I flunked Retirement
In the flurry of publishing my first novel, I hired a publicist for a whirlwind ten days in Houston where I had 8 speaking engagements lined up due to my friends and family living in Texas.
I would not do that again and recommend that others save their money. However, it was an interesting experience because there were opportunities I’d never have explored like writing articles from my former life.
At the suggestions of the publicist, I wrote a couple of nonfiction pieces for her to use in attempts to gain the attention of the media. Since this writing gig is my fourth career, one of the nonfiction pieces was on retirement. And the fact that I had never been interested in it, 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. I think these talks are sort of like riding a bike; despite the fact that my bike riding skills were never totally awesome, I know I’ll get better at quickly formulating a reply without the need of the non-words.
The host of the show Health, Wealth and Wisdom could not have been more gracious despite a few times when it sounded as if I had stopped talking, taking too long to formulate my next comment.
He could have become annoyed but did not. Instead, he was intrigued about 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?
