A View at Retirement

Mrs. YDP and I are currently engaged in a vacation down in Ft. Myers, Florida.  We've been here since Sunday and will fly out in a couple more days.  It has been a lovely vacation - I've been doing a ton of running, played some golf, and we've had dinners with friends.  It has been fantastic.

Being in this part of Florida, one can't get away from the number of retirees that live/winter here.  They're everywhere, and with good reason.  The place is really nice, and lacks the pretense of other places.  It is casual, slow, and fun.  The way retirement should be.

Being out of work since January has me thinking about my own retirement.  I'm now over 50, and for my industry, I'm ancient.  Where it took me mere weeks to find work (and with competing offers) just five years ago, I now find a lot less interest.  There's less interest despite me being better than I ever have been at what I do.  It's scary, maddening, and infuriating all at the same time.

And it begs the "what if" question: what if this is indeed the end of the road?  I hate to even consider that.  While we could possibly retire at this point, it would take a massive and disruptive lifestyle change to accomplish.  Plus, the market could never, ever tank.  But more than that, I feel like have have so damn much more to offer.  

Is the salt in my hair and the cheaters at the end of my nose that much of a turn off?  

Being down in sunny Florida has given me a view of retirement, and, gentle reader, I want nothing to do with it right now.