"Who wants to buy a [retirement] book about 'surviving'? I believe the next 30 years [post-retirement] can be among the most rewarding in a person's life," Waxman says.
Waxman, a certified executive and transition coach for adults, points out that no previous generation has had the health, education and relative wealth to make retirement years meaningful. Better yet, fun.
How to Love Your Retirement (Hundreds of Heads Books, $13.95), with editing also by Robert A. Mendelson, is written by hundreds of retirees who have been there and done that.
"We can learn so much from others," Waxman says. "The book is filled with experiences people are willing to share, sometimes anonymously, but truthfully."
Hundreds of Heads Books, based in Atlanta, sends "headhunters" out to interview thousands of people for each title, seeking advice to help readers get through life's biggest events.
"These are people on the frontline," Waxman says. "Retirees may have two decades or more of productive time, and they have the self-confidence and fortitude to look ahead and plan for the years they have left to be active.
"They participated in this book because they want to share their wisdom, to laugh about foibles and help people take an optimistic view of the future."
And that view is a good thing, Waxman says.
"Retirement no longer means giving up work, parking yourself on a porch swing and watching the world go by. Some people choose to work part time, others opt to travel. They key word is choice. How do you prefer to live this next chapter of your life?"
While Waxman and Mendelson make comments through the book - such as noting that the average retiree appears to have too much free time, watching 43 hours of television each week - the book belongs to the writers.
Their wide-ranging advice includes the following:
* "The right time to retire is when you have more things to do outside work than you have time to do while working."
* "We enjoy spending time together, but we have three floors in our house, which give us lots of room to escape."
* "My husband always wanted to know what I was doing. He wanted to organize my day and then reorganize it. The trick is not to tell him your plans."
Waxman says the writers supported her belief that retirement does not mean giving up work, whether paid or not. "Today's retirees may not want to work an eight-hour day. Some will be happy doing 'nothing,' and that is their choice. But most will find something that interests them."
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* JUDY MAGID can be contacted at magid@sltrib.com or 801-257-8608. Send comments to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
