Notes from a baby-boomer retiree: Finding a new identity as you make the transition
April 22, 2006
I'm from the first class of baby-boomers having been born in 1946.
I retired from my work almost two years ago and I've learned a lot that might be helpful to baby-boomers behind me who are getting ready for this major transition in their lives.
First, I need to say that I'm glad I retired. It was time for me to make a change. My attitude about the type of work I was in went from poor to poorer. I had done it long enough. I was ready for the next chapter and that's where the challenge has been.
My identity had always been centered around my family, particularly when the kids were at home and my job. Well, now the kids are out on their own in other states and my job is . . . And, that's where the rub comes in.
My wife is a teacher in a Christian school and I really love to watch what she does and I love supporting her in any way that I can. Learning about teachers and what they do has been great. That only goes so far though.
I could volunteer, but I did that while I was working and pretty much ran to the end of the string on that one.
One thing that needs my attention are the constant maintenance things around the house including our cars. I've never been a big Mr. Fix-It kind of guy. Nobody ever showed me when I was younger and when I tried to teach myself, I generally screwed it up. That's one area that I need to work on.
I'm way too young to just be Mr. Mom to our aging beagle, Snoopy. I'm working on that and I'll share more as I go along. I feel a certain amount of inertia and how do I garner the force to change that? I have some ideas.
Tags: baby-boomers, retirement, identity, AARP
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