On the first day of my "retirement" from a lifetime of service to libraries, I couldn't help but check out the definition. Google: define retirement ;-)
re·tire [ri-tahyuhr] verb, re·tired,re·tir·ing, noun, verb (used without object)1. to withdraw, or go away or apart, to a place of privacy,shelter, or seclusion: He retired to his study.2. to go to bed: He retired at midnight.3. to withdraw from office, business, or active life, usuallybecause of age: to retire at the age of sixty.4. to fall back or retreat in an orderly fashion and according toplan, as from battle, an untenable position, danger, etc.5. to withdraw or remove oneself: After announcing the guests,the butler retired.
re·tire [ri-tahyuhr] verb, re·tired,re·tir·ing, noun, verb (used without object)1. to withdraw, or go away or apart, to a place of privacy,shelter, or seclusion: He retired to his study.2. to go to bed: He retired at midnight.3. to withdraw from office, business, or active life, usuallybecause of age: to retire at the age of sixty.4. to fall back or retreat in an orderly fashion and according toplan, as from battle, an untenable position, danger, etc.5. to withdraw or remove oneself: After announcing the guests,the butler retired.
Initially, I found I didn't like any of those definitions... I am not withdrawing from life or heading into a place of seclusion, going to bed, or looking forward to falling back or retreating.
Yet then again, when I reread these definitions, I find there is some truth: I am heading down a path to a unique place of privacy, falling "forward" into a retreat when I no longer have to battle budget issues, staffing inadequacies, and campus politics.
I like the definition of Dr. Jack D. Williams, a clinical psychologist, when he says:
"retirement is the career change you make when you are no longer required to work full time and you have some freedom to choose the life that you want to live. Retirement is a career change because it has all the practical hallmarks of a career change, such as the need for planning, the need to learn about your own strengths and priorities, the need for networking, the change in income, the need to try out new things, and the choice of a new direction." http://www.jackdwilliamsphd.com/aboutretirementcoaching/definingretirement.html
You are free to follow me on this adventure as I explore this next stage in my "career of life." ...today I began with updating my Linked in profile, refiring Blogger to see how it has changed. But now head to the garden before the intense heat breaks through...
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