Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Creativity in the Third Act, a guest post by Amanda Le Rougetel

 JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: If you hang out here at JRW daily (and if not, why not?!?) you'll know we have a real community of commentors, and I think we all feel like we know each other in ways small and large. So I was embarrassed to learn that our own Amanda Le Rougetel has a blog devoted to writing, creativity, and - pertinent for today - how to focus on those pursuits in retirement. Shoutout to Celia Wakefield for pointing me toward Five Years a Writer.

Retirement is much on the mind for many of my group as we all approach the age. For my author friends, the question is: do writers retire? Do artists? Musicians? Amanda says no - and that if you haven't started yet, retirement is the perfect time.

 

 

Julia, thank you so much for the invitation to be on the front side of the blog. I am honoured and delighted.

 

You know that question we ask little kids? The one that goes, What do you want to be when you grow up? Well, I think we should ask that same question of people who are heading into retirement: What do you want to be when you retire from the rat race? But do you know what I was asked, more often than not, when I was heading towards retirement? How are you going to keep busy? The little kids get a question all about hope and promise and dreams. The retirees — what do we get? A question about filling time. And that doesn’t sit right with me.

 

For me, retirement is my Third Act (capital T, capital A) and I want to play it out on a stage that is bright and active and, well, if not exactly loud, then I want to make some noise and I want to be heard. No invisibility for me. This retiree won’t be going quietly into the night…No. This retiree is figuring out how to build community through writing and art and how to translate those heretofore ‘hobbies’ into meaningful and satisfying work.

 

I spent 40+ years in the full-time paid workforce, first in various communications-related jobs and occasionally climbing a step or two up the promotions ladder, then in the education sector as a college instructor for the final years. Teaching was the most creative work I had done and the students, while occasionally frustrating, kept things fresh. Those final years of my formal career turned out to be the springboard into my Third Act as a Creative.

 

I am now ten months into retirement and thoroughly enjoying it, though I didn’t find it easy at first. The abrupt change in routine and schedule threw me for more than a loop; it blindsided me. I was so unused to having so much time on my hands that I could not find my rhythm for using it all. But then I remembered what May Sarton, the famous journal writer, said about time and routine and schedules: “A body without bones would be a limp impossible mess, so a day without steady routine would be disruptive and chaotic.”

 

I took Sarton’s advice, stopped whiling away the time and, instead, harnessed it for all those things that I had been longing to be able to focus on. As a Creative — someone who finds both joy and satisfaction in working with words and images — I no longer needed to squeeze those activities into the interstices of an organizational work week. I could use full days to write and to collage and, yes, even to read. Wow. What a revelation!

 

I had been planning for decades to arrive at this point in my life. I had been diligent about saving money and living within my means, so the money side of retirement was not the issue for me. Though this doesn’t mean I’m wealthy; far from it. I’ve never been wealthy, so it’s no surprise that I’m not wealthy now! Though I am rich — very rich — in that most precious commodity of all: time. And I want to get the very best payback from it I can.

 

For me this means continuing to work. Not as an employee, not in a larger organization with all the constraints that such an arrangement inevitably must bring. No. I am continuing to use my knowledge and experience and am leveraging my skills to develop and deliver writing workshops in the community with my long-time friend and creative collaborator, who is also retired and also a Creative. We have so much fun with this work, it is an endless source of amazement and joy for us. 

 

 

So, when people ask me how I’m keeping busy in retirement, I just shake my head. Because Creatives don’t retire — not from work, though we may, if we’re lucky, leave the rat race. Once we are free from the limits of the boss’s nine to five regime, we are able to work at our craft for as many hours a day as brings us pleasure and satisfaction. These days, that work feels like play to me and it’s certainly the most fun I’ve ever had working!

 

My schedule may be full, but I do not feel busy. I am happy. In charge. Productive. A Creative, retired from the rat race, still working, and totally engaged by living on that bright active Third Act stage.

 

Dear Reds and Readers: What are your post-work plans? Who do you want to be — or who are you already — in retirement?

 

 

Amanda Le Rougetel reads, writes and does collage art in the heart of the Canadian prairies in Winnipeg, Manitoba. She blogs at Five Years a Writer, and teaches writing workshops through Writing as Tool. She is a long-time reader and commenter on the JRW blog and is a loyal fan of the JRW authors.


82 comments:

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  2. This is quite lovely, Amanda . . . hopeful and promising and inspiring. Having both the time and the freedom to pursue what brings you joy is a wonderful gift indeed.

