Last month we went to a neighbor’s retirement party. He had a varied career and is now an avid golfer. Ironically, the only job he held for just one day was caddying for a retired couple. After lugging their clubs through 18 holes, he slept for most of three days due to his aching muscles.
Many see retirement as a time to play golf, volunteer or laze by the pool at their snowbird nest. Others see it as a chance to do what they’ve always wanted. Some go back to school, not for a degree, but for personal enrichment. Some take up a hobby, join senior sports activities or become actors on stage or film.
Adults in the film category “Real People” did not go to school to become actors; they were salespeople, firefighters and housewives. The late Naperville actress Leona Toppel wrote a book about her film extra career, A Pat, a Pinch, a Peck: My Adventures in the Movies. As an on-camera gray-haired grandma extra, she patted Tom Cruise, Paul Newman and Sylvester Stallone on set. She also walked down the street countless times in Ground Hog Day.
My acting colleague, Cedric, was a fireman and appeared in the Chicago-film Backdraft. Now a full-time actor, he has a solid career on TV and in Midwestern theaters, including Steppenwolf, Drury Lane, and the Goodman. Bankers and scientists have become teachers. Seniors have joined the Peace Corps and run marathons; some have taken art classes and founded Etsy-type businesses using new skills or drawing on old ones.
At 69, Kathie Lee Gifford, who co-hosted Live with Regis and Kathie Lee and NBC’s Today show with Hoda Kotb, released It’s Never Too Late: Make the Next Act of Your Life the Best Act, about following your passions and living your best life.
Her take on retirement is something all seniors should embrace, “I’m not retiring; I’m refiring!” That’s why I write this column.
