Hi Folks
I’ve been reading all your mails with interest. So I retired from full-time corporate work as I hit the retirement age in India - 60. There was some mention on retirement age which could be a tangential thread to discuss - what’s the optimal age in this day and age? I felt I could’ve run on for a couple of years more. My daughter just finished 10th and has some more education to go. I don’t have any challenges on how to occupy the empty hours - quite the opposite. I suddenly have time to do the million things I always wanted to do but need to find time for some r&r. I write books - fiction, non-fiction, poetry, for children - and I can do that till the end of time, my time i.e. Then I like to coach, mentor, train, volunteer in my tech communication industry. Have been doing all this for over a decade so the transition is smooth with opportunities popping up. But I’m torn between wanting to take a break and FOMO as these are all things I want to do. On the thread so far, fascinated to find these stages: Pre-tirement Tirement (getting tired of day job) Retirement :) Love the ceramics in Chiang Mai activity. My memory of that place is encountering a greedy baby elephant on the road trying to steal sugarcane from a truck! I enjoy travel, have traveled, and lives and worked in other cultures. Married to a Swede recently so that’s a whole new culture to explore. I’ve also been through going through divorce and job loss at the same time and it takes its toll. Was also intrigued at the idea of using embroidery in writing. Another tangent - should we take sabbaticals in a long career? I really wish I could’ve done it. Great to read about everyone’s experiences. Keep them coming in. Meanwhile, here’s my latest Tuesday blog on retirement: https://varnikadotorg.wordpress.com/2026/06/17/retirement-diaries-week-2/ Cheers! Sandhya On Tue, 16 Jun 2026 at 11:35 AM, Yeshodhara B via Silklist < [email protected]> wrote: > 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 >> > -- > Silklist mailing list > [email protected] > https://mailman.panix.com/listinfo.cgi/silklist >
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