Defining yourself in retirement

A fellow angler recently described for me an encounter that had him a bit flummoxed.  While at a party an acquaintance approached him to ask about retirement and remark in a somewhat unpleasant tone that this fellow angler seemed to spend all his time fly fishing.  My friend explained to me that it caught him off-guard as being a bit derogatory, but also that he felt ashamed for not having some sort of witty retort.

I felt for him because I too am no Winston Churchill, at the ready with a high brow response to disarm an ugly situation.  At best, I might have replied by inviting the other person to join me and embrace the outdoors.  Though I also feel for this friend because enjoying fly fishing may be a large part of his retirement, but it is certainly not the only thing that defines him in retirement.

I too claim fly fishing as an important part of my retirement life and leverage this without shame on social media.  But I could never be satisfied if it were an exclusive part of what I refer to as my 'relaunch'.  In the run up to retiring from my day job of 30+ years, I was careful to cultivate a variety of interests that would define this next phase of my life.  Fly-fishing may be the more noticeable that many of my friends will remark on (albeit in a more complimentary tone), but I am much more than the brand that is found on my Trout Bandit blog.

I am six years into my “relaunch” and feel fortunate that I do not regret one moment disassociated from my former professional persona.  Readers of the Rockettman blog will know that I enjoy many interests, which I am happy to share online, including keeping up a regular exercise routine, spending time exploring culinary interests, traveling as much as I can afford to and attempting to stay relevant in retirement by accepting opportunities to be an academic instructor and a mentor to young professionals.

This latter endeavor is among the more rewarding for me.  I am currently on a one-year teaching assignment in Hong Kong and am surrounded by aspiring hospitality professionals at the undergraduate and post-graduate level.  I have used the ‘relaunch’ period of my life to boost my learning curve and evolve through academia, absorbing as much from young people as they learn from me.  The experience has been transformative in defining who I am in retirement.

Equally, I have evolved in my athletic pursuits as I migrate from my 50s into my 60s.  Thankfully, the body is holding up reasonably well, likely a result of dedicating myself to cross training activities that involve running, biking and swimming for most of my life.  But I needed to mitigate declining inspiration and shake up the regimen.  So, two years ago I joined a Cross Fit gym, which has been a great shock to the system.

Having said that, it is amazing what 50 minutes of high intensity cross-fit training among participants that are half your age will do for your motivation.  I feel lucky to have selected a Cross Fit community that embraces all ages and all abilities.  It has facilitated a strong bond that inspires me to show up every other day, push myself and encourage others (and be encouraged).  The fact that I share this bond equally with other ‘grey hairs’ and young achievers has added a very unexpected and enjoyable dimension to my retirement persona.

In short, I feel fortunate to still be enthusiastically embracing the next chapter, even after six years.  My hope is that my readers see in this blog post a healthy pride that inspires a desire for balance in your 40s or 50s (or earlier) in preparation for the migration from a persona that is defined by a professional career to one that feels relevant in retirement.