A Personal Perspective: Lessons from the Retirement Revolution
I’ve had the pleasure of talking with dozens of fellow retirees who have ventured down this path, and their stories are always so inspiring. I think of my friend Carol, a retired third-grade teacher who always found solace in her kitchen. Her chocolate chip cookies were legendary among her family. One day, on a whim, she brought a batch to her local coffee shop. The owner tried one and immediately asked if she’d be willing to supply them twice a week. Today, Carol has a “micro-bakery” and supplies three cafes. She told me, “It’s not about the money, though that’s nice. It’s about seeing the smile on someone’s face when they take that first bite. It feels like I’m still teaching, but my subject is joy.”
Then there’s Frank, a former mechanical engineer who spent his career designing massive industrial systems. In retirement, he rediscovered his love for the intricate mechanics of old clocks. He started by fixing a few for friends. Word got out, and now he has a waiting list of people wanting him to bring their family heirlooms back to life. He works from a small bench in his garage, on his own schedule, listening to the radio. “These clocks have stories,” he said. “I’m not just fixing gears and springs; I’m preserving a piece of a family’s history.”
The common thread in these stories is that the venture is built around passion, not pressure. The profit is a happy byproduct of purpose. They prove that the most successful senior side gigs are authentic extensions of who you are. They are a way to share your unique gifts with the world, one cookie, one repaired clock, one knitted hat at a time.