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    1. Thanks, Joan. I agree: time + possibilities = a good life...no matter one's age, really. But it makes for a very sweet Third Act.

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  3. Amanda, this speaks to me so much. Nine years ago I made the decision to leave the "rat race" - in my case, a full time job writing technical documentation, to create fiction full time. I was working with words every day among smart people, but it was far from creative (procedural writing is like documenting a recipe - the cooking might be creative, but the writing isn't).

    It was a bit early financially, but I was called to make up stories. I treat it as a job with a thirty-second commute upstairs to my office. After getting things like reading and commenting here out of the way for about an hour, I'm working by seven every morning. I've never been happier in a job and have no plans to retire. And now the finances are working out just fine!

    Congratulations on making your own retirement work for you.

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    1. Edith: I worked with many technical writers over the years and learned that more than a few of them pursued creative writing of various kinds (ex. playwriting) in their off hours. I'm delighted that you've made such a roaring success of pursuing your own creative line of word-work. There's nothing quite like a 30-second commute to one's happy work, eh!

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    2. I, for one, am glad you moved from technical to creative;-) And, we all benefit from that!!!

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  4. Great post today Amanda!

    Sadly, I have no post-work plans because there's no way I'll ever be able to retire. In fact, I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to show up to work five days after I die.

    But if I was able to retire, perhaps that new "free" time would allow for me to actually write the mythical book I'd like to do. Beyond that, I can't even imagine who I'd want to be or what I'd want to do.

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    1. Jay: I would love to read that book of yours; you have such a great sense of humour that comes through your comments. Don't wait for work to end to start writing. You have readers waiting!

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  5. AMANDA: I love learning about your journey to the Third Act!

    Me, I retired 6 years ago from a career with the Canadian federal government. And I did it 5 years earlier than originally planned. Like you, that first year was a bit of a struggle, as I worked to figure out my new "routine". Group walks, hosting weekly coffee with a group of ladies & more proactively focusing on reviewing (Netgalley) ARCs are some of the key pieces that have enriched my life. These activities have also kept me sane during multiple lockdowns & dealing with long COVID/blurry vision low points during the past 2+ years.

    Having just come back from ABQ LCC/Santa Fe, my travel wanderlust have been reignited. I have been looking up things to do in Minneapolis/St Paul beyond Bouchercon22 this September, as well as other delayed trips to Europe & South America.

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    1. Go Grace! We'll look forward to hearing about your travels...

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    2. Grace: I appreciate you sharing that the first year for you was a bit of a struggle. As I was heading towards my retirement date, few if any of the retirees I spoke to mentioned experiencing a challenge. I think it would have been helpful for me to know that it wasn't necessarily going to be all peaches and cream in the early days. That said, who knows if I would have been open to really hearing it...

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    3. AMANDA: True, I think I mentioned to you the fun of first year explorations & developing your new "routine" but not the downsides. I went from being a meticulous planner (at work) with a rigid schedule to figuring out how to fill my days. Some things worked and others were quickly dropped. Of course, experiments in cooking and (balcony) gardening have also been both fun and challenging.

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    4. Grace: I really enjoy witnessing your experiments in cooking and balcony gardening. So great to have the time to explore these fun things vicariously through you!

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    5. Grace, you are an inspiration. I've so enjoyed getting to "know" you through your experiments and photos.

      I'm planning to be at Bouchercon, and really looking forward to meeting face to face.

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    6. Yes, Grace. You are an inspiration.

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    7. KAREN: Glad you are enjoying my FB posts, and I look forward to meeting you in person in Minneapolis.

      JC: Awww, thanks, too kind.

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  6. Congratulations Amanda! Such fun to hear that retirement is suiting you after a few (expectable) bumps. I can't picture retiring from writing either, but I suppose if there comes a time that it's no longer fun, I would reconsider.

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    1. Your readers don't want you to retire from writing, Lucy! Please keep having fun telling the stories you put on the page for us.

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  7. My scientist husband is finally back at his lab, and I spend my days writing and weeding the garden. Life couldn't be better.

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    1. Margaret: I find that working in the garden (once the snow finally disappears up here) is excellent thinking time that I then translate into words/writing at my desk. Such a great companion activity for Creatives!

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  8. Good Morning everyone. I took early retirement in 2007. At that time, I had pushed my body to where it was physically breaking down from stressors. I was exhausted, so the first year I relearned how to sleep, especially finding the joy of siesta. I relearned to not hold on to someone else's expectations for me and my time. I looked into what was meaningful for me.

