It Ain’t Over ‘til It’s Over!
by Pamelagrace Beatty
A Rude Awakening
Going back to work when we are in our 60s and 70s can be quite a challenge. It also has its benefits, for example, more money for home improvements, traveling, dining out, unexpected expenses like home repair, new cars, or the grands running away from home and coming to live with us.
For some, retirement is a dream come true. These retirees did manage to save up enough money to live comfortably, and not have to work for the rest of their lives. Knowing how much you need for retirement is a dicey subject. I didn’t calculate it when I was working fulltime. I just saved and invested like my mother taught me to do. No financial specifics in mind. It was kind of like the saying, “If you don’t know where you are going, then any port will do.” I didn’t “Do the numbers.” I just put money aside. Oops.
Knowing how much we will need for retirement is not an easy thing. There are many factors to consider. It is not a one-size-fits-all situation. Things to consider are how much you are currently spending, how much you will spend, what your retirement sources are, e.g., pensions, 401K, and other investments or savings. Where the rude awakening comes in is when we retire and realize our spending outweighs our savings, or will over the years. BIG OOPS! Going back to work to help ease that concern becomes a serious option. So, perhaps with our tails dragging, we accept the fact that the rocking chair on the deck that looks off into the sunset may have to wait until after 5:00 PM when our work day ends.
In 2019, 20% of retirement age people were working or looking for work, compared to only 10% in 1985 (U.S. Census Bureau-2019). It can be a little embarrassing realizing that you might need to work rather than just want to work. I was embarrassed. But the furnace was going out, the roof needed repairs, the water heater broke and had to be replaced, and then the darn washing machine burned out. All around the same time! So back to work I have gone! If that is the case for you, there are two main things to consider:
- Those who work when they don’t have to enjoy working after retirement age.
- Those who go back because they have to don’t.
According to Karl Pillemer, gerontologist and director of the Bronfenbrenner Center for Translational Research at Cornell University, there are positive factors in continuing to work through retirement. These include having a sense of meaning or purpose in life. Those who are happy with working experience a sense of well-being, which impacts their physical and psychological state in a good way. This contentedness, or happiness, also affects how they interact with others and can create overall good feelings about life in general, and may even extend it.
On the other hand, working because we are forced to, in order to have food on the table and a roof over our heads, may not have those positive effects. And if we have a strong dislike for the work, the effects can be very detrimental to overall health and happiness on many levels. Don’t despair! There is a way to still find joy while having to workbecause the fence needs replacing. But first let me tell you about what I’ve seen in my circle of friends.
I have an acquaintance who hates the job he has been doing for years. He is well past retirement. Whenever I have run into him, he has complained about his job. His overall demeanor is sad and depressed. I don’t think he has any outlets he enjoys. Since he is a friend, I run into him from time to time. And I avoid talking about work as much as possible. On the other hand, I have a friend who is past retirement age and is still doing the work he loves. He occasionally mentions challenges with the work and elements of it he doesn’t like. But mostly he likes it. He also has hobbies he enjoys doing, and overall, he lives a balanced life. It is possible that he is still working because he has to be able to afford the lifestyle he likes, but he is happy in the process and gets a lot out of his work.
So, how do we find a way to enjoy our work even when we are working because we have to, versus because we want to? Since so many retirees are still working or looking for work, it is clear to me that what is most important is to do work you love. Just falling into the type of work you have done before, well, because you have done it before, may not be the best decision. If you loved it, that’s a different story. But if you didn’t, well…you might want to consider other options. The question then becomes, what are those options?
Passion
Is there something you have been passionate about that you could turn into a paying job? This may take a while. I have one friend who makes lovely greeting cards by hand. She even creates cards with themes specific to her customers. She has made music-themed greeting cards and art-related cards for me. Her cards are unique and extremely well crafted. I have made greeting cards by hand and I know how difficult it is to do it well. She is precise, detail-oriented and extremely creative. After several years of making these cards, she is finally getting a website and will be able to offer her cards to a wider audience! I am so happy for her.
Passion is a good fuel for creating something new in your life. Without passion, it is extremely hard to do that. That’s why it can make such a difference to work on something you love versus something you dislike. When you love what you do, the hours fly by. When you don’t love it, the minutes drag.
One of my passions – I have several – is painting. The only way I am aware of time passing is when I am suddenly exhausted! Up until that moment, I am so involved with what I am painting that I don’t get hungry, I don’t notice others around me, I barely breathe! When I have been in a painting class, the teacher has come up to me and touched or said something to me, and I jumped so hard it hurt my bones! That’s passion. I discovered that by adding bits of my passions into my work on short breaks, the working day becomes so much more pleasant. I take breaks and on those breaks I do 15 minutes of art, or singing, or even writing a blog. I moved away from believing that I can only create a good painting by standing in front of the easel painting away for hours! In doing this, I have found that breaking up those hours and coming back, I see ways I can improve the painting that I wouldn’t have seen had I just kept painting.
Curiosity
You may not be aware of where your passion is, so what else will help you figure out what you would like to do? Notice what you notice. What grabs your attention? When have you said, “Hmmm, that looks like something that would be fun to do?” Or, “Wow, I wonder what it would be like to do that?” And then find out more about it. Explore that idea. Talk to people who are doing what you are curious about. This can help you decide if you would like to do that. You can also research on the internet, or take a class in the subject, or read a book or two. Sometimes just jumping in and trying the idea on works.
One person I know decided, out of the blue, that she wanted to make jewelry. She had never done that before. The work she had done all of her life had nothing to do with jewelry making. But she didn’t care. She just started making it. She had an idea of what she wanted to create and did it. The jewelry was beautiful and well-made. Frankly, I don’t know how she did it, but she did, and now it is the business that replaced her “day job.”
Belief
Believing that you can do something you love; believing you can make it work; you have to believe in your dream, and then don’t let anything stop you from achieving it. Otherwise, your dream is just a useless wish with no power or substance.
Once you identify what it is you want, the Universe will turn somersaults to help you get it. My best accomplishments were when I ran full speed ahead and never looked back, never doubted myself, never accepted anyone telling me I couldn’t do that! I look back on those accomplishments in awe. “I did that?” Yep, I did, and you can too. Just hold your nose and leap into the unknown and see what happens. “You’ve got to jump off a cliff and build your wings on the way down.” – Ray Bradbury
