Latest Posts

Backs of 4 people with arms around each other looking at the setting sun. Photo by Helena Lopes on Unsplash

Missing Work Friends in Retirement

Reflections
Retirement

What if anything should I do about colleagues I no longer see?
Sep 29, 2024
Sharon Machlis

photo of finisher's medal

Racing at 60+ is Different

Reflections
Vibrant Aging

Now that new personal bests are unlikely - or even doing better than last year - it’s time for some different running goals.
Sep 22, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Image of an older woman from behind with a hearing aid in one ear. Image generated by Adobe Photoshop AI.

Ageism Watch: Atlantic Article on Hearing Aids

Ageism

People are repulsed by the idea of needing hearing aids because they’re associated with age, the author explains, as if of course this is totally understandable. ‘Geezer’ is mentioned twice.
Sep 20, 2024
Sharon Machlis

What do you DO all day? (once retired)

Reflections
Retirement
Vibrant Aging

I was asked that recently in a social situation. Turns out, quite a bit.
Sep 18, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Backs of 2 Adirondack chairs on an empty beach, facing the ocean

Perspectives on Retiring

Retiring
Retirement

Some interesting newspaper reader comments about ending their paid careers. Plus: I couldn’t resist asking a couple of generative AI chatbots for some retirement advice.
Sep 15, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Part of the Boston skyline with a brilliant blue sky, no clouds

Adding a Bit More Structure to My Retirement Life

Reflections
Retirement

The end of summer feels like a signal to ramp up activities and get an earlier start to my days.
Sep 8, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Image of a blank September 2024 calendar

Retirement at the One-Month Mark

Reflections
Retirement

How this former Type A would-be overachiever is handling no longer working full-time 4 weeks in
Sep 1, 2024
Sharon Machlis

View of tree-covered hills with mountains in the background and a blue sky, taken from an airplane

My First Trip as a Retiree!

Retirement
Travel

Not worrying about work awaiting me was one big difference. The return home was another.
Aug 25, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Sunflower, taken on the morning before I attended the conference's second day.

My First Conference as a Retiree was . . . Different

Reflections
Retirement

Going to a professional event without a job title is definitely not the same as when I was a journalist (duh). There were pluses and minuses to the new experience.
Aug 16, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Sharpie on top of a paper calendar page that says 'This week' with nothing scheduled. Photo by Jazmin Quaynor at Unsplash.com

Am I ‘Busy’ Now in Retirement?

Reflections
Retirement

Life’s pace is starting to feel different.
Aug 11, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Image of a To Do list with blank items checked off. Image created by Photoshop generative AI

Doing Professional-Type Things – But for Fun

Reflections
Retirement

Having more time to learn and create solely for the joy of it is one of the greatest privileges of retirement.
Aug 7, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Photo of a beach (sand, ocean, sky)

Summer Seems Like a Great Time to Retire

Retirement

There are lots of options this time of year for a To-Do List of Fun.
Aug 4, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Image of a cake with lettering saying 'Happy Retirement Sharon' from my farewell gathering.

It’s a Wrap! My full-time paid career, that is

Reflections
Retirement
Retiring

Just like that, the end of my nearly 45-year paid professional career has arrived. Hello, retirement!
Aug 1, 2024
Sharon Machlis

A Week of Lasts

Reflections
Retiring

Yesterday marked my final return to work from a weekend, and my last few days on the job. It’s really strange.
Jul 30, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Two stacks of dollar bills

Flipping from Retirement Saving to Spending

Retirement
Retiring

It’s starting to sink that I’ll no longer be getting a salary – which will mean dipping into our savings. That feels a little uncomfortable.
Jul 28, 2024
Sharon Machlis

 

‘But I don’t feel old!’

Ageism

That phrase says a lot about our culture’s negative views of aging - views that were front and center this week.
Jul 24, 2024
Sharon Machlis

July 2024 calendar showing six days highlighted and 'Countdown 6 more working days' above

Six Working Days Left!

Retiring

The countdown gets serious – but it still doesn’t feel real
Jul 21, 2024
Sharon Machlis

4 women of different ages standing close to each other smiling. Image by Adobe Photoshop generative AI.

My new question: ‘What interesting things have you been up to?’

Reflections
Retiring

I need to stop myself from asking younger people about their employment plans and mid-life adults about their jobs. They aren’t their career choices either.
Jul 15, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Illustration of an old tree. Image by ChatGPT.

Quotes of note on retirement and aging

Ageism
Reflections
Retirement
Retiring
Vibrant Aging

Some of the interesting passages I’ve encountered in reading about my new stage of life
Jul 11, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Breaking the retirement news (publicly)

News
Retiring

A month after telling my boss and co-workers, I posted on social media that I’m leaving my full-time career. That felt harder.
Jul 9, 2024
Sharon Machlis

I’m retiring!

News
Reflections
Retiring

After more than 40 years of full-time work, I’m excited for my next chapter.
Jul 8, 2024
Sharon Machlis

When to go public with my retirement date?

Reflections
Retiring

If you work in a public-facing job, there are two parts to announcing retirment: telling 1) your boss and co-workers and 2) your broader professional circle.
Jul 7, 2024
Sharon Machlis

The problem with ‘over 65’ as an age category

Ageism
Reflections

Does a 66-year-old really have so much in common with a 96-year-old?
Jul 7, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Collage of anti-aging beauty products

‘Anti-aging’ is a stupid phrase

Ageism
Reflections

The alternative to aging is death.
Jul 7, 2024
Sharon Machlis

The joy of relaxed scheduling

Reflections
Retiring

Not feeling compelled to make the most of every ‘vacation day’ is letting me make the most of time not working - in a different way than before.
Jul 6, 2024
Sharon Machlis

The weirdness of tapering down

Reflections
Retiring

Working ‘part time’ in the weeks before retirement seems like a good idea. But it can be jarring.
Jul 6, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Weaning myself off of external validation at work

Reflections
Retiring

Even annoying tasks can be gratifying when I’m helping someone solve a difficult problem. But while I enjoy praise and thanks that come from my job, I don’t want to be beholden to it anymore.
Jul 5, 2024
Sharon Machlis

Is [insert negative thing here] really because you’re older?

Ageism
Reflections
Vibrant Aging

When you live in an ageist culture and have internalized the deeply negative views about getting older all around you, it’s common to attribute things to ‘getting older’ that are actually normal for people at many stages of life.
Jun 29, 2024
Sharon Machlis

My (probable) last big scoop as a full-time worker

News
Reflections
Retiring

There’s little quite as exciting as being the first to break news on deadline, regardless of the beat
Jun 28, 2024
Sharon Machlis

I’m leaving in a month and there’s a company strategy meeting. Should I go?

Reflections
Retiring

It feels odd to attend when we all know I won’t be around for those strategies to unfold. On the other hand, I am still an employee and may still have ideas to share.
Jun 26, 2024
Sharon Machlis
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