    In the last 15 years I gave myself the gift of 'self'. I explored different roles: being a loving partner, until the partnership ended, taking up speed walking until the pandemic said nope, actually deep cleaning the house -- did that once--maybe twice, and deepening my spiritual connections.

    Reading transformed into reading and reviewing. In 2022 I decided to learn the art of creative writing. I hired a writing coach. I found talented teacher from the snowy north, who has become a trusted guide and friend. She is patience personified, has a blog called Five Years a Writer. Coach, the check is in the mail.

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    1. Aw, Coralee: How lucky we are to have connected with each other through JRW! You're a peach of writing-friend. Thank you.

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    2. Plot twist!

      How lovely, for both of you.

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    3. Yes, indeed, Karen: a very lovely plot twist!

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  9. Amanda, I witnessed your preparation, here and on Five Years a Writer, and I was confident that you would succeed in your retirement and your Creative Third Act. Congratulations!

    I enjoyed my first year of retirement travelling to Australia and taking the time to enjoy freedom. When the need arose, I began some writing. When not satisfied of the result, I joined a biography workshop for at least 4 sessions of 10 weeks each.
    It helped me to focus my writing on something and to enlighten me that my life was fuller and richer than I thought. I'm still working on it.
    I also joined a women's group for many activities and some volunteering . I joined a Scrabble group. I walk every day. Life is good.

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    1. Danielle: Thank you for being a reader of my writing.

      I think a big trip in one's first year of retirement would be a good way to 'live' the change in routine and schedule that the end of full-time work brings. For me, Covid made that difficult. We didn't even get to spend much time up at the cottage due to restrictions and to the extreme heat and forest fire risks. We are hoping this summer will be different, because it would be lovely to have both time and that lake view together!

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    2. Danielle, I had no idea you had traveled to Australia!

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  10. Amanda, this is so perfect. I always tell people, "I intend to retire from corporate America. But I'll still be a working writer." I'm looking forward to the day when I don't have to cram my fiction into a lunch hour!

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    1. Liz: Yes, exactly! The corporate job is one thing; our creative work another thing entirely.

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  11. Well done, Amanda. Planning is the key, isn't it? I've seen so many retirees who just suddenly stop and realize they have no hobbies beyond work, no real plans to fill their days with meaningful pursuits, and life comes to a halt.

    Like Coralee, I "retired" early, also in 2007. My business had gotten to the point where I needed to either expand and write another book, or simply close it and do something else. I'd developed essential tremors, which are made much worse by stress and fatigue, both of which were exacerbated by the travel and stress of public speaking, etc. At the same time, our youngest daughter was going to Australia for a semester, and we wanted to visit her in Sydney, right in the middle of my traditional travel season. It was time.

    Things were going great. I discovered the mystery community, was invited to join a second book club, we bought a rural property where I could have a big garden, I learned to ride, and I traveled a lot, crisscrossing the US by myself and with Steve and others. I started a blog about my travel. I became a Master Gardener, and did some fun volunteer activities with new friends from the MG program. Finally convincing Steve to agree, I began designing this house, our "toe tag" home where we age in place, a process that took a couple of years to fruition.

    Things were going swell, and then the pandemic. And Covid. And long Covid. And now I feel like a completely different person, in so many ways. So many of my activities are gone, and friendships I've held dear for decades have changed in a 100 ways. It's time to reevaluate and take stock, so thank you for this timely essay, Amanda. Front of blog! Well done.

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    1. Thank you, Karen, and WOW: You have experienced a lot of new creative and fun things since retiring!

      Covid has really thrown a wrench into so much, hasn't it? I am beginning to think that this period will be known as the "Covid era" and anyone who has experienced a life-changing event will have done so with the added challenge of all that the pandemic has brought into our lives, making that experience unique relative to other times.

      I hope your taking stock will bear good fruit for you, Karen. Do keep me posted.

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    2. Karen - So sorry to hear about your health difficulties, but my you seem very resilient. I hope you find a way forward that brings joy.

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    3. Thank you, Amanda and JC. It helps to have that kind of moral support, for sure!

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    4. KAREN and AMANDA: Agree with you about how "the COVID era" has forced many of us to re-evaluate what is important in your life, and figuring out how to move forward and experience joy & happiness with those changes.

