Retirement.

Today marks a year and a half since I retired.

18 months. It feels like 3 months, tops.

I had always heard retired people talk about how they’re so busy that they don’t know how they did everything while they were working full time. I understand that now.

I’m busy now too. Busier than I want to be on most days, to be honest.

I recently watched a Ted Talk by Dr Riley Moyner called The Four Phases of Retirement. They go like this:

1. Vacation. The routines stop and you feel like you are on an extended vacation, and it is wonderful!

2. Loss and Lost. Not only did you lose your routine, you also lost your identity and relationships and power and purpose. This is the hardest phase, and most retirees go through this. Some never go to phase 3, which is

3. Trial and Error. This is where you start exploring ways that you can contribute, ways you can find meaning. You work to overcome the feeling of disappointment because you lost the things mentioned in phase 2. That causes you to

4. Reinvent and Rewire. Through trial and error you land on a couple of things that give you purpose, meaning, a sense of accomplishment, a new mission.

So where am I on this continuum? I think I’m in Phase 3, leaning into Phase 4.

I enjoyed the vacation phase. My situation is a bit different than many others my age because I have a teenage daughter at home. So we didn’t travel a lot and my days were full of activities, but it did feel like I was on an extended vacation. It was fantastic!

There were days I had nothing on my schedule, and to be honest I felt like I was wasting time. I was so used to being on the little hamster wheel that I felt weird to not have a calendar full of meetings and to do lists. I had to learn it was ok to rest and slow down.

I don’t think I lost my identity. I tried hard, while I was working, to not build my identity around my job, so I don’t think I felt the loss some people feel. I did feel the loss of relationships and purpose, and it was weird to not be part of the decision making at the radio station any longer. Honestly, it was a weird combination of, “Dang, they don’t need me” and “Awesome, they don’t need me.”

My trial and error phase has included me researching and writing a new book, becoming a certified legal videographer, mentoring a younger radio manager at a midwestern radio station, getting my FAA drone license, helping a ministry develop a major motion picture, and dipping my toe into real estate videography…among other things.

I also applied for a job as a part time adjunct instructor at Delaware Tech, teaching Digital Storytelling and Digital Newsroom classes. I didn’t even get a call back, I’m told because I only have a degree from Delaware Tech. The irony.

I will be 68 next month but my health is good and my mind is sharp (I fully expect the jokes, so fire away), and I feel I have some productive years ahead of me. I also need to generate a little income, so I am hoping this Trial and Error Phase will soon lead to the Reinvent and Rewire phase.

I’m not stressing about it. I enjoy my days, and especially having the time to do things I couldn’t do when I was working full time. I trust God will show me what’s next.

If the next 18 months go as fast, and are as rewarding, as the previous 18 months, I will be the most blessed man I know.