Retirement Talk
WHAT to do with the rest of your life? |
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Episode 094 Retirement and A Work of Love
Twenty-one years ago we retired. I was forty-four years old.
I always thought that once I retired I would do exactly what I wanted, and that
someday, I might not only do exactly what I wanted, but get paid for it as well.
I would work at something I really did want to do on a daily basis and, at the
same time, something that society would value; value enough to pay me for it.
It never happened.
This is Retirement Talk. I’m Del Lowery.
It rarely happens; where you get paid for something you’d do
for free. I know some people that say
they love their work. I was one. But, once I quit getting paid for it, I never
went back. My mind went elsewhere, as well as my body. I recently made contact with an old friend of
mine who has had the opposite experience. He retired and then did exactly what
he wanted to do, and he does get paid for what he is doing. This is his story.
And perhaps, just perhaps, you can pick up some hints that will make something
similar happen to you.
My friend’s name is Lewis. I met him in
Alaska
on a cold, dark winter night in a
small log cabin. It was at an organizational meeting for Amnesty International.
It must have been about thirty odd years ago. He and a friend had contacted
Amnesty and decided to try to organize the first Amnesty group in
Alaska
. I went to the
meeting. He and his friend were both lawyers and committed to Human Rights
work. They were both public defenders for the State of
Alaska
and fresh out of law school – true
idealist.
We worked together to help establish and maintain the local
chapter. We held monthly meetings. We wrote letters to government officials
around the world. We wrote letters to prisoners. Most of the letters went
unanswered. We continued to write. We hosted educational and outreach events in
Anchorage
. We
held a candlelight vigil every December 10th – Human Rights Day. It
was always cold and dark and usually not many people came. I remember dragging
everyone I knew to some of the vigils that were always held in subzero weather
on a windy corner in downtown. I remember one year I was discouraged and
considered not putting a vigil together for that year. I complained about it at
the dinner table one night and said, “There just seems to be only people we
know that go to it - some friends and a few students.” My daughter, who was
probably ten or eleven years old, then sat me straight by saying, “Well, how
would it be if no one showed up? How would you like that?” We held the vigil
and the tradition continues to this day. We worked with Amnesty all of our days
in
Alaska
.
Then we retired and left the state. A few years later, Lewis
called from
Seattle
and asked if he and his wife, Becky, could stop by for a visit. He had just
retired. And he wasn’t quite forty years old. He had beaten me by four years.
They moved out of
Alaska
to
Grass
Valley
,
California
and then to
Salt Lake City
,
Utah
.
He continued his interest in Human Rights and his interest in the environment.
Besides Amnesty International, he had been very active in the Alaska Land
Trust. His two causes were about to merge.
He created an organization entitled “The Environmental
Defender Law Center”, EDLC. You
can visit their website at www.edlc.org. He approaches large, established law firms and
encourages them to do pro bono work on behalf of people in distant lands who
are having their human rights denied because of some position they have taken
because of environmental issues; thus the merging of human rights, the environment,
and law.
Lewis use to tell me that he has probably changed from
levies into a pinstriped suit in airport bathrooms more than anyone in the
world. Lewis likes to wear the old blue denim levies. He traveled in them; all
over the place. But, work called for other attire. Thus the change into a suit
was usually made in airports. Lewis is a
Harvard
Law
School
graduate. When he
flies to the East Coast to recruit new firms into cooperate efforts on behalf
of the oppressed today, I can only imagine the switch continues.
I recently got an email telling me that the ELDC had changed
its webpage and email address. I contacted Lewis and found out a couple of
things. They have now moved to
Bozeman
,
Montana
, where they can continue
to ski and run in the mountains. He can continue to wear levies. And he is
working fulltime for full pay running the ELDC. Imagine. He’s one lucky guy. He
has seen his dream retirement/job become a reality. He is doing good work at
just exactly what he wants. “I work a full day,” he said, “for a full day’s
pay.” It’s work, but not work at the same time. We should all be so lucky, or
capable.
This is Retirement Talk.
A resource from a listener: Best Free Online Degrees for Seniors guide is designed to assist seniors who aspire to enhance their intellect or consider starting a new career path. It features an overview of the top online degrees for seniors, emphasizing their numerous advantages, and a broad range of subjects to choose from.
A friend's website: Terra Firma Designs: Fine Furniture, Stained Glass and woodworking workshops.
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