When you know that it's time for retirement

Arecibo beach
Originally uploaded by Brite light photos.

A SANDY BEACH, Earth - The shorter days seem to leave me time for reflection about what the next years will bring. Or it could be the case of wine I started working on this weekend.

Will there be more work? More stress? Less money (due to inflation)?

I try not to dwell on that stuff and instead to look at pictures like the one with this blog. Click on it. Please click on it. Good Gawd. Is that a real place?

Yup.

I've been to beaches like that. In fact I have anchored my sailboat in front of little resorts like that, gone in and had a couple of drinks - the kind they stick a little umbrella in. (NOTE TO TOURISTS: If you actually do get a drink with a little umbrella in it, well, chances are you are paying way too much for it. Move down the beach to the saloon that's short on umbrellas but has bigger glasses with more rum or tequila.)

When I started out as a journalist, the farthest thing from my mind was ever leaving that profession and when I started teaching - nearly 25 years ago - same deal. Retire? Never.

And in way, that's kind of true.

What I look forward to doing is having the time to do rockumentaries, finish book projects, learn the play the guitar better (provided the tendinitis is cured) and sit in the sun. OK, because my dermatologist now reads this blog, what I really meant to say, was sit in the shade with sun all around me.

When I hear the word retire used in the same sentence as my name, I always wince a little, because I expect to be even more busy, retired from the university than I am now, working fullltime+ with teaching and writing for three outfits.

There was certainly a lot of conversation at our class reunion about retirement. I know at least a dozen of our Class of '66 classmates said they are retired - or about to be.

Maybe a fun thing for this blog would be for people to let us know what it's like to be 'retired.' And, if it's not too much self-disclosure, to let the rest of the class know how you swung it in your 50s. Land investments,? Wealthy spouses? Patents? Ponzi schemes?

I know some of the folks I talked with at the reunion were talking about working until the very day they dropped in their tracks; others were buying coastal vacation homes.

I'm not buying a coastal home, mine floats.

But what kind of retirement plans do you have? Enquiring Class of '66 minds would like to know...