I’m in my last three weeks of full time work, and I find myself struggling a bit. I need to keep myself going by focusing on what I can do, what I need to delegate, and what I just can’t do at all. It’s called Letting Go, and it’s a lot harder than I thought. Here’s what I’ve learned so far.
This dish I created years ago based solely on what I was growing in my garden. You can switch out any ingredient you don’t like, and add any you do. Make this YOUR recipe. You can play with the herbs for a different taste. I use in the sauce a hearty red wine like a Sangiovese, Zinfandel, Barbera or Nebbiolo. Anything robust and Italian goes great in this dish. We then finish what’s left in the bottle with dinner.
Cooking is not just for retired people. It’s gaining greater status for the younger generation as well, who are more concerned about what they’re putting in their bodies, do not want packaged or processed food with chemicals, sodium or the like, and the high cost of pre-made food. People of my generation who have existed on take-out during their working lives are getting into it too, and are starting to cook seriously in their 50’s and 60’s.
There are so many emotions roiling about right now, that I am not sure which one is the most dominant. I think the top five are: scared, apprehensive, sad, wistful, and a bit excited. What’s even stranger, I’ve discovered you CAN feel all of these at once without exploding. And it’s OK.
The other evening as I was shutting down from work I got a text from a close friend and neighbor. “What are you doing tonight?”. A phone call followed shortly after with “We’re coming over. And bringing something to share. Tell Vlad.”. (click) To say I was intrigued is an understatement. It turns out Cecille retired today.
I’ve always joked that I only look at my company’s job postings to make sure my job isn’t in it. Usually good for a chuckle. Today, there it was – a job posting for my replacement.
Late Boomers are retiring earlier, and are facing challenges no other group has before, and we are looking for information to ease our path. Other than financial stuff designed to scare you into thinking you’ll never have enough money – so you might as well get that job in retail immediately – there is very little useful info available on what really happens to you when you retire. This is a major life transformation, and the best advice is to go back to work for less money? That’s like telling an alcoholic to have another drink – of the cheap stuff.
I can’t believe I am writing these words. Yes, I had The Conversation with my boss. It went very well. Here’s why.
After a lot of thought, and discussion within the family, I decided I would offer my boss an arrangement where I could work part time on contract for a while, use that time to help hire and then train my replacement, continue to offer global PR consulting to the company’s clients, and pass on some more knowledge to my stellar team.
The User's Guide to Retirement 