Reason 70: Mind the Gap
100 Reasons I'm Retiring
There is a yellow line on the train platform. Painted above it are the words, “Mind the Gap.” The gap between the train and the platform is about 4 inches. Even so, it would be possible to get your sneakers—or the spiked heels my mother used to wear—caught in the gap. I am always mindful of the gap when disembarking.
But right now I’m talking about a different kind of gap, one my stepmother’s daughter Chris told me about. (Okay, I guess she’s my stepsister, but we’re adults; we’re not blending a family.) According to Chris, there is a finite gap between retirement and old age. In that gap is where, if we’re lucky, we have both the health and the means to enjoy life a little bit. A man I used to wait for the Market Frankford Line with put it in a similar way. He was 70 and retiring, figuring he had about 15 “good” years before he was in his dottage.
I’m fast approaching the same gap, healthy enough to have some time to do some things I want to do. I’ve already passed the average retirement age of workers in America. According to NerdWallet,
“The average retirement age in the United States is 62, according to a 2024 MassMutual survey. In 1991, the average retirement age in the U.S. was 57; in 2002, it was 59. According to the poll, people still working in 2022 expect to retire at 66 on average.”
My father retired at 57 with full benefits. At 95, he’s been retired almost 40 years. I’ve got some serious catching up to do!
When did you retire? Or when do you plan on retiring?
I retired from teaching at age 61 and 5 months. I had reached burnout, some of which was self-imposed. Finances have been tight, but I've never regretted the compromise of a tight budget.