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  12. My "retirement" was not a choice and coincided with the start of lockdown, so I've struggled to figure out what my retirement is. I did know that a schedule is crucial for my own well-being, but the long thought about excursions, hobbies, volunteer activities have all had to wait on the back burner throughout the pandemic. I finally got to take on one volunteer activity but the constant level of Covid makes me hesitant to do more. I do read a tremendous amount of time, but I do know there's more to life than reading and I'm looking forward to discovering that in the future. Honestly, Covid's got to cool down quite a bit before I recapture the freedom of doing whatever pleases me. And I never forget how fortunate I am that despite retirement's being forced onto me, I don't have to worry about having a home, food, or other necessities. So I don't complain - I merely wait.

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    1. Amy: I think a forced retirement is its own experience, as the timing is not one's own. I had a position terminated on me once, and it took me a full calendar year to work my way out of that shocking change in identity.

      If writing is something you do, you might find it helpful to keep a journal, a diary, or a log of the days, weeks, and months as they unfold, Amy. I know that I have found great value in putting my thoughts, as they evolve, onto a page -- useful to look back over the entries and see how my sense of self has shifted/is shifting.

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    2. "Change of identity" is a spot on way to define that stage, Amanda. When Ross died, I was faced with a kind of forced retirement - the retirement of our plans for and visions of the future. A lot of the work I've done in the years since has been discovering who I am now, and what are my new plans and visions.

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  13. Retirement was 18 years ago for me, but I still dream about being at work! I’m not creative in the least. I don’t write. I don’t own a pot of paint nor glue. I’m a dead loss for things of that sort.

    But I have dogs. They’ve been my joy. Toby was a certified therapy dog, and he and I spent the first couple of years volunteering in hospice. They were some of the best years ever.

    And then I got a joint infection. A decade and eight surgeries later, my mobility is piss poor. This has limited not so much what I can do but where I can do it. Still we manage to travel if not as much as we wanted. And the Pandammit happened.

    So I’m eternally grateful to all of you here who keep me in wonderful books to read, thoughtful and entertaining blogs, and especially you, Amanda, my dear virtual friend. I’m enjoying Five Years a Writer and the thoughtful questions it brings me. What a treat to get this regularly in my morning mail instead of having to wait until May rolls around each year.

    Thank you xo

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    1. Ann: I think 'creative' comes in many ways. For example, cooking. And correspondence, which you struck up with me first via JRW and then Facebook and email; and then you reached out to my mum after her unexpected surgery (was it last year?). Communicating effectively and lovingly is its own act of creation -- quite literally creating relationships through words and gestures. You're the queen of that, my dear friend.

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    2. Ann, you are so creative! And so damned funny. My dear, you write almost every day. Here, to the great enjoyment of your JRW friends.

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    3. Agreeing with Karen - you are a writer, Ann! And one of the earliest kind; think of all those books of correspondence and sharing-of-wisdom that existed long before the novel was developed.

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  14. This is the loveliest story! Yes, I so agree with you about structure – – retirement is a different situation than, you know, weekends, where the “days off “are part of the structure. And the difficulty can be that when it seems like there’s plenty of time to do whatever you want, it’s not very conducive to actually doing it.
    Part of the difficulty of retirement is breaking a habit— if you do essentially the same thing in the same rhythm for 40 years, in the 41st year when you suddenly don’t, every part of you has to get used to that. So I think you are so wise to have come up with your new normal! happy third act, and it sounds like you have learned the part perfectly!
    And I am so honored and delighted that jungle red is part of it!

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    1. Hank: JRW has played a major part. It was here on the blog that I 'met' Jane Friedman and her book, The Business of Being a Writer, which I read cover to cover. Such good info and advice. Through Jane, I discovered Marion Roach Smith and her Memoir Project. And on it goes...writers and readers form a wonderfully diverse collection of inter-locking circles. And JRW is at the centre, for me, of many circles. I came here, first, as a shy reader of mysteries; then, over time and through the community you "7 smart and sassy crime fiction writers" have created, I have found my way into other circles and am now creating some of my own. And I remain a reader, though no longer would characterize myself as shy. I am in your debt.

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  15. Like others here I had forced retirement at age 41. A small car accident left me with chronic daily headache. My neck and shoulders complain about nearly all my fun activities - reading, beading, etc. I spend too many hours looking down and I can't do that without incurring a headache.

    I wanted to be a mystery writer for the longest time - since the days of Jessica Fletcher. Lately I find that I can type at my computer because I sit more upright than when I read. So, who knows what the future holds? I still have headaches triggered by weather and changes in routine, though.

