O P I N I O N

BOOMER LIFE

By Annette Kurman

You may be feeling as I am. You are at the traditional age when one “retires,” but you’re not ready to give up the ______________ (fill in the blank) associated with working. (Money, structure, collegiality, etc.)

I feel I am dancing on the edge of a knife (the unsharp side, of course) where one side is retirement, and the other side is work. I’m playing the middle at this point as I garner the benefits of each side: I work as a nurse on my terms, not constrained by full or part-time work, but being available as a substitute nurse or for working full-time for a specific period of time. (Look out, I may be administering flu shots at your CVS!) At this point in my life, I need that structure, collegiality, and the ability to work with the public. Okay, and the money doesn’t hurt.

But then I look at my fully retired acquaintances taking long daily walks together during traditional work hours, playing Mahjong (or whatever games float their boats) during the day, taking spur-of-the moment vacations or escapes. But what about the rest of the time? Just looking at Manchester’s Cashin Senior Center’s calendar, I can spend the entire day there actively engaged in different activities. Or will I opt to “sleep in” or, conversely, get up at the crack of dawn?

I’m slowly, very slowly — like over several years — putting together a post full-time work life where I hope I can continue to do the things I enjoy, learn things I’ve always wanted to learn (still working on what those are), take advantage of last-minute get-aways, take up new hobbies, make new friends, and spend more time with my family. I don’t want to have days where I have no specific place to be but out to walk my dog. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; plenty of folks get their (and their dog’s) exercise on daily walks and it’s doctor-recommended (not necessarily with a dog). In fact, you may see me with my dog, Gracie, in Manchester’s North End,  listening to my Pandora station and boogying on down or up the street and singing out loud with the Rolling Stones.

Fortunately, Gracie (my dog) and I walk fast, so if anyone hears us, it’s not for long.

I’m a work in progress. 

You can conspire with Annette Kurman at annette.kurman@gmail.com