To retire..... or not to retire?
Retirement.
It's what we're all working towards.
Or is it?
What do we imagine retirement to be?
Lazy days on the beach?
Travelling the world?
Never having to set the alarm again?
Every day feeling like a weekend?
Joining a knitting group on a Tuesday afternoon?
I've watched many people retire over the years.
Some have embraced it wholeheartedly. They've found joy in gardening, travelling, exercising, volunteering or spending precious time with grandchildren.
Others have struggled.
I've known people who sadly never made it to retirement.
I've known people who were forced into retirement before they were ready.
And I've heard people quietly say,
"I'm not really looking forward to retirement."
Perhaps that's because retirement doesn't mean the same thing anymore.
My own life took an unexpected turn after my medical emergency in 2018.
The path I thought I was travelling suddenly changed direction.
Looking back now, I often describe my experience as Positive Traumatic Growth.
It wasn't the path I would have chosen.
But it opened doors I never expected.
Instead of continuing along one career path, I've been fortunate to explore others.
My experience in 2018 led me to become a Consumer Representative within SA Health. What began as a life-changing medical experience has become an opportunity to contribute to improving healthcare for others. Turning something deeply personal into something positive has been incredibly rewarding.
I've also had the opportunity to work as a factual investigator, listening to people's stories and seeing firsthand how workplace challenges can affect every part of someone's life.
Now, in my sixties, I've returned to university to study counselling.
Twenty years ago I would never have imagined writing that sentence.
The funny thing is...
At 62, I still feel 26.
In fact, I've always joked that I've never really felt any older than 26. The birthdays keep coming, but somehow the person inside hasn't changed all that much.
Perhaps retirement isn't really about stopping work.
Perhaps it's about having the freedom to decide what work means.
For my grandfather's generation, retirement often meant finishing work, sitting on the verandah and quietly slowing down.
Today, retirement can be almost anything.
A new career.
Volunteering.
Studying.
Travelling.
Caring for grandchildren.
Starting a business.
Working because you want to, not because you have to.
For me, retirement has become an opportunity to keep growing, learning and giving something back.
Maybe retirement isn't the end of our working life.
Maybe it's simply the beginning of doing work that reflects who we've become.
After all...
Retirement is exactly what you choose to make it.
