9 Retirement and Reinvention 253and fun. It is important to keep people in your life that will give you feedback
when asked. And it is important to ask. An old friend listened to my explanation
of what I was doing and she said, “You know it is retirement, not work?” Her
feedback made me realize I was working a little too hard at retirement.
On one adventure in a new city I woke up and felt anxious about the day
ahead and wrote these words.
Difficult moments.
Where am I
This is supposed to be fun
But I feel alone and adrift
I did not prepare myself to not feel lost
I usually plan—this time I didn’t
I am paying the price.
I gave myself a little time to feel the anxiety. And then I did a Google
search that gave me some ideas. I made a plan, found a map, pushed myself
out the door, and had a fabulous day. I expect there will be many doors to
get through in retirement. Some I will choose and some I will unexpectedly
encounter. I look forward to the challenge. I will stay calm and carry on as
I navigate this exciting and challenging time of life.Jean Haskell’s Story
Jean Haskell
Jean Haskell has been aging since the day after she was born; however, it is only
recently that she looks into the mirror and wonders who that old woman can be. Jean
grew up in Philadelphia, attended public schools, and the University of Pennsylvania,
where she majored in psychology and English. Much later in her life, she received
master’s and doctorate degrees in educational psychology from Temple University.
Jean has been a secretary, a publicity writer, an elementary school teacher, an educa-
tional consultant, a manager, program developer, career and organizational develop-
ment consultant, a facilitator, a married mom, a single mom, a student and teacher of
improvisational theater, an avid theater goer, a peace activist, and a grandmother.
She is also a trained ballroom dancer, an exercise addict, and a newspaper junkie,
and loves to travel. Although she is in excellent health, Jean finds aging a challenge
because, she says, “my body plays tricks on me—some days everything is just fine,
and other days I wish I could turn it in for a new one.” She looks forward to the next
chapters of her life and what new ventures they will bring.I never really “retired” from a position. I had been managing my own consult-
ing business, intermittently with full- and part-time jobs, for about 20 years.
About 5 years ago, when I was consulting full time, the business changed,
and the economy changed, and it became harder and harder to find work.
The contract I had with one major organizational client came to an end and,
as the work with smaller clients began to wind down, I realized that I was
no longer interested in doing the heavy marketing that consulting required.
Thus, I became a nonworking person, however, I always know, even now, that