Keeping the Passion Alive!

/ joyroses13

Back in 1950, a man opened up his own private practice. The practice specialized in treating heart and lung diseases. Over time he took on a partner and they carried on a full work load.

Fast forward 41 years to 1991, where there was a young lady, who had recently graduated with a Medical Assistant certification. She was excited to work in her first Dr.s office, working with patients. She performed numerous EKG’s and chest x-rays.

I was that young lady and I worked in the Dr.s office that opened in 1950. I  really enjoyed the work I did there. Loved the patients, and both Doctor’s were very friendly and easygoing. I was thinking the one may retire while I was still there, but he didn’t.

I moved away from the area and continued working with patients at another Dr.s office and then worked in a nursing home and the list goes on. This post  really isn’t about my career choices though, its more about retirement.

What do you think about when you think of retirement? For those of you who are retired, what led to your decision to retire? Did you just feel the time had come, and you wanted to begin a new chapter in life? Did you still have a passion for the job you retired from? Has your retirement led to new things for you to enjoy?

There are no right or wrong answers, I am just curious, and would love to hear your thoughts. Curious because I was given a shock yesterday. I came across an article about the Dr.s office that I worked for back in the early 1990’s.  The Dr. that opened his office in 1950, the Dr. who hired me in 1991, that Dr. just recently retired!! Remember how I thought he would retire back when I started working there? He retired in 2015! He retired at the age of 96!! He had planned on never retiring but recent health issues are what led him to closing his doors.  For all of you who are close to 65 and thinking retirement is coming soon, can you imagine working for 30 more years??

It just blows my mind that he was able to still keep a full time schedule at the age of 96! He not only saw patients at his office but went to a nursing home 2x a week to see patients as well. Anyone else feeling lazy, besides me?

He has kept up his pace, but one thing that he did not keep up with was the the progression of technology. He had no computerized records on his patients. The article also said how the office decor was still the same as back in the 50’s. I can still visualize those straight backed wooden chairs and the antique phones.  But his patients came to see him, not the furniture. He was one of those Doctor’s that would spend 30 minutes talking to his patient, not rushing them out the door.

His son said how in his free time all his dad did was read medical journals and articles. I believe being a Doctor really was his passion. He touched many of his patients lives I am sure, the article said how his patients hated to see him go and I can imagine that. Some of his patients had been seeing him for the majority of their lives!

Whatever your passion may be, keep it alive!

 

47 thoughts on “Keeping the Passion Alive!”

  1. This triggers a couple of thoughts. I loved my job but I was ready to retire to do something else. Something much less structured (like blogging!). It’s a personal decision. I worked 6 months part time during a transition period for the new person to come up to speed and that was very helpful to me. I could have worked another year part time but never full time. I wanted to spend time with my husband who had retired 3 years earlier. Now about the doc, I have a lot of respect for him but doubt that I would have continued to use him. I had a few instances where I changed docs because I felt the older one (and I mean truly older, not just in the 60’s) wasn’t keeping current with equipment, protocol and then there are shaky hands. Each to his own, just my two cents.

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    • HI Kate! I am so glad you shared your thoughts! I wanted to see if anyone had the same thoughts as me, and Bingo you did! Nothing against him, but yes I am afraid I also may have trouble going to a Dr that old. for the same reasons that you mentioned.
      And I love how you said that you wanted to spend your time with your husband. I think that is part of the importance of retirement of slowing down and getting to be with our loved ones on a more relaxed schedule, but like you said, to each his own!

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  2. Wow! As a couch potato today, stories like these help me find some sort of purpose. The only person I knew who was passionate in their field was my geology professor a man in his 80s. He had a brisk walk about him and carried a faster pace than my 20-year old colleagues as we hiked in a mountainous region.

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  3. Retirement for me was dictated by a number of factors, the main one being that it had to be financially feasible (no mortgage/no debts and an income capable of supporting my chosen life style). I also completed a retirement planning seminar which posed some interesting questions which should be answered before you retire:
    1. Do you get satisfaction from your work? If yes, how are you going to replace that when retired?
    2. Do enjoy the social aspects of your work? If yes, how are you going to provide that when retired?
    3. Are their specific individuals who you enjoyed working with? If yes, how are you going to replace them when retired?
    4. We are a routine driven species, so if you (e.g.) worked an 8hr day – 5 day week for the past 30+ years, what are you going to do once retired?

