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i guess if your working at something you either enjoy or just doing it to keep busy you could call yourself semi-retired.
i think thats pretty much the word we are all arguing about.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flyfishnevada
Exactly! It is the word. I don't think there is a word in the English language for what many of us plan to do. Leave our career, work doing something else on our terms, probably part-time, and some of the responses to my original question, such as by MMoB, show that.
Huh? Why do you say that? In my very first post on this thread, that is exactly the word I used to describe that situation:
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda
OTOH, If someone has retired from their career and has begun a part-time job (say fewer than 20 hrs/wk.) for any reason other than money, then I would consider that person semi-retired.
I don't think it matters. You can call what you do retirement, and while some folks will get upset, it in no way diminishes their retirement (or shouldn't, anyway). It's not like if we allowed any guy who decides to pick up a scapel to call themselves a doctor. Society won't look at retirees any differently, or if they do it won't have any real effect, just because I say I am retired while I "work" at my bistro, mow fairways at a golf course or need a job at Wal-Mart to make a few extra bucks to travel.
Honestly, I am facinated by these responses. It is interesting that there is such a difference of opinion on the meaning of the word "retirement".
Ironically, the only people on this thread who appear to be upset are the ones who want to work and call themselves retired. They're upset that others don't hold the same opinion and don't consider them to be retired. Those of us who don't consider that to be "retired" aren't upset at all. As far as I'm concerned, anyone can refer to themself in any way that they choose. Doesn't make a bit of difference to me and I certainly wouldn't be upset if someone wants to work 20, 40, or even 60 hours a week and call themself retired or even semi-retired. But that doesn't mean that I consider them retired.
I suspect that depending where you opened your bistro and the financial wealth of your customers you might get different answers if you asked them if you were retired.
That opens up another can of worms, what do other people call what you do?
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda
Huh? Why do you say that? In my very first post on this thread, that is exactly the word I used to describe that situation:
I think semi-retirement is kind a of a bastardized word. You could just as easily say, as someone already did, semi-employed. It works, I suppose, but it lacks a certain elegance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by MadManofBethesda
Ironically, the only people on this thread who appear to be upset are the ones who want to work and call themselves retired. They're upset that others don't hold the same opinion and don't consider them to be retired. Those of us who don't consider that to be "retired" aren't upset at all. As far as I'm concerned, anyone can refer to themself in any way that they choose. Doesn't make a bit of difference to me and I certainly wouldn't be upset if someone wants to work 20, 40, or even 60 hours a week and call themself retired or even semi-retired. But that doesn't mean that I consider them retired.
I for one am not upset either. I am not really concerned with what anyone would classify my lifestyle as. I wasn't really saying that you or others were upset, just that some people may become upset. I think my point was more that traditionally retired folks hold a stricter view of what retirement is than other folks. Maybe becuase the rest of us haven't experienced true retirement and so don't know what it is.or that we want it so badly we are willing to settle for less than the real thing.
For some part of the joy of retirement is others appreciating our status in life and the fact that our plans have been realized. Thus we find enjoyment in others appreciating and corroborating our status. I find it interesting that as we approached retirement other non retired people would ask us what kind of job we were getting and I would just say retired job. I did eventually end up saying greeter at Walmart of salesman at Sears to shut them up but they thought I should do something more professional and I would try to explain that as a compromise I won't work. It is interesting the reactions to others and it can vary from place to place etc etc.
Indeed, it is interesting how many other (mostly non-retired) people assume that you will be continuing with some form of employment after "retirement". I got that a lot also, and that was before I had worked out accepting an occasional paid project. When people asked me what kind of job I would be seeking, I always answered, "What is it you don't understand about the concept of retirement?" They got the message, and generally accepted it with the same good humor in which it was offered.
I get a lot of "You're too young to retire!" or "You're not going to stop working are you?" There definately is that feeling in a lot of people that if you aren't working in a career, you're not really productive. They also worry how bored I'll be. I have so much planned, I doubt I could ever be bored unless I wanted to be.
And here we are talking about what retirement really means. Most of the people that have negative feelings about my impending "retirement" either don't enjoy theirs or probably never will never retire.
I'm almost 64. My wife is almost 62. We're retired. All the back-and-forth here notwithstanding, we don't *earn* a penny, nor do we need to. We each have a government pension. I draw Social Security. My wife will start drawing in in November. As far as I'm concerned, "we're not only merely retired, we're really most sincerely retired."
As many who have retired before us have remarked, they're so busy doing things they want to do they wonder how they ever found time for work!
That opens up another can of worms, what do other people call what you do?
I think semi-retirement is kind a of a bastardized word. You could just as easily say, as someone already did, semi-employed. It works, I suppose, but it lacks a certain elegance.
I for one am not upset either. I am not really concerned with what anyone would classify my lifestyle as. I wasn't really saying that you or others were upset, just that some people may become upset. I think my point was more that traditionally retired folks hold a stricter view of what retirement is than other folks. Maybe becuase the rest of us haven't experienced true retirement and so don't know what it is.or that we want it so badly we are willing to settle for less than the real thing.
The real question is why do so many people who wish to start a different career in middle age want so desperately to be considered retired? If leaving one career and starting another is what you want, go for it.
I cannot fathom why these people insist on calling themselves retired when they are so clearly not. Why lie about it? Nothing wrong with leaving a career (with or without a pension) and working at another one if that's what you want. What's wrong with I run a bistro now. I used to be an engineer.
If retirement didn't by definition mean not working any longer for money, then telling people you are retired but I have to go to work wouldn't cause any confusion, would it? But it does.
I never liked the deliberate misuse of words. The big deal is there is no communication if you use words to mean something they don't. Only confusion. But then maybe that's the objective? 1984 anyone?
Main Entry: re·tire
Pronunciation: \ri-ˈtī(-ə)r\
Function: verb
Inflected Form(s): re·tired; re·tir·ing
Etymology: Middle French retirer, from re- + tirer to draw
Date: 1533
intransitive verb
1: to withdraw from action or danger: retreat
2: to withdraw especially for privacy <retired to her room>
3: to move back: recede
4: to withdraw from one's position or occupation: conclude one's working or professional career
5: to go to bed
transitive verb
1: withdraw: as a: to march (a military force) away from the enemy; b: to withdraw from circulation or from the market: recall <retire a bond>; c: to withdraw from usual use or service
2: to cause to retire from one's position or occupation
3 a: to put out (a batter or batsman) in baseball or cricket; b: to cause (a side) to end a turn at bat in baseball
4: to win permanent possession of (as a trophy)
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I second TuborgP's motion!
