THE RETIREMENT INTERVIEWS #1

I am interviewing several people around “retirement age” to get their individual opinions about their personal experiences of retirement.

CHRISTOPHER

I have known Christopher for almost 30 years. We met in a Men’s Group which, like our relationship, has been continuing in some form ever since.

Christopher is 66 years old. He has been a workhorse, a carpenter, and a self-described beast of burden. He is a writer, an artist, a storyteller extraordinaire; he is a renaissance man who has pursued his curiosity through avid reading, meditation, co-counseling leadership, and maintenance of warm friendships all over the country. He has bicycled across America. He is the owner of a housing cooperative, and was the founder of a tofu empire. He has spent extensive periods of time in Hawaii and in Los Angeles but has his roots firmly set in Madison.

Playful Christopher

Christopher - I know him well

Yoga Christopher

Christopher feels that he has been in the process of living his life mindfully and that retirement was not a specific event. He has never worked full time and has often taken several-month-long sojourns. He has some income from the co-op that he owns and continues to nurture, and has recently started to collect a modest social security income. He has always found it preferable to live frugally.

The important things in Christopher’s life have not changed that much, but may have matured over the years. He will often get a dozen books from the library and will read them all. He attends meditation groups and discussion and reading groups. He particularly enjoys exploring the meaning of consciousness. He spends more of his time at his co-op house these days, as that has become his art and creative center as he works toward an exhibit that he is hoping to complete sometime soon. Creativity has always been important to Christopher. He sends beautiful hand painted post cards to friends. He has for years kept incredible journals of thoughts, ideas, sketches, and inspirations. He sees himself as a found-object artist and collagist. He has been designing and building a tree house. He has the talent to find unique ways to produce art and has the skills to make it happen. He has built a community sauna and maintains an extensive garden at his magnum opus - the Red Pine co-op house.

Storytelling Christopher

Meditative Christopher

Creative, adventurous Christopher

To the outside observer Christopher is a tall, powerful, flexible man who can do anything. This week he emptied an overcrowded, damaged room, and dug up and replaced the floor in a harrowing three-day work period that would have killed many of us. However, Christopher notices that his body can no longer do the things that it used to be able to do. His attention is more often drawn to the physical vulnerabilities that have accumulated with age.

Christopher remains optimistic and realistic as he continues to practice compassion and equanimity. He is happy to experience each day as it comes. His family is important to him. He has been a mentor to many over the years. He is a calm and powerful, humble presence.

Christopher at Lake Superior

I sent this bio to Christopher and he responded with the following poem by Rumi:

When I run after what I think I want

my days are a furnace of stress and anxiety;

if I sit in my own place of patience,

what I need flows to me, and without pain.

From this I understand that

what I want also wants me,

is looking for me and attracting me.

There is a great secret here

for anyone who can grasp it…

SCIMP SUMMARY

Christopher continues to cultivate and nourish his friendships and participates in events that feed his mind. His creative focus is prioritized daily. He is involved in intellectual pursuits at any opportunity. He is open to finding new meaning and will not readily accept the expressed norm in his worldview. Although his physical body is not the powerhouse that it used to be, he still loves walking, stretching, traveling, hiking and bicycling.