The Writer's Circle: Judy Allen - Reimagining Retirement
"Thinking beyond the cultural concept of retirement to God’s desire for us in this next stage of life."
My goal when I retired was to begin writing more frequently and consistently. As I was looking for a viable publishing platform to do that, I was introduced to Substack.
Substack is so much more than just a writing platform. It is a gathering place, a social media for writers of all styles and genres. A place where we can meet (virtually speaking, of course) writers with similar interests and philosophies.
A subject that I frequently write about is Retirement. So, naturally, I looked for other writers who focused on this topic. promptly popped up on the radar screen.
Judy goes beyond the traditional beliefs of moving from working to not working or even the obsessive litany of articles on whether we will have a big enough “nest egg” to last.
Rather than focus on the number-crunching aspect of retirement, her newsletter, Reimagining Retirement, is all about retirement being a transformation of life's purpose.
To “reimagine” basically means to rethink or think about something differently. And this newsletter does that masterfully with titles such as Experience Delight, where she advises,
“The best advice I’ve come across is to take a purposeful sabbatical immediately upon retirement. Take time to rest, and rest some more, travel, and travel some more, spend time with those you love, sort through your feelings, and ponder the next phase of your life. If you haven’t had time to think about those things, this is the time.”
Or No Expiration Date, where she explores the topic of retirement being the most productive years of our lives.
In her latest post, To Retire, or Not, she referred to a line in a previous piece, If You Live 100 Years, that I had not thought about before -
We will not be old longer, we will be young longer.
“Retirees are realizing that they need purpose, a reason to get up in the morning.”
Many of the writers here on substack are retirees, or close to it, who are fulfilling their lifelong dream of writing. Our words cover a myriad of topics and genres that we are finally able to explore. In my short time on this platform, I have seen writers blossom. Each post gets better and better.
There are so many good ones, that it is hard to balance our writing with reading all our favorite newsletters.
As we all bring different perspectives and experiences to the table, it is always good to read what others have to say about what interests us.
Judy’s newsletter, Reimagining Retirement, validates and encourages each of our endeavors. She offers insights into how we might think of what we are doing or want to do in a different, more significant way.
So, this week, check her out and give her a shout … Then get ready to “Reimagine” life.
Thank you for subscribing to Life UnCorked where the focus is on successfully navigating the issues of life from a Christian point of view.
While you’re here, check out my creative writing ‘Stack: The Talking Pen, where you’ll find fiction & non-fiction stories, poetry, art, and personal musings that illustrate the struggles, tragedies, and triumphs of life.
Wow - thank you so much, Cork. It is truly my desire to encourage retirees to live to their fullest potential in these wonderful years! Thank you for encouraging me!