Old Girl Thinks Ahead

I’ve been thinking a lot about retirement.

This may seem odd since I’ve been retired, as in not working for money, for several years. But I’ve stayed connected to work, to things that require that I have a calendar and show up, read boring things and have an opinion about them, and act like a leader or actually lead, depending on the circumstance. Now, as those things start to sunset, I’m thinking about actual retirement. What would that look like?

My first impulse is to think of new work. Certainly, there is plentiful advocacy work ahead. Pick a number, any number. And there’s an election coming with lots of candidates that need to win. But work like I’ve had with a title and responsibilities and status (albeit volunteer), well, that’s not going to be as plentiful at 78 as it was even five years ago.

I’ll lean into my dogs, I think. And my writing. And I’ll become quirky and more radical. And I’ll finally learn how to be just a person in the world, how to show up without a name tag, not care about position or status. Be an old lady picking up litter at the park (oh wait, I am that now).

Just relax into being a human being with nothing to prove.

That would be an entirely new experience. Curiously daunting.