Barbara J. Hamby

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Retiring from Gainful Employment to Write

Five years ago I finally retired for the third time from paid employment after working part-time through high school and a year of college and full time for somewhere between 45 and 50 years. I tapered off by working three days a week, then two days a week, then running and sending statements monthly for the psychology clinic where I had held my last position. I hadn’t really known how I would respond to unstructured time, but there are many things about it that are pretty neat. At age 70, I felt I was finally ready.

It is a joy to take a nap when my eyes droop, go to bed and get up whenever I’m ready and, within the limits of a relationship, be in charge of my own time. It took me a while to rid myself of the habit of saying yes to all the people who think retirees have nothing to do. It doesn’t take any more muscle to say no, especially if you don’t guilt yourself into defending your answer. Note that I am reluctantly joining the modern trend to turn nouns into verbs.

Since I’ve been writing for the last ten years, I can fill my waking hours well by doing minimal household chores and writing as much as possible. Reading is a passion also and I try to get some exercise. Swimming, in the summer, is a daily routine.

After finishing my non-fiction book, I began gathering stories about my life for a memoir collection. Some I have written over the years, and many more are waiting to be put down.