Last year, my dad retired from his insurance job of 30 years. At 65, he said he’d done the desk job long enough and was ready to get out and about.
It was a combination of all the sitting and the feelings he had about selling insurance that caused him to leave — when he began, it felt like he was helping people. Then at some point, he started to feel like he was working for The Man. He worked until he was old enough to retire, then got two part-time jobs doing busy work around town.
“Toward the end, I wasn’t sure if I would miss it or not,” he told me. “But it turns out I didn’t miss it at all.”
His jobs allow him to be social and active while earning extra money
A week after retirement, he’d landed a part-time job in customer service. He works at a local meat market where they process, package, and sell fresh cuts of meat. He packages everything from bacon to snack sticks to bones for broth.
“Maybe people give them to their dogs, I don’t know what they do with the bones, I just bag them,” he said, laughing.
Retired now for just over a year, he said he enjoys the ability to be social and on his feet, while still earning side money. He now receives both Social Security and money from an annuity from his insurance job, while my mom has yet to hit the age threshold to receive money from Social Security or retirement accounts.
His hourly wage, he said, helps pay the bills and allows for “extras” like spoiling his grandkids, taking everyone out to eat, or attending events out of town, whether it’s just him and my mom, or the entire crew.
He can set his own schedule
Each week, he writes out his preferred schedule and sends a picture to his boss via text. It varies between 20-25 hours, he said.
Apparently, the company is busy enough that they will take what they can get from him. There are 32 other employees, though he said he only works with a few at the same time.
He also works at a local eating club where he pours drinks and opens beers for patrons, most of whom are his friends.
“I know everybody’s name who walks through the door,” he said. “There are only a few that were new, and now I’ve gotten to know them, too.”
He said the combination works because he can set his own schedule.
“That’s the beauty of it — I come home, and I’m chillaxing for two and a half hours,” he said. “I sit in my chair and just chill, so that helps a lot. I’m pretty blessed making it work for my schedule.”
His jobs keep him active and he doesn’t see stopping anytime soon
A former marathon runner, he’s health-conscious and prefers standing over sitting. “I’m up on my feet vs. sitting all day. Sometimes I stand in one place and work, but it’s good for me to be upright,” he said.
He prefers to walk to keep his back loose; standing still for too long causes it to become tight and painful, he said. He also wears thick foam shoes. “They’re like two inches on the sole; it didn’t take me long to figure out I would need something like that,” he said.
He also enjoys getting to see different people.
“For as long as I enjoy it and I’m physically able to work, I’ll keep doing it,” he said. “There’ll come a time when I won’t be physically able to do it, but right now is not that time. It keeps me busy, and I like seeing everyone; it’s fun.”
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