Good timing on the publication of this piece. Not 24 hours ago I was discussing this very topic with fellow ex-13-30/Whittle Communications editor Tom Lombardo of Atlanta. At age 71, Tom is working on his doctoral dissertation in English literature. At age 67, I'm finishing my second year of law school. For both of us, the so called age of retirement is actually an age of retrenchment. We have no illusions that anyone will hire us post graduation. But we are both imbued with confidence that somehow we'll continue to find ways to apply old and new knowledge and experiences to someone's benefit – teaching for him, helping the legally disenfranchised for me. Thankfully, the urgency of having to make a living has faded for both of us. Sadly, I see others (not all, of course) of my age bracket and financial status leaving multi-decade careers and soon at a loss for purpose or direction. To those folks I humbly suggest, live like Klaus, a popular adage here in Colorado. A skiwear entrepreneur and Aspen resident, Klaus Obermeyer (https://obermeyer.com/company-history/klaus-obermeyer) still skis at age 101, having begun the sport as a three-year-old in his native Bavaria. He still works at his clothing company and aims to live at least to age 103 so that he can boast of a century of skiing. The end of long career need not spell the end of purpose, the key to a long life. All of us can find purpose at any life stage, as the excellent examples in your post demonstrate, Don. Go for it. Crank up the next life stage. Live like Klaus.
Jimmy Carter comes to mind...
Good timing on the publication of this piece. Not 24 hours ago I was discussing this very topic with fellow ex-13-30/Whittle Communications editor Tom Lombardo of Atlanta. At age 71, Tom is working on his doctoral dissertation in English literature. At age 67, I'm finishing my second year of law school. For both of us, the so called age of retirement is actually an age of retrenchment. We have no illusions that anyone will hire us post graduation. But we are both imbued with confidence that somehow we'll continue to find ways to apply old and new knowledge and experiences to someone's benefit – teaching for him, helping the legally disenfranchised for me. Thankfully, the urgency of having to make a living has faded for both of us. Sadly, I see others (not all, of course) of my age bracket and financial status leaving multi-decade careers and soon at a loss for purpose or direction. To those folks I humbly suggest, live like Klaus, a popular adage here in Colorado. A skiwear entrepreneur and Aspen resident, Klaus Obermeyer (https://obermeyer.com/company-history/klaus-obermeyer) still skis at age 101, having begun the sport as a three-year-old in his native Bavaria. He still works at his clothing company and aims to live at least to age 103 so that he can boast of a century of skiing. The end of long career need not spell the end of purpose, the key to a long life. All of us can find purpose at any life stage, as the excellent examples in your post demonstrate, Don. Go for it. Crank up the next life stage. Live like Klaus.
Uplifting Read! Thank you!