I flunked Retirement

In the flurry of publishing my first novel, I hired a publicist for a whirlwind ten days in Houston. I had eight speaking engagements lined up for my friends and family living in Texas. The expensive publicist isn’t an investment I would repeat. However, at her suggestion, I wrote some articles from my former life. Since this writing gig is my fourth career, one of the nonfiction pieces was about retirement. And the fact that when I tried it, I flunked retirement.

I was surprised at the number of times it was picked up by the media. Last Thursday night while still in Houston, I did my first live interview.

Although I winced at some of the ‘wells’ and the ‘ums’ in the beginning, not all bad for the first in a very long time. These talks are like riding a bike. even though my bike riding skills were never totally awesome, I know I’ll get better at quickly formulating a reply without the need for non-words.

The host of the show, Health, Wealth and Wisdom, could not have been more gracious. He was unbothered by the few times when it sounded as if I had stopped talking. He could have become annoyed, but did not. Instead, he was intrigued by my thoughts about working and my thoughts about the inimical effects of boredom.

Too many friends and neighbors whose interests seem bounded by their dwindling investment portfolios and the increasing number of maladies that are applied with each visit to their doctor. They are consumed by what they watch each evening on the nightly news and feel depressed, anxious and sad about the country, the government, the economy and their lives. How tragic and unnecessary — and such a waste of skills and gifts.

Is Retirement a Cancer of the Soul?