Done With Work

Larry Gard, Ph.D The other evening, I ran into a friend Peter who I hadn’t seen in some time.  He appeared relaxed and contented, and he informed me that he retired last year.  We chatted about his various pursuits and initiatives.  Peter related a story about a colleague at his old company who was apprehensive about his own retirement, fearing he would feel aimless and bored. Seeking reassurance he phoned frequently during Peter’s first few months of retirement to ask, “what are you doing?”    Many late career professionals I speak with describe the same uneasiness that Peter’s colleague had. They’re not confident that they’ll find truly meaningful, satisfying things to occupy their time.  Many of them claim few if any hobbies or interests other than work.  On further examination, this isn’t always true.  Their work is particularly compelling because that’s where their focus is. They actually do have other interests, it’s just that they’re not spending any time engaged in them let alo