physical condition. So I thank my friend for the reminder to stay awake, to enjoy my life as it unfolds rather than waiting for the time for enjoyment to come along, and to create each day as a meaningful one so that when my last day arrives I can leave knowing that my journey has been a great one.

I haven't posted for the past few days because I have been busy up-dating the content of my website that provides resources for people on life's journey ...especially people in transition and people exploring the 'retirement' conversation. Those who know me at all well will attest to the fact that when I take on a task like that I become very single minded. But here I am back, with new ideas flowing through me as a result of that experience.

As I annotated various books that I've read, websites, blogs and podcasts that I've discovered I realized that work continues to be the crucible within which so many of us find meaning in our later years. But that the nature of work changes for us substantially. As we age we are less and less willing to work at things that bring us no satisfaction or joy. We are also less and less willing to work in conditions where we are not respected as the contributing adults that we are. And we are more demanding in terms of hours that suit us, customers we can relate to and a pace that suits us.

Is it any wonder then that I came across so many people who start their own business as they retire from life-long careers. Many of our large, corporate employers continue to engage HR policies and practices that older workers find unacceptable or offensive. And the day is quickly coming, I believe, when they will pay the price for their antiquated approaches. But that feels like another conversation.

What I want to talk about today are the many interesting businesses I've come across that reflect today's new 'retirement' reality (gotta find a new term!). There is one business in my local community that I've been watching for some time. Who'da thought that a retired civil servant would have the vision and the moxy to create a highly successful, high end mail order business and medical supply company as his second and third careers? But that is exactly what Leonard Lee of Ottawa's Lee Valley Tools has done. You can Google his name to get the full story, but this man has created a business in his retirement that has set a new standard for providing not only quality supplies to the home woodworker and diy geek but that has placed customer service and satisfaction at the forefront of its business model. And after spending years developing that success, Leonard discovered that one of his customers was a surgeon who had found that some of his woodworking scalpels was more effective than those he could buy within the medical supply community. And now Leonard is off on his third career of developing high quality surgical products for the medical community. I believe that Leonard is now well into his 70's and is going strong. He's definitely been an inspiration to me!

Another person who has inspired me for some time is a guy named Alex. So far he's been my oldest coaching client. We worked together over 5 years ago and he was 77 at that time. He was moving back to Canada after years out of the country and was looking for coaching on how to successfully market himself within this marketplace. ...I kept thinking as I worked with him that he was the model for who I wanted to become as I aged!

My friend and client Cathy lives on the East coast and at 65 has an active coaching/workshop practice working with women in corporate environments around the topic of women's leadership. Feisty and opinionated, Cathy has created a very interesting working model. She coaches and leads workshops from September to May and then works with her son in his landscaping business each summer. Her keen interest in people and gardening is fed and nourished through this non-traditional approach to operating her business.

Another friend and client in Eastern Canada is Pat who is also 65 and has an active coaching and counselling practice. She works on behalf of children and is often called upon by the courts to represent children's interests in ugly contested divorce situations where children are caught in the middle of battling parents.

Carole is another East coast client and friend who left a tenured academic position at a prestigious university to become an innkeeper. As she approaches 60, Carole is aware that her inn is much more than a travel destination for her. It is a place where people can grow and evolve and she is constantly seeking out ways in which to offer services to her global clients base that will invite them to claim more of their potential as human beings.

These thumbnail sketches only talk about folks I have personal experience of. If you go to my website at www.ouicoach.com you'll discover many others that I've come across in my search and whom I haven't met personally.

None of these people are 'slowing down' in the traditional sense. Most of us work long hours at work that demands much of us. And yet we are enlivened and stimulated by that work because it is based in something that fulfills us and provides deep meaning to our lives. I don't know of any of these people who do what they do for the money, although most of them make a darned fine living as a result of their efforts. They do what they do because it is an expression of the essence of who they are in this world. To not do it would be unthinkable because it would be a denial of who they are and can become.