    I spent a lot of time after the onset of headaches learning new ways of engaging with life. I took yoga and meditation. I was a human being instead of a human doing. I did journaling. I read spiritual books. I learned and I grew and I'm grateful for that.

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    1. Oh, JCHull: That is very hardest kind of forced retirement -- when it comes with chronic pain. I am so sorry. I send you all good wishes for finding a way into writing that will enable you to fulfill your desire to be a mystery writer.

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    2. Thank you, Amanda. I've learned how important it is to look outward. As we hear on this blog everyday, so many people experience hardship and loss in so many ways. No one is alone in that. I remind myself that my story is but one of many. And the stories of others show the way through.

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    3. This comment will have me thinking for a long time, JC:

      "I was a human being instead of a human doing." Profound.

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    4. Karen: I agree totally -- profound.

      JC: I'm going to borrow your phrase, with attribution. It's perfect.

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    5. It's a Buddhist thing - Not my original thought. Wonderful, isn't it?

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    6. Actually, it may have come from Western-Buddhist mash up. Maybe Jon Kabat Zinn and his MBSR (Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction)

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    7. JC: Dealing with chronic pain is tough but I am glad you have found some ways to grow, heal and deal with it.

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    8. JC: Thanks for the clarification of where 'human doing/human being' comes from. Much appreciated!

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  16. Amanda, you have inspired me to reevaluate my days! If anything comes out of this introspection, I promise to post it here! Thank you, everyone for your insights!

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    1. Yay! So glad to hear this post has inspired you, Judy. I do love it when a helpful conversation blooms out of ideas shared.

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  17. Oh Amanda, I can't say strongly enough how much I loved and appreciated this post! I will be retiring from full-time paid employment in just over 60 days, so it couldn't be more timely.

    This is a bit younger than I had ever planned to retire, but like someone else mentioned, my husband and I lived frugally and saved carefully, so we can afford to go now. I think it is the pandemic that really made us stop and reflect: we are both currently in good health and have good mobility, and you just don't know how long both those things will be true. We would be fools not to take advantage of the situation while we can.

    While we do want to do some major travel as soon as the covid situation allows, I plan to make writing a major focus of my time in retirement. I am by nature a planner and a person who loves structure, so I know I would flounder without some sense of purpose and daily rhythm. Everything I've read here, both from Amanda and from the other commenters, just supports and enhances the plans I was already making. Thank you all!

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    1. Brilliant, Susan! So glad about the serendipitous timing of this post for you.

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    2. Susan, it really does seem as if retirement talk - even for those of us who haven't hit Socal Security age - is in the air. I think, as you said, the pandemic has made lots of people rethink their priorities.

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  18. Sorry I am late here this morning!

    Amanda, I often see your comments here on Jungle Reds! I enjoyed reading your guest post.

    Despite the pandemic, we manage to find ourselves busy with lots of tasks to do! Being a Creative takes a lot of work. I'm currently working on my blog, reviewing books for NetGalley and writing my cozy mystery plus shopping for food (groceries). Not travelling nor eating in restaurants as long as the pandemic is ongoing. Not travelling to Malice Domestic this uear. Did not go to Left Coast Crime this year. Hope to go to Bouchercon in MN (looks less likely with the coming surge in COVID cases and dropping of mask mandates).

    Diana

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    1. Diana: Thank you!

      Do give us the name/URL of your blog. I'd love to follow it.

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    2. Amanda,

      https://wonderwomanbookrevew.wordpress.com/2022/04/20/deaf-history-month/

      Please let me know if the link works. Warning: There may be ads. Sorry about that. I got a note asking me to pay for the upgrade. They claim that if I pay, then there will be no ads!

      It has been a while since I worked on my blog.

      Diana

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    3. Thank you, Diana. I can work around ads, no problem! I'm going to look for some of the books you mention in relation to Deaf History Month.

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  19. This is fabulous, Amanda, as is your blog! I remember being on a panel with another writer and someone asked what we’d do when we were done with writing. My companion frowned and said, “I don’t understand the question.” LOL.

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    1. Thank you, Jenn.

      Oh, that's a good one: "done with writing". Ha! Not likely...

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    2. I know, the consensus seems to be you either keel over at the keyboard or they wheel you away to the old folks home...

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  20. Love this post! My "retirement" plans are the same as yours, Amanda! Having written my first book around age 50, I'm still going strong at 75. A new release this month, and more to come. I'm never bored, but sometimes feel overwhelmed by it all.

    Although, I can't imagine not writing. I love it and love the fact that my mind stays sharp. (Well, unless I walk upstairs with some intention, then forget what it was by the time I'm at the top!)

