Glory days, they pass you by. Glory days, in the wink of a young girl’s eye. Glory days, glory days.
Putting it together in retirement
Posted by: Jane Jelenko | Posted in: Being creative, Living Intentionally, Never too Old, Personal resources, Jane's MusingsMonday, August 18, 2008
Somewhere beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me, my lover stands on golden sands and watches the ships that go sailin’.
Being a dilettante can be a good thing
“Focus, focus, focus.” This seemed to be the mantra for getting ahead in the decades I was developing my career. As a management consultant, I had to pick an industry (banking) and a functional area (technology) to be credible as an advisor worthy of the high billing rates my clients were willing to pay for my expertise. For some of my colleagues, this presented no problems. But for those like me, who enjoy a breadth of subjects and see their talent in the art of integration, the drive towards narrower and narrower specialization left us hungry for more.
Luckily, upon retirement, we can give ourselves the time and permission to explore a wide spectrum of interests and weave them together in satisfying ways. As Susan and I wrote in Changing Lanes, we both found our bliss in the process of exploration and composition—not in following a singular, compelling passion. And Susan’s blog last week expands on the notion of fulfilling one’s desire to know who, what, where, when, and how.
Out of all the change artists we met during our research, the one who best exemplifies the process of embracing the term dilettante (in a good way) is Richard Heller. He makes no bones about it—he set out to compose a life from a variety of elements that bring him joy, both individually and in combination.
Richard’s family has included a horse trader traveling west with the US Cavalry, a kosher butcher in the Jewish section of L.A., and machine tool business owners making war materiel and aircraft parts during WWII. His father wanted him to get good grades so that he wouldn’t have to work in the family business, and Richard complied, graduating with high honors from USC’s business school in accounting. Always interested in expanding his horizons, he followed that with an MBA and a law degree, 
while working part time at Peat Marwick. He spent his 25 year professional career at the same firm (where we were colleagues) and upon retirement, he created his own doctoral program at USC in Public Administration which, as usual, involved a combination of various subjects that interested him.
He had remarried his first wife, Velvet, and promised her a horse when he retired. They were both determined to create a life for themselves away from the big city, so they bought a horse and cattle ranch in Ojai, California where we were delighted to visit and learn from the master how to make dilettantism a virtue.
As we talked, Richard described his recipe for a fulfilling retirement: 1/3 teaching, 1/3 volunteering, and 1/3 hobbies. At that time, his hobby of choice was as an amateur radio operator. He got licensed, joined the American Radio Relay League, and became active helping out during fires and hurricanes. But now he has a new/old love, which you can read about in Richard’s own words below.
When I was very young—I remember being five years old—I went out on the “family” boat. Owned by my father and uncle, it was a small cabin cruiser and we were off to Catalina Island for the night. There were at least two “family boats” in joint ownership between my father and uncle, until my father said “no more” due to severe bouts of sea sickness. Then there was my uncle’s large cabin cruiser—which I remember well as a teenager.
During my adult working life, boats were not part of the picture. As a partner in a “Big 8” international public accounting firm, I never gave boats a first or a second thought. I was too busy working! Even during my first years in retirement I never thought about boats: I returned to academia to pursue my Ph.D., which I got, and do some university teaching, which I did. For more than 10years the idea of buying a boat never crossed my mind.
About a year ago I got the “bug” and I don’t even know why it bit me. After all, I live in a rural area with horses, dogs, sheep, and a wife. I also live 25 miles from the 
local harbor. Nevertheless, I attended a couple of boat shows and started reading books and magazines about boating. I read all I could and, wanting to learn more, I made some inquiries and joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary . Other than learning something about boats and boating, I had no idea what I would be doing as an Auxiliarist.
The Coast Guard Auxiliary is a creature of government statute—it is part of the U.S. Coast Guard. For those unfamiliar with the Coast Guard, the USCG operates under the Department of Homeland Security except during a time of war, when the Coast Guard may operate as a service in the U.S. Navy. The USCG is responsible for the safety of life and property on the high seas and all navigable waters that are subject to the jurisdiction of the United States. The Coast Guard is also responsible for the enforcement of maritime pollution and other criminal laws, including the prevention of drug trafficking by sea.
Auxiliarists, who are unpaid volunteers, may engage in the same activities as active duty Coast Guard personnel with one key exception: we are not law enforcement officers. That is, we have no arrest or citation powers and we do not carry firearms. As Auxiliarists, our mission is to assist the Coast Guard in its many civilian functions, especially the promotion of boating and navigation safety. To that end you will find Auxiliarists teaching public education boating safety courses, providing free vessel safety checks to boat owners (to make certain recreational vessels are in compliance with federal and state equipment and safety regulations), patrolling coastal waters to serve as the Coast Guard’s “eyes and ears” and help respond to emergency or vessel distress situations, and inspecting navigation aids to make certain they are in their proper location and operating as they should be.
Auxiliarists must pass a Department of Homeland Security background and security check. Then comes the fun—boating and safety education and, in many parts of the country, participating in on-the-water training exercises with active duty USCG personnel. Auxiliarists who own their own boats, like me, may qualify their boats as “operational facilities.” Once qualified, a privately-owned recreational boat may effectively supplement the Coast Guard’s fleet and be permitted to undertake boating safety patrols in U.S. navigable waters. You will see recreational boats flying the “U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary” banner in many parts of the U.S. This banner means we are always ready to assist recreational vessels in distress as directed by the Coast Guard.
Most of the Auxiliarists are retired only because the boat crew training program is so demanding of one’s personal time. My “shipmates” include persons trained as accountants, administrators, businessmen, engineers, lawyers, physicians, photographers, policemen, and salesmen. We enjoy being out on the water, we enjoy learning, we enjoy helping and teaching our fellow mariners, and we enjoy being of service to the Coast Guard. I am very fortunate to be able to spend as much time on the water as I wish and to be associated with this group of dedicated people.
Not everyone has the ability to retire before the age of 50 and create a rich life combining intellectual stimulation, volunteerism, and just plain fun. Richard Heller’s my hero and I’m trying to do my best to follow in his footsteps. But whatever your age and degree of financial flexibility, you could learn a lot from this man about how to make the most of your life at whatever stage you’re in.
For more ideas about midlife renewal, pick up our book, Changing Lanes (Radom Press, 2008).
We’d love to hear from you about your efforts to “put it together.”