As you explore the retirement question, I'm curious about what you know about the essence of yourself and how that essence will find fulfillment and expression? For me, one of the most exciting things that awaits many people who have been wage slaves all their lives is that 'retirement' may well be the sound of a door opening on the most rewarding, fullfilling and uplifting period of their lives. ...c - r - e - e - e - a - k!!

I'm thinking today about redefining yourself in retirement ...not only how you go about doing it, but why it is mandatory that you do.

Most of us live our lives blissfully unaware of the identity box that we have created for ourselves. Actually it is probably a series of nested boxes. Perhaps you have a manager identity nested inside a project management specialist identity which in turn nests inside a telecommunications box which in turn nests inside a 'worker' identity box. If you talk to people who've been downsized or who have already retired you'll discover that there comes a moment when they realize that all of those identity 'boxes' fall away and they find themselves sitting there feeling very naked, vulnerable and quite possibly very insecure.

Because identity tends not to have much rational about it. We can convince ourselves that we have money in the bank, that our spouse loves and supports us, that our friends are excited for us because we are moving into a whole new phase of life. Yet that moment inevitably arrives.

I remember when I volunteered to take my company's downsizing offer about a decade ago. I was excited and committed to a new future. My company gave me a 3-yr planning horizon for the shift and extensive coaching and support in making the transition. I had educated myself, taken re-training, done extensive internal explorations and I was pumped. Then a few months after I had formally left my employment I was in some administrative situation where I had to fill out a form that inquired about my employment. As excited as I was about being the President of my own company when I reached to fill in that spot I felt all the air leave my bubble of excitement. All of a sudden I became aware that the corporate employment identity that had been behind me all my life was no longer there.

Yes, I filled in the form with my new information and I got whatever it was I was applying for, but that moment of realization stuck with me for months as I really settled into my new reality. I was no longer a wage slave; I would never again be able to rely on having the name of a big corporation as the deep back-up for who I was in the world.

I have seen numerous clients experience a similar crisis of identity when they have left corporate workplaces. I wonder how many people to have stepped over the edge into retirement have had a similar experience and what it's impact has been on their lives. For me, these are life's big moments. The ones that open up the possibility and potential for us to surprise ourselves and choose to become so much more than we ever thought possible. What I'm curious about today is whether any of us can ever anticipate these moments and take actions that will avoid them ...or do they simply pop up when we least expect them and they become our invitations to become more.

Because I don't believe that Identity is meant to be a static thing. We are is always meant to be changing and evolving. Do we have the courage to let go of what has defined us and move into the undefined world of the future?

The process of waking up each day is a very fertile process for me. Some of my most insightful thoughts occur in those moments when sleep is dissipating and my intellect is reclaiming my mind. Today's insight is related to the title I've used for this blog "edging towards retirement". I just noticed how much "edging towards" is a strategy I use for living my life.

And it's paradoxical because I hold myself to be a get-going, take charge, no dawling around kind of person. ha, ha, ha, ha ...looks like I am that and an "edger" too. I notice that the get-going, take charge Me occurs either in situations that are highly routine and the mundane aspects of living life ...household projects, logistics for my business, etc., etc. The "edging towards" Me comes out to play as I'm getting busy to make a major decision.

I remember back to my 2nd marriage. I knew within 6 months of signing on the dotted line that I'd made a terrible mistake, yet it took me another 3 years to increasing misery to extricate myself from the situation. I've had numerous jobs in my life where I know it's time to move on and yet I stay as I "edge towards" making the decision to move on.

It seems like the need to "edge towards" something typically surfaces when there are personal relationships involved. Jumping right into it is the strategy I seem to evoke when I'm engaging with things or abstracts.

So now I find myself wondering what relationships I anticipate shifting dramatically when retirement finally arrives in my life ...is it my relationship to mySelf and what's possible for me? is it my relationship with Greg? Is it something quite different that I've never noticed before because I haven't been paying attention? I also notice that the language I use around retirement is pretty passive ...when retirement 'arrives' presupposes that I won't have any say in the matter, it'll just show up and impose itself on my one day. ...now that's an interesting take on how I seem to be creating my world!

