I love the word pre-tirement. I have been having existential crisis on what does it mean to be human with AI coming into the picture. I am relatively young so I am fascinated by this thread.
I also think that there is a good chance that my generation might see radical life-extension and we will have to ponder about the meaning of retirement. Up until a few days ago, I lived in Germany, where the retirement age was increased to 67y. On Mon, Jun 15, 2026 at 11:46 AM Hari Shenoy via Silklist < [email protected]> wrote: > I loved the responses here and there's so much good advice. Thank you all > of you. > > I turned 43 in April this year. I find myself in year one of a Masters > program (2 years) or a PhD program (5 years) in pre-tirement. I'm unsure; > I'll have to see how life unfolds. > > My 42nd year led to multiple life-quakes and upheavals in my job + > marriage + family life situation. > > In the next decade I will design a life to maximise time with my child in > the aftermath of my divorce. Things don't look pretty, but victory in the > long game is clear - to ensure my child is healthy, happy and safe. > > I was managed out of my role last year. I badly wanted to leave, but had I > resigned on my own, I wouldn't have received a severance package. > > I've been on a writing and music making journey which has been rewarding. > I performed 50+ times this year. I wrote a hip-hopera and brought it to > stage at a festival in Dublin. > > Though the effort is intense and there's not much financial reward, I > sleep better writing bars than when I ever counted sheep. > > To answer Sandhya's original question - even though I am my own boss, I > have come to terms with the fact that I am one of those who will work till > the end. > > My definition of work has changed to focused on doing things that feel > aligned with my purpose - of leaving people and places better than I found > them, being consistently grateful, following my curiosity and keeping the > door open for joy. > > Pre-tirement is fun so far. 12/10 would do it again. > > Hari > > On Sun, Jun 14, 2026 at 7:10 PM Yeddanapudi Radhika via Silklist < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Never retiring. My profession pays little and demands a lot but I love >> it so much. I translate mostly plays. Sometimes I get a chance to act >> or get invited to conferences on translating theatre. Other times I >> get grants. One day sooner rather than later, I may have to >> supplement it by working part-time at the local garden store so I'm >> trying to get and stay fit. >> >> On Sun, Jun 14, 2026 at 10:50 AM Bruce Metcalf via Silklist >> <[email protected]> wrote: >> > >> > Howdy, >> > >> > On 6/13/26 15:53, Sandhya via Silklist wrote: >> > >> > > Are you retired? What are you doing post-retirement? On hindsight, >> would >> > > you give your younger self some advice about what you would do >> > > differently? >> > >> > In a few weeks, I'll be retiring for the third time. Yeah, it gets >> > complicated. >> > >> > In 1998, I escaped a particularly bad work situation, and discovered >> > that my wife and I could afford to discontinue full-time employment, so >> > we retired and moved to Florida. >> > >> > I lasted ten months. >> > >> > It wasn't proximity to my wife (she was still trying to sell our old >> > house), it was just the lack of focus to my day. I had hobbies, but >> > wasn't able to focus on them sufficiently to fill the time. >> > >> > So I took on a part-time job. It was a lot of fun, if physically >> > miserable at times. The pay was but a pittance, but the benefits were >> > outstanding, and we made good uses of them. >> > >> > But being financially independent meant I could call bullshit when >> > management tried it without concern. I also became a union shop steward, >> > which made it nearly impossible to fire me. That role led me to read the >> > fine print in the contract, and I discovered in 2015 that I was eligible >> > to retire, retaining full benefits. Took the company eight months to >> > figure out how to retire a part-timer, and I understand I triggered a >> > change in the rules, but I was out with my second retirement. >> > >> > Starting in 2007, I accepted responsibility for a non-profit with a >> > healthy publication program, a substantial library, and multiple worthy >> > programs. The cause was the death of that organization's founder, and >> > his were larger shoes that I could hope to fill, even today. Working for >> > a non-profit board is never entirely safe, even when they trust you >> > (perhaps too much). It reached the point last year that all but one of >> > them stopped responding to my emails, which is a problem when I'm >> > supposed to be editing the magazines. >> > >> > They finally found another sucker, er, volunteer, and this week the >> > library and records were shipped to California, with three tons of junk >> > discarded. All I have left is a storage unit filled with library >> > shelving and file cabinets (which are cheaper to repurchase than move). >> > Finding homes for that, I'll be retired for a third time. >> > >> > I plan to spend a lot more time and energy on my hobbies. I just built >> > seven Ikea bookcases to allow me to pull books out of boxes, and some >> > general housekeeping (i.e.: junk trashing) is also in order. My wife's >> > health has also declined in the past decade, so I'm taking on more >> > household chores, more driving to doctors, and indulging her hobby, >> > which is taking world cruises (January thru June next year). >> > >> > Will this hold, or will I go back to work in some form? I can't say for >> > sure, but given my track record.... >> > >> > Cheers, >> > / Bruce / >> > >> > -- >> > Silklist mailing list >> > [email protected] >> > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist >> >> >> >> -- >> Translator/Owner >> AzulIndica Translations >> North Vancouver BC, Canada >> -- >> Silklist mailing list >> [email protected] >> https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist >> > -- > Silklist mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist >
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