What constitutes “retirement”?

How does one define retirement? If you retire from your job and then pick up some part-time work, are you still retired? If you go back to full-time work for a contract position are you still retired? If you take up other work, or a hobby becomes a paid gig, are you still retired?

This argument discussion is played out brilliantly here, at Our Next Life – a delightful blog I came across recently. Mr. and Ms. Our Next Life are a young couple who are planning on retiring early – later this year in fact, at the tender ages of 38 and 41.

It is definitely worth a read. Go ahead, I’ll be here when you come back:

https://ournextlife.com/2017/03/29/retirement-police/

I like Ms. ONL’s definition of retirement: I define retirement not as playing shuffleboard or any other tired old images, but as leaving your primary career to do the things you’d rather be doing.

And really, why are we arguing about this? Who the hell cares what constitutes retirement, and who are these retirement police anyways?!

I’m retired if and when I say so, no matter what I happen to be doing at the time. So long as it’s not what I have been doing full-time for the past 30+ years for my career. If we don’t agree, what are you gonna do about it? Fire me???

Wait, you can’t…because I. WILL. BE. RETIRED.

Rock on,

The WB