Ready to take a Leap!

Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives?

by Sara Davidson

One of my favorite ways to find a new book is to walk the aisles at Barnes and Noble in Rochester and look at book covers. They have so many, you'd think it would be impossible to find anything. Not so! Usually something jumps off the shelf and into my brain. That's when it is time for a cup of coffee and an hour of reading.

This book was one of those jumpers. The liner notes talked about what the boomer generation is going to do with retirement. Since I'm a boomer getting close to retirement, the topic seemed appropriate.

We (family, friends) have been talking about what to do in retirement for some time. This book should give us a preview of how to decide, what to expect, right? Oh, if it were so easy.

Davidson takes us through the lives of many of her friends, college roommates, acquaintances, business partners and more. They are all late fifties to early seventies and have generally gone through a significant change in life, often something one could call "retirement." But this generation is not the quit work and go play golf and tennis variety.

Some retire to volunteer in Bosnia or India, others try to make a go of singing country music in little clubs. One gal left the convent she had been in for thirty years. One guy moved in with a friend and is trying to make a go of tending bar.

There seemed to be no pattern, no formula, no trends. Maybe we could move in with friends? Maybe there's an "over-55" condo to move into? Nobody planned where they were going to end up. Nobody went to a class in how to retire. They just lived until the moment arrived. Serendipity happened.

I have invested significant time in discussions with myself and others about what to do when my days at IBM are complete. Nothing has jumped out at me yet, but having the discussions, reading the books, watching the job market ... all provide that background that will help serendipity show up. The lesson I took from the book is to do what you enjoy, examine the alternatives, and be ready to be surprised.

Enjoy!