    So many people retire without any planning, and then do nothing of consequence until they die.Such a shame. It just needs some planning.

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    • Thanks for sharing Colin. They are good questions!
      I think the last question is especially important. I know people who have filled their time very well since retirement and love the more opportunities they have since retiring. But sadly I know others who had no sense of direction when retiring and just kind of stopped doing anything ,not due to health reasons just because they had no motivation.

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      • There are people who think no further than daytime television, soap operas etc. etc. The mind, like the body, is in a “use it or lose it” cycle. Watching mindless drivel on TV is not a recipe for a happy retirement.
        There are people who dream of going on a world cruise, but never plan for the necessary financial obligations of such a trip.
        There are those who see their career as their life. Take away their career (forced retirement) and they have no motivation to live.

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        • So true! Not only is TV not a recipe for happy retirement it’s not healthy either, your health can go really downhill if all you do is sit and watch all day.

          Yes traveling is a dream for many but you can’t just click your heels like Dorothy and instantly be there. You need money!

          And your last one is one thing I thought of about the Dr I worked for. It sounds like to me that his career was his life, so I do wonder how retirement is going for him.

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  4. Why does a retiree often say he doesn’t miss work, but misses the people he used to work with?
    A. He is too polite to tell the whole truth.

    What do retirees call someone who refuses to retire?
    A. NUTS!

    I stumbled into retirement at age 50 when we moved to Florida. We thought we would go back to work, but never got around to it. I like being off the treadmill and enjoy doing nothing of consequence. Instead of traveling, we watch travel shows on PBS ~ learning lots without the hassle and expense of flying around the world. I blog. I learned to play Bridge. We exercise. We cook. We go to local concerts and talks. We read. In short, we do exactly what we want to do and LOVE it.

    When is a retiree’s bedtime?
    A. Three hours after he falls asleep on the couch.

    What do retirees in Florida consider formal attire?
    A. Tied shoes.

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  5. That’s a doctor I wouldn’t mind having. My passions in life never paid well, so I ended up pursuing a career worth retiring from. I actually enjoyed delivering mail. I just didn’t like my mean-spirited bosses. Also, my body was breaking down, and telling me to quit all that repetitive motion.

    But of course, I’m also lazy and enjoy a good nap. And napping is hard to do when you have mean-spirited bosses always on your tail. The bastards.

    But retirement is good. Now I can follow my passions without fear of starvation. And I can nap whenever I want.

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  6. All I could think of was Old School, and the days of a family doctor who was zillions years old and knew everyone and their ailments personally. You don’t get that today, if you have access to a doctor at all.
    I ‘retired’ in 2007. I was already claiming my bank’s pension as I was entitled to at 50. So glad I did as it’s my only income apart from 2 tiny annuities and I would have lost it when the bank was sold as they only honoured existing pensioners (phew!!). I now have to wait until 2022 to claim a State pension.
    I loved my banking job, and after redundancy, the credit control job I landed for myself, and the following promotion 4 years later. I didn’t like the company’s politics thereafter and could see how things were going to pan out over the next year or so which I particularly didn’t want any part of. We left the area so it all worked out OK and I haven’t worked since, other than the little casuals jobs as a kennel maid and in a car museum.
    Money is tight, but I’m a good manager and it’s nice to have our time to do with as we wish.
    Living where we do the beach and a lovely park is within walking distance, the people are lovely and we can chat to loads of people when out walking the dog, no rush or time pressure having to be somewhere for someone else.

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  8. I applaud that doctor and say “GOOD FOR HIM!” I think that if we are in the right job/career, we might never want to retire. Like you, I’ve had many jobs, most of them related to writing/medical editing and writing, administering, etc. But the past five years I’ve devoted myself to full-time teaching writing classes, writing, and publishing. And I’m happier than ever with my career, and at this point, hope to continue on until I’m, well, maybe 96!

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  10. Yesterday, upon reading this post I hesitated to comment…especially after reading Colin’s excellent comment with regard to planning. “Retirement” was a dirty word to me as I had always planned to die with my nurse’s cap on…albeit, caps had long ago disappeared. Preparing financially had become easier once the children were grown and on their own. Preparing mentally had not been broached, it was unnecessary or so I thought. Until, unbeknownst to me, retirement chose me. Suddenly, without warning, my 45+ year career came crashing to an end through a series of events beyond my control. Yes, I was at retirement age chronologically but not otherwise, least of all mentally. My agency had decided that pediatrics was not a viable branch any longer, not surprising I suppose as I was the entire pediatric’s department by then! This decision had come when my last case, of over 10 years, had also suddenly come to an end. No problem, I thought…surely another agency would welcome an experienced nurse with a strong work ethic. Not so, I soon found out as my “advanced age” was cited time and time again…no matter that I was still working 7 days/week of 64 hours each! I was devastated, unwanted and unneeded! You see, I never wanted to be anything but a nurse since I was 6 years old and I put myself through school to prove that to my doubting Mother. Special Needs Pediatric nursing was not what I did, it was who I was and upon retirement I no longer knew who I was or who I might become. I also hesitate to admit that those were not my finest hours, as I struggled to come to terms with the end of my beloved career. I volunteered here and there and continued with the part time nannying of a family friend’s toddler, trying to find a path forward through the debris of what no longer was as it had always been. Then less than nine months later, a new career was placed into my arms and heart, as a Grandmother. My Daughter needed a full time nanny and I needed something to fill my empty hours, a match made in heaven! In hindsight, that always clearer view, I would not have been able to meet her time schedule had I still been gainfully employed. In due time I became known as “Gem” and Benjamin is the best gift that I have ever received! My career as a “Gem” is now entering a sort of retirement phase, but it is far from over!! Retirement, I have learned, is one long sweet coffee break! Thank-you!

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    • Thanks for sharing from your heart Ellen! I am very glad you decided to.
      Sometimes life really throws us unexpected curve balls, like what happened to you!
      My heart soared when I read about you becoming a Grandmother. I know the very special bond you share with Benjamin and it was so cool to see how that worked out. That you were able to step up and be there for him and I am so happy for both of you! You are very right l!! Your career as a “Gem” is definitely not over! Just moving into a little different stage.
      I identify with you somewhat due to having big changes coming to me as a Mom. My kids are moving on, I will be looking at a empty nest in the very near future but yes my being a Mom is far from over!
      Hugs! 💜

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  11. Having worked for just shy of 25 years at a large corporate law firm that was ‘adjusting’ their focus I decided to retire once my financial planner told me I wouldn’t have to eat cat food every day. My health had begun to suffer from the mind numbing stress; I think I would have scrubbed bathrooms to avoid having to continue to work there. Now I have found new meaning in doing things I actually enjoy and feeling some sense of appreciation from life outside the law. It took some time adapting to going from 60 to zero, but has been so worth it. I love being able to enjoy simple pleasures of life that I think I’d forgotten that last year of work.

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  12. Oh my, what a door you have opened! I took early retirement in 2008 for a combination of reasons, not the least of which being that a new boss had come in and the day she shook her finger in my face and said, “Shut up, shut up, shut up …” after asking me to explain to her how something worked, was the day I wrote my letter of resignation. The other part of the reason was to be the primary teacher for my home-schooled granddaughter with Tourette’s Syndrome.

    When I retired, I had visions of mornings spent enjoying the sunrise on the patio with a cup of coffee, days spent doing fun, crafty things, and somewhere in there writing my first novel. I also started work on my Ph.D. in International Relations. Well, as you know by now, the rest is history. I did none of the above, but instead discovered blogging, became a vocal political … analyst? Critic? Writer? At any rate, now, 11 years later, I actually work harder than when I was a CPA working sometimes 14-16 hours a day. I spend about that much time now on my blog and related activities, plus do all the other little things life requires! I am perpetually behind, always stressed, but I love what I do, and most of all love my blogging family!

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  13. OH my gosh on your boss! I can totally understand your letter of resignation!
    I am sure you were a blessing to your granddaughter!

    Writing a novel? Do it! LOVE that you blog, for I never would have met you otherwise, but take time to enjoy the sunrise and do crafty things too, or whatever your heart desires.

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