PRODUCTIVITY
It’s Time to End the Ageist Cultural Misconception of Retirement
Am I retired? Please stop asking that question.
It happened again.
This time, I was at the gym, resting on one of the benches between sets. Without warning, it came right out of the blue — the same question I receive at least once a month . . .
“You’re retired, aren’t you?”
As usual, I felt a surge of irritation beginning to build.
Replying with as much indignation as I could muster, I responded by saying, “Retired? Heavens no! There’s still so much I want to do, so much I want to accomplish.”
The expression on her face said it all — a look of suspicion mixed with pity. Immediately, I knew she had adopted the traditional life-plan of her elders — those who believe life is “supposed” to be lived a certain way. And my example didn’t fit, because they considered my defiance of the conventional ageist mindset analogous to a seventy-one-year-old hippy living out of a ’64 Volkswagen bus.
