I have read on personal profiles of classmates looking forward to retirement.  From my own observation and experience, I would discourage it.  Websters dictionary defines Retirement as"the period after you have permanently stopped your job or profession".  But what if you enjoyed what your job was?  What if you had a job that gave you a great sense of being able to help others?  How do yo fill that void?  Personally I can honestly say that there was never a day when I did not look forward to going to work at my HR position at the College of the Holy Cross.  Weather it was trying to help someone secure employment or answering a question for a current employee or student.  Possibly it was that work atmosphere fostered by the Jesuit community.

Taking early retirement, moving out of New England to a warmer climate for my wife's health reasons to one of the foremost golf mecca's in the United States did nothing but leave me with time on my hands.  Unless someone has an abundance of hobbies to keep them busy from morning to night, the delight of being free from that job or professions becomes more tiring then working 8 hours a day.  For me it also detracted from a personal sense of contributing to society.

I consider myself lucky that good fortune shone on me and I was able to find another HR position just 3 miles from my home.  Although it is no longer full-time, it does give me something to plan on doing each week, with a flexible schedule, pleasant co-workers and tasks that give me that same rewarding feeling that I had in the postion I left in Massachusetts.

In closing, remember the words from that commercial," a mind is a terrible thing to waste".  I saw both parents suffer from Alzhimers disease, and do know what the future holds for my mind, but I think that mental activity is a true key to forstalling memory lose as long as possible.  Find something to do weather it is for a paycheck or as a volenteer for personal gratification but stay ACTIVE...........

Antone you made a great argument for not retiring, Unfortunately for me a medical problem [multiple sclerosis] made that desicion for me. I just have one point I would like to comment on your message. The word weather is used in regards to atmospheric conditions such as rain, snow, and sun. Whether is an option such as whether or not to do something. This comment comes from a former medical technologist and not an English teacher. I try to keep my mind active by doing crossword puzzles.

Linda [Lassow] Kaldeck

Antone Ponte wrote: