I know many people who are looking forward to retirement. They long to be snowbirds or move any place warmer. They’ll play golf, volunteer, pursue that long-neglected hobby, or just chill. I also know people who have taken their skills and started an entirely new career.
Sherry had worked for a prominent congressman and was a lobbyist in Washington for decades. She is currently enrolled, at her own expense, to get a teacher’s certificate through the intensive Teach Detroit program. This program seeks mature candidates—career changers whose previous successes are examples to their underprivileged young students. Sherry returned to her hometown grieving her late husband and seeking a new direction. Her passion is reignited as she now prepares to teach second graders.
Ken was a building trades teacher. After retirement, he went on a mission trip to Cheryl’s Children’s Home in Nairobi, Kenya, where he was able to build and coordinate constructing buildings and beds for children, many of them AIDS orphans. Ken prepares year-round for his annual trip to Cheryl’s.
At 65, Greg retired as a minister of Good Shepherd Church and moved to Arizona to start a new full-time job as a regional coordinator for World Vision – a “Christian relief, development and advocacy organization dedicated to working with children, families and communities to overcome poverty and injustice.”
Greg became involved with World Vision over 15 years ago and has joined many others to run the Chicago marathon to fund clean drinking water worldwide. Now “every day another 305,000 people are able to access clean drinking water for the first time.” (Max Roser of Oxford University Our World in Data website).
These three may be the wave of the future as more vital seniors move into new chapters of their lives. And maybe play some golf.
