Welcome to our Chesapeake Retirement Guide, to help you begin and enjoy your retirement journey. Throughout the year, What’s Up? Annapolis & What’s Up? Eastern Shore offers relatable content that provides the booming retirement generation advice, relatable services, and lifestyle opportunities. But this month’s feature section is especially for you!
In this guide, renowned writer, lecturer, philanthropist, and the ambassador of sailing in the U.S., Gary Jobson, offers an essay that explores what living well in retirement could and should mean. You’ll also find a collection of businesses, on the following pages, ready to help you enjoy these golden years. Enjoy!
Your Retirement Lifestyle
Finished up or transitioning? Reflections on what the golden years imply
I am going to start off by saying, I don’t like the word “retirement.” It sounds like the end of the road.
Conversely, I have witnessed that “post-career living” (better term) is an energizing time. Sure, there is a shift in one’s schedule from punching a clock and working non-stop to meet deadlines, agree to deals, or provide services and products. The exhilarating transition away from full time employment is being able choose activities that are fun and intellectually stimulating. And best of all, you can do things at your own pace.
My own career, after graduating from college 50 years ago included: producing an average of 40 television programs per year, writing a book every other year, giving 100 presentations annually, consulting for many companies, serving on for-profit Boards and managing to spend about 80 days per year racing sailboats. In hindsight, it is hard to believe it all happened. These days I still stay busy helping a variety of different groups as a volunteer, continuously write, give presentations about once per week, and, of course, I’m still sailing.
There are many people (baby boomers like me born between 1946 and 1964) who are transitioning to post-career living and trying to figure out, what’s next? I’ve asked many how they spend their time and have received some heart-warming answers. The priority is to make a serious plan. Laissez-faire living doesn’t just happen. Being organized is important. There are many questions to answer such as: should we downsize the house, what special places should we visit, should we move to a different area, and what should we include on our bucket list?
There are two fundamental factors to consider—health and finances. Every person around my age (73) and older has some kind of health issue. No one is immune to having a medical-related problem. Augmenting Medicare with adequate insurance is a sound investment. As we age, conversations progress from little kids talking about toys and ice cream to high school and college students focusing on sports and dating. Young adults are into weddings and careers. Middle-aged adults talk about families, houses, investments, and outdoor activities. After a certain age, health discussions are inevitable. This is simply the cycle of life. The question I ask is not how much time we have left, but how much quality time do we have? Staying physically fit and getting regular medical check-ups is important. Early detection of any health problem makes it easier to address rather than waiting too long.
When someone stops working, income is reduced. A living budget needs to be adjusted to the reality of available resources. A word of caution, be careful getting a reverse mortgage, buying life insurance policies, or agreeing to other questionable financial offers. Proper financial planning is essential.
Many people book lots of travel after they stop working full time. For me, I have reversed my years of continuous travel by spending more time in Annapolis. We are lucky to live in an area where there are so many activities to enjoy in our own backyard. There are endless concerts, fairs, parades, sporting events, museums, adult classes, lectures, and outdoor activities (sailing, hiking, and fly fishing are on my list). It’s a good time to fix things around the house, and declutter basements, garages, attics, closets, and drawers. I find this to be a cleansing activity. If you haven’t used something in three years, it is best to just let it go. Donate your time by joining a nonprofit board, help raise funds for a worthy cause, or volunteer your time. The interaction with other people and the progress made toward an important goal provides a satisfying feeling of accomplishment. Take the time to learn something new like speaking another language, playing a musical instrument, learning to cook better, how to work with your hands, join a singing group, or work in your garden.
My wife, Janice, spent 10 years as a nurse, 14 years as a full-time mother, and 15 years as a teacher. She made it clear that her working days would end when grandchildren arrived. We now have five grandchildren who provide endless fun. Playing a game with three generations takes place with unbridled enthusiasm. The old expression, “If we knew how good grandchildren are, we would have had them first” is somewhat accurate. It is fascinating to watch your own children deal with their children. I’m amazed how fast children grow up and even more amazed how quickly time passes. For this reason, we need to make the most of our time.
One of the more critical things to do as we age is to reduce stress. This is one of the keys to good health. Pick activities that have little stress involved. One of my most relaxing activities is reading and walking. Early in the morning, I take at least 30 minutes to read the newspapers. The exercise gets my brain going. On weekends I carve out some time to read magazines and books. Someone once advised me that if I was having a stress filled day to just go for a walk, and if I am still feeling stressed to go for another walk. Good advice.
One of my favorite activities is to take one or two people for a long sail of at least three or more hours. I have a 32-foot sloop that sails beautifully. Conversations on the water are open and enlightening. When sailing on the Chesapeake Bay one connects with nature. Every few minutes the view changes. I keep my boat at the ready all year long and head out any time the weather is reasonable. Life is always good after a long sail.
Take the time to make lists. What do you want to achieve? Another wise sage once told me that it is okay to take the time to “smell the roses.” I never quite understood what that meant because I was always pushing forward at flank speed. These days I understand the phrase. It is okay to take a moment to study the sky, think about life, watch the birds, and maybe, best of all, just dream.
Gary Jobson is a world-class sailor, television commentator, author, longtime resident of Annapolis, and pre-eminent ambassador for sailing of the United States. He either serves on or has served on the boards of Operation Sail, US Sailing, Olympic Sailing Committee, Leukemia Cup Regatta Series, Annapolis Yacht Club, National Sailing Hall of Fame, Chesapeake Bay Trust Board of Directors, and Visit Annapolis, among many others.
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