Today marks the fourth anniversary of my retirement. Cue the golden sunset (pictured above).
Back in 2021, just after I retired from an almost 21-year career at San Diego Comic-Con, I wrote this post, which I’ve just re-read. The thing that stands out most for me (besides the fact I worked pretty much for 44 straight years … YIKES!), is the line that says “… there’s always more nothing to do.” I guess that’s kind of been my unspoken mantra for the past four years. When I did take that giant leap off a cliff four years ago—a leap I was not entirely unprepared for, by the way, being the planner I tend to be—it was into an absolutely uncertain new life. As I mentioned in that post, a co-worker, also near retirement age, asked me, “But what will you do all day?” And my semi-flippant answer was “Anything I damn well please.”
Life, at any age, isn’t really conducive to “Anything I damn well please” behavior, unless you’re a millionaire, which i am categorically NOT. When I retired in 2021, I was hoping to enjoy traveling again, but we were still in the pandemic, and to be honest, I have not taken as many trips as I had hoped. Part of it is travel sucks, post-pandemic, money is tighter in retirement, and hey … I’m also four years older. I’ve become much more of a homebody.
I still like that “more nothing to do” line, though, and I stick with it. Walks, books, TV and movies, naps, and yeah … a little travel. I haven’t taken a major trip since November 2023, when I visited England for about 10 days or so, and I do hope to go back again this fall. But the allure of home—the comfort of my couch, the crammed bookcases surrounding me, all this “cozy clutter” I’ve accumulated, oh, and that inviting balcony—all conspire to seduce me into staying put on a more regular basis.
So here I am, four years later, still retired, still thriving in my own way. If you would have told me back then I’d have my own YouTube Channel and be writing, designing, and producing my own documentary videos on the comic books that I loved growing up in the 1960s—let alone doing panel presentations at my old alma mater, Comic-Con and WonderCon—I’d have given you a snarky, yet solid, “Yeah. Right.” punctuated with a derisive snort. But here I am with a whole new hobby, and something that keeps me busy each month. I enjoy it and I’m thankful that other people seem to, too.
I still struggle a bit with the aspect of time in my life, from the standpoint of there is no real urgency to be anywhere at any time, other than doctor or dentist appointments. Everything else comes and goes, does it matter if it happens on Tuesday or Wednesday, before or after lunch? I’m a very organized person, and I like to know what I’m going to be doing, but honestly … it doesn’t really matter anymore. That’s the hardest adjustment I’ve had to make; life doesn’t have to be rigidly scheduled. Just let it happen whenever. Now’s a good time for a nap. Or a book. Or another episode of Bosch, even though I’ve seen them all a dozen times.
That palindrome-like date sticks with me: 2-12-21, a date which shall forever live as a turning point for me. Retirement is in the top five things to ever happen to me, close behind moving to San Diego 26 years ago, and probably being born (jury is still out on that one, I guess). I hope you have the same experience that I had when you retire (or if you already have). Find the courage to take that leap, rip off that band-aid that’s keeping you in what you call a job or career, and gently segue into something else that makes you happy. Maybe you know what that is, maybe you don’t, but finding it is part of the fun. It’s out there … I know. I’m living proof.
@innocent-bystander.com 
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