How’s Retirement?

Since I left academia a year ago, the #1 question I’ve been getting is “how’s retirement?” In short, it’s wonderful. To elaborate…

A typical day goes something like this:

• Hot tub. This is where I start the day, and since the hot tub is a no-phone zone, it’s a good spot for peaceful reflection and creative generation.
• Writing. I have a friend in Rome who I write with every day at 8am California time — we hop on What’s App video, mute ourselves, and keep one another company while we each focus on whatever writing projects we have at hand. And then, I close my laptop, and I often don’t open it again until the next day — something inconceivable in all my years of academia.
• Gym. The week after I retired, I joined a gym with an outdoor pool where I can get a solo lane (me sharing a lane would almost certainly result in concussions for all).
• The rest of my my time, I garden, catch up with friends, do the NY Times puzzles, attend to house projects, cook, run errands, and go to evening events or chill with TV or a book.

I feel complete

Retirement is wonderful, but not because I hated my job. I loved being a professor for over 25 years, and I engaged in it with gusto, which perhaps helped me to feel complete. I feel satisfied with my scholarly contributions, I think I had an overall positive impact on my field and campus, and my advisees are advancing the field beyond what I could even imagine. Although there’s always more to be done (and, indeed, many faculty work into their 70’s and even 80’s) — another article to write, another project to envision, another grant to apply for, another course to overhaul, another leadership position to step into — it felt like a good moment to tie up loose ends and shift my energies elsewhere.

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Professional Engagement

My writing is varied. I’ve taken a deeper dive into some memoir work, drawing on guidance and resources from my favorite writing teacher, Al Watt, who included one of my pieces in this collection. I’m working on a book of bisexual haiku (biku) – let me know if you have a lead for an agent who appreciates whimsy. My monthly newsletter keeps me thinking about what I have to say that might be useful to others. My muse continues to present me with inspiration, and my daily writing practice offers me just the right amount of structure.

Travel

Quintessential Retirement Activities