I may have mentioned before that, since the beginning of the pandemic, I have been meeting by video with several girlfriends every week.
We have seen each other through promotions, job changes, retirement, parental illnesses and deaths, our own medical problems.
This week, the second oldest in the group revealed that she has set a retirement date (well, maybe she just has a retirement month). However, it’s quite clear she has an end-date for her job.
She won’t be retiring until 2027, but at that point, I will be in the minority, the only non-retired woman in the group.
I meet with another group of women by video; again, I am in the minority, one of only 2 attendees still working, out of 9.
Mr. PiN has been retired for many years from paying work–though he did plenty of unpaid caregiving long before his parents died.
A phrase that gets thrown around a lot is that you are the average of the 5 people you surround yourself with. By that logic, I will retire soon.
It’s an interesting thought, as I have been more interested lately in returning to work after my long weekends.
I suppose we will see how things out in 8-12 months.
The detail about being the only non-retired woman in your group of girlfriends until 2027 really highlights the isolation of remaining in the workforce during that transition. It is intriguing how the pressure to conform to your social circle’s status might be influencing your recent interest in returning to work after your long weekends. Have you considered how the institutional environment of the workplace might differ from the shared life stages of your peer group?
Actually, I have been surprised by how much I want to return to work some weeks. I think that I want to retire and socialize, but then the intellectual stimulation of caring for patients becomes more attractive after a long weekend off. Other weeks, especially with difficulties, I may feel differently.
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