We often talk about change in terms of milestones – moving house, shifting careers, or the natural ebb and flow of our social circles. For most of my life, I viewed change through the lens of my relationships and my resilience in the face of personal loss. But as I look toward the horizon of my career, I’ve realized that my deepest connection to stability hasn’t been a place or a person; it has been my work.
Building a Foundation
My dedication to my professional life was born out of necessity. Between the ages of 16 and 19, I navigated a period of homelessness and deep insecurity. The lessons of those years remained with me, fuelling a drive to build a life defined by safety and reliability. I worked through the nights to earn my degree and poured my energy into my career, eventually creating the stable ground I once lacked.
Through the high and low points of the years that followed – the joy of raising a daughter, the challenges of a difficult marriage, and the eventual quiet of an empty nest – my work was the constant. It was my choice to stay connected, even during personal time. It wasn’t about being indispensable to a company; it was about the quiet comfort of knowing I had a purpose and a place to belong. I love what I do because it allows me to keep learning, evolving, and refining my craft.
Navigating the Transition
Now, at 69, I am looking toward the goal of retiring at 71-72. While I feel capable of reaching that milestone, the thought of what lies beyond is daunting. When your professional identity has been your primary source of security for over five decades, the idea of stepping away feels like more than just a change in schedule – it feels like a shift in the foundation itself.
The concerns I carry are common, yet deeply personal:
The Question of Security: How do I maintain a sense of stability without the daily structure of a role I love?
Financial Peace of Mind: Given the complex road I’ve travelled, including a difficult separation (and eventually divorce), ensuring long-term financial health remains a primary focus.
Looking Ahead
Change is rarely easy, and this transition may be the most significant one I’ve ever faced. It is natural to feel a sense of trepidation when the anchor you’ve relied on for so long begins to lift. However, acknowledging that work has been my “safe harbour” allows me to start looking for new ways to find that same security within myself.
As I prepare for the next few years, my goal is to honour the hard work that got me here while beginning to imagine a version of stability that isn’t tied to a desk or a deadline – but to the resilience I’ve carried with me all along.
After retirement life becomes who you are, not what you do. The lessons learned through work and struggle remain. The commitments to a job well done and deadlines met become a source of strength. Letting go is not easy and it is not all at once. It is a loosening of the constraints, an undoing of the ties, a freedom to explore and grow. I know you, you are a thinker and a writer, an explorer of ideas. Your title as a technical writer is not what defines you. It is time to embrace the freedom to become who you were meant to be.