    Keep inspiring!

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    1. Oh, Mary, you've inspired me: Still going strong at 75 -- YAY to that!

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  21. It's interesting to see how many of us here have retired early, often due to physical challenges. Both conditions require exploring new possibilities (and creatively dealing with limitations.) It makes me wonder how often retirement is based on hitting that date, and how often it's just, "I can't hack this anymore."

    I'm tempted to go on a rant about corporate capitalism, but I'll restrain myself... :-)

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    1. I'd join you in the chorus about corporate capitalism, Julia. Sheesh, what a system!

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    2. My brother turned 60 last year, and his wife will be 60 in a couple months. They both retired last year. Since the last work date, they've been on four different trips, and have several more planned this year, including one to South Africa. They were both fortunate to have sizable retirement accounts and investments they can tap.

      I think my sister-in-law is happy about not having a job to get in the way of being with their six grandkids, but my brother is exploring options for having his own business, or some other pursuit. He was a stockbroker, and was just so over working in that industry.

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    3. Karen: It seems to me that retirement is not a monolithic experience. The key is to know (or to figure out) how to spend the time (and money, if lucky that way) that one now has. I knew a woman who wanted to retire so she could 'do nothing'; I never understood that, because endlessly doing nothing is a nightmare scenario for me.

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  22. Can I rant about corporate capitalism? And the industrial production model? And institutionalized misogyny? Nah, I won't. Nobody has that kind of time.

    I've never had a good answer for the question, "what is your profession? because I am a wanderer by nature I've done a lot of different things. You could say that I retired at 40 when I decided not to pursue an academic career after a mid-life post graduate program. Instead, when I came to Canada, I volunteered my time and talent to pretty much whoever wanted it as long as they did things centered on the needs of women. Those things have tapered off as I have struggled with some mental health issues and now I think of myself as "retired." Writing has been therapy and the idea of learning to write something remotely publishable is a goal. I will be getting in touch Amanda!

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    1. c d moulton: You have a very interesting story in how your life has unfolded. I would love to hear from you! fiveyearsawriter at gmail dot com

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  23. Amanda, I love your blog, and you are so inspiring to all of us! I can't imagine life without writing, so I suppose I'll keep doing it as long as people want to read what I scribble.

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    1. Thank you, Debs. What you WRITE is hardly scribbles: Scribbles don't end up on the NYT bestseller list!!

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  24. Amanda, thanks so much for sharing this! Sounds as if you're doing pretty darned well in "retirement" ... As for me, teaching has been the silver lining of retirement. At conferences and for groups, it's been a pleasure to present and provide feedback... while I get ready to get BACK in the groove writing new stuff.

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    1. Hallie - Thank you. Teaching can be so wonderfully energizing and rewarding, when the students/participants are eager and engaged. That said, I know that you'll find your way back into your writing groove when the time is right for that kind of creative outlet in your life again. Your readers will wait patiently; no fear.

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  25. Amanda, I love finding out all this interesting information about you. Your post is full of gems to pay attention to for those of us in the "retired" stage of life. I think it's great that we can now give ourselves over completely to what we really want to be when we grow up. When I got out of the work force in 2008 or so, I started my review blog, The Reading Room, but it would be five years later when I started going to Bouchercon that I fully fell into the crime/mystery community and fell in love with it all, the authors and readers and bloggers and more. All the interesting and creative people I've met and become friends with are now an integral part of my life. I am aware more than ever these days of how much the writing for my reviews is an essential part of me, keeping me mentally sharp and creatively engaged. And, I gain a source of pride from it when a review comes together just as I want it to. And, that's important at any age, to feel a sense of accomplishment and pride in what you do. I am so looking forward to going to your blog when I finish my comments here, Amanda, and gaining yet another source of creativity from which to learn.

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    1. Thank you, Kathy. I agree with you about what enjoyment can come from writing reviews. I used to do that for Herizons, a Canadian feminist magazine. With only about 350 words to work with per review, I really had to know what I wanted to say and then say it succinctly! When it all came together, it was a really fun exercising of my writing skill. ...I hope you enjoy my blog. Thanks for visiting it.

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  26. This post makes me want to sing. I always chuckle when people ask me what I do with my time. A better question is what don't I do. My days are joyously filled with full-time writing. Retire? No!

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    1. Kait: We are, a lot of us, singing this chorus of being Creatives and writing and loving it. So good! And: NO to retirement. LOL

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