I’m getting the hang of this retired life. It took a while,
maybe five or six years. Then I experimented with various projects, of course
the medical-routines (!), then volunteer activities, church, Chamber of
Commerce, art groups, and so on.
Today I probably work 20 to 30 hours per week on volunteer
involvements. SCORE is the biggest part of that, at times all of it! Medical
stuff is receding finally, but then church life picks up, family gatherings,
too, and finally cleaning the house. Well, the latter not so much. That’s not a
volunteer duty; it is a reviled chore!
Still I remain busy. Oh, I also work with the teen addicts
(now weekly) and AA. Alcoholics Anonymous (I guess we can abandon the anonymous
part from time to time) has been with me for 10 years now. More than 10 years.
And it is how I became connected with the teen addicts work. I attend two AA
meetings per week and that leads to a lot of service work done ad hoc.
People still ask what SCORE is, so I will say it again:
Service Corps of Retired Executives. Although not all of the 12,000 volunteers
are retired, certainly over half are. Our mission is to help people form their
own small business and then work with them later to get over natural obstacles
and build a trajectory of success for their small business enterprise. We also
work with existing small businesses who need a hand up through tough times and
challenges.
This work creates about 48,000 jobs nationally. How many
jobs saved is yet another statistic but I doubt anyone actually knows that
number.
SCORE is a non-profit, all-volunteer entity sponsored by the
Small Business Administration, an agency within the US Commerce Department in Washington DC
It is a refreshing group of people to work with. They are
doers and enablers of good things happening! It is fun and rewarding to work
with them. I truly feel at home in this work.
It is no wonder that these people keep themselves busy with
SCORE work. Many times I pinch myself and remind myself that I am actually
retired! When you see the faces of entrepreneurs broaden from scowls to smiles
you realize that an idea has grown wings and legs and will open soon as a new
business. Or product. Or service. This is how it is done, one idea at a time,
one person at a time, one business at a time.
All large corporations in America likely started this way.
And we are just present at the birthing of such futures. It is heady stuff. And
fun!!
I started today’s post wondering about keeping myself busy
in retirement but wondering if what I was doing is worthwhile? Well, I know the
answer to that, and so do you. I’m busy doing what I want to do and that’s
reward enough.
On slow days, when I have a chance to shop for food, gas and
pharmaceuticals, I sometimes wonder how I can do more things to keep busy. Then
my mind pops to things I’m wrestling with at SCORE or at AA or Church or with
the Teens, and I realize I am witness to amazing things. Human growth and
understanding is the subject matter here and never is it boring. Never.
So, doing what is answered. And actually doing it is a given
– witness my calendar!
Yes I’m retired but I am busy doing good work that is needed
to be done. And I am happy in the role. Very happy!
Retired, yes. Dead, no! And still relishing every morning!
May 25, 2016
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