I think I'm heading into a very interesting week as I mindfully begin to track for all the times I step into something and all the times I notice myself 'edging towards' other things to see whether these patterns are as present and entrenched as I suspec they are. I notice that I'm beginning to wonder what the advantages are for me to live this way? And probably even more importantly how do I limit myself by living this way? Where else in my life am I 'edging towards' rather than just making a damned decision and getting on with it???

I got to thinking about the kinds of things that would concern me if my sweetie pie and I were to suddenly find ourselves in a situation where we were together 24/7 ...like retired people are.

I know that since we downsized a few years ago we'd have issues about use of space. Our home is an open concept one and sound travels easily. Greg uses our loft as his home office and has his own TV. However, we do bump up against one another when we're watching separate TV shows and the soundtracks start to clash. I suppose that earphones would be a solution, but it sure feels like it would introduce an artificiality to home life. I wonder how we'd feel about the amount of space we can create for ourselves if we lived together in this tiny place without any other place to go on a regular basis.

Another concern I'd have is negotiating the amount of together time. We both have a number of interests and hobbies but I know that my need for independent time is far greater than Greg's. I don't know how we'd deal with that over the long haul. Definitely a conversation we need to explore.

And then there's the lunch question. Greg's a pretty independent guy and does lots of housework (I'm not certain I'd know how to work the washer/dryer anymore, for example). But cooking is my job and I notice that it doesn't matter if we're both working from home or not but he always looks to me to get lunch for us. And it really irritates me. Somehow, I'm okay with getting dinner, but lunch seems to have this 'taking care of the kid' quality to it. It feels like that would be a big negotiating/adjustment point for me.

And then there is the whole conversation about finding meaning in life. I know that our hobbies help provide that, but I'm not certain what else I'd discover that provides as much as my work does. This definitely is something I/we need to spend time proactively working on. Because even though I have no intention of 'retiring' in a traditional sense, I know that life can offer up magical surprises such as accidents, health issues, etc. I'd like to have thought some of this through in case its required!

For all the talk on the web about retirement, there are precious few blogs, apparently, that are actually exploring the issues people are discovering from the experience of retiring.

Now it may seem a bit paradoxical that I am searching so diligently for those conversations since I am not retired and don't plan to retire, but I am so aware of them in my friends and clients that I can't believe others aren't having them.

I'm especially curious about how life partners adjust the dance of their relationship to accommodate their new circumstances. I think about my friends Sally and Bill. She is still working and plans to work for quite a few years. He has full-time retired from a life-time civil service position. He remains physically active but she can see him slowing down mentally after only a year off the job. They noticed that they had started to drink a lot on a regular basis and have chosen to cut back on their alcohol consumption because of the long term implications for their health. They continue to get along pretty well but only if they make an effort to stay out of one another's hair much of the day. In many ways Sally dread the day that she doesn't have work to provide some meaning to her life.

Then there is Natalie and Don. He always earned significantly more than she did and had an "important" managerial job while she was an office admin person. He retired early and she soon followed but finally went back to work because she couldn't stand being around him 24/7. All he wanted to do was give her directions on how she could do everything better, more efficiently ...even though he was completely unwilling to lift a hand beyond what had been his traditional duties of mowing the lawn and taking out the garbage. Lots and lots of tension between those two. And it continues because now he has opinions about how she should be spending her money. But at least she has a few hours of respite each week. I wonder how and if they are ever going to last long since they are only in their early 60s.

And then there are Cilla and Doug. Took early retirement to look after aging parents and damned near killed themselves with the strain of caregiving. Now they are back on their own and beginning to experience one health problem after another, even though they have money, travel extensively and seem to have lots of friends. I'm not certain that they really have all that much to say to one another and I'm beginning to wonder if illness is not giving them something to take about!

Gee, just describing my perceptions of those relationships in retirement has recommitted me to having this "edging towards retirement" process last a very, very long time!

Are you someone who is in a relationship and has concerns about retirement that you'd like to share? Are you actually living with the outfall of relationship stress due to retirement? I'd love to hear from you.

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!