What is retirement?

This issue has come up before, but I was reminded of it this morning when Ben Carlson’s blog linked to a piece by a doctor who followed the FIRE (Financial Independence, Retire Early) approach but now works part time. He is thankful he discovered FIRE, but sees three problems with it, one being the definition of retirement. He writes: “I “retired” in 2018, but I still do work I love. I practice part-time as a hospice doctor, I write, I speak. I even make money doing these things. But here’s the difference: I would do them even if I didn’t get paid. That’s what makes it feel like retirement to me—not the absence of work, but the presence of purposeful work I actually enjoy.”

I think that’s a great definition of retirement – the ability to do what you want whether or not you get paid. He thinks he’s retired, I think he’s retired, do you? If not, why not? Or take my case. I spent 30 years working full-time as a techie at a large corporation. October 1st 2000 I retired and started my pension. The next day I went back to work at the same job as a part-time contractor. August 2001 I left the corporation for good and embarked on a four month trip. Back home, in February 2002 I got a part-time job, between trips, as a tech writer at a local start up. April 2004, when I left on a ten month trip was the last time I worked there. When I got back in early 2005 I decided to stop work altogether.

So, when did I retire? I think it was 2000, when I started my pension. But was it instead 2001, when I left the corporation, or 2004, the last time I worked for pay, or 2005, when I decided not to look for another job?