My friend went on to comment that retirement allows time for such considerations to gel. When I Grow Old, I Shall Wear Purple says it all, especially to women. Now, in the late twentieth century, with life expectancies growing older and older, not to plan for one's retirement and not to see retirement as an opportunity for growth is to doom oneself to unhappiness and frustration. I'm simply taking the skills and talents I developed as a teacher and applying them in another setting. Retirement, like commencement, is a signal of the beginning of a new and exciting life.
Retirement is a joyful and happy time, perhaps the happiest time in life.