Toby Keith was playing golf with Clint Eastwood. That sets the stage.

At one point, Eastwood said to Keith, “I turn 88 on Monday.”

“What are you going to do?” Keith asked.

“I’m going to shoot a movie,” Eastwood replied, with filming scheduled to begin the following week.

“What keeps you going?” Keith asked him.

“I get up every day and don't let the old man in,” Eastwood said.

“I’m writing this down right now,” Keith replied.

Keith didn't ask him if he could contribute a song; Keith just went home and wrote it.
He sent it to Clint and hoped he would like it. And he did!

You may also enjoy it. Here it is:
https://youtu.be/yc5AWImplfE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yc5AWImplfE

That's not a bad way to look at it. Maybe I should invite my old man to take a hike.

I've told this before on AR but here goes again.

When I was still flying for the airlines, I would routinely fly with guys who were getting close to the age of forced retirement. Age 60 when I started and later changed to 65. As we would bid for each following month's flying schedule, they would say things like, "I've got 9 more bid sheets", meaning 9 months to go before retirement.

I would always say, "Great. What are your plans". The usual response was, "I'll be retired". "Yeah, but what are you going to do at age 60 / 65 with all that time?" "Well, I'll be retired!". And round and round the conversation would go.

It's strange but there are many anecdotal stories of airline pilots who died within a couple years of forced retirement. Somehow, many of those guys built their entire identity on the fact that they were a "Captain". I never understood it. I loved flying but it was just a job. To me, I used the job to get money to do the things I wanted to do, not to identify myself by.

My father was General Manager of a flooring production plant for 40 years (obviously not GM all those years but worked his way up). He retired at 78 I think it was. Played golf until he got bored a few years later then went back to be the production manager for his best friend's steel building company at age 82. Worked until he was 88. Not because he had to as he certainly didn't, but because he wanted to stay connected and involved. He died at age 90 but he was as sharp as a tack mentally right up until 6 weeks before he passed. I always wondered if he was so sharp in that manner because he never "let the old man in" as Clint would say. As a funny aside, I called him one day when he was 86 and asked how he was doing. He said he was sore all over from swinging a 12 pound sledge hammer all day the day before, building a retaining wall of rail road ties. I told him he needed to realize he wasn't a spring chicken of 80 any longer! We both got a good laugh out of that.

I like to work at the things I'm involved in these days. I really don't foresee a day when I will "retire". As long as I can control my schedule like I do now, mostly by being self employed, I really don't see a need to stop. I hope to be developing projects right up to the end and staying involved. I've long taken notice of Clint Eastwood's continued activity in movie making. More power to him!!

Well, his voice certainly sounds 88.

Grizz

I had a friend that retired from IBM about 25 years ago.At that time IBM had a policy about funding their retirees to any school they would like to go to as they had done research + found that the average life span for a retiree was 18 months.Nothing to do or live for;just turn on the T.V.,get in the Lazy Boy w/ a bottle of Jack Black + die.Don't know if they still do that. Bill opted for the Colorado School Of Gunsmithing;that helped for a while until his arthritus got so bad he could'nt do that either.

I watched a lot of guy's with no hobby's retire,, then sit in the kitchen and drink coffee while reading the paper before taking the wife to lunch.
that was their day.
they never went anywhere before they retired and never had anywhere to go afterwards.
just like above,,, 3-4 years of that and out they went feet first.

Good information and advice

quote:

Originally posted by Lamar:
I watched a lot of guy's with no hobby's retire,, then sit in the kitchen and drink coffee while reading the paper before taking the wife to lunch.
that was their day.
they never went anywhere before they retired and never had anywhere to go afterwards.
just like above,,, 3-4 years of that and out they went feet first.

Quit moving and you die, My motto.

Grizz

quote:

Quit moving and you die, My motto.

Yes sir!

i dunno about a new career after retiring but i retired in 2012 and bought a small wood lathe and started making peppermills until i had a standing list for em for xmas presents at $75 a pop. also taught myself to make fishing rods. couldn't sell em because i had to compete with Academy and wally world but had standing orders for em from relatives for graduation presents. between that and the grandkids and the reloading and hunting/shooting/fishing and raising heirloom tomatoes there wasn't enough hours in the days. then arthritis hit and the lathe and fishing rods stopped. if the surgery i had on my hand works i can resume the reloading and shooting. guess in a few months i'll find out. retirement for me was one big vacation.

I use a saying "Retirement is not an option for the self-employed". I currently employ 3 guys over 70 years old,they work because they want something to do.I keep that in my mind as to how long I will keep working.I've considered my businesses more like hobbies and it will be health issues that will decide when I quit working.I do have hobbies outside of my other hobby.

Thanks for that. Need to send it to my partner.

I've been self employed for 40 years + always moving (forward).There are mornings that I ache when I wake up + think about the retirement option but that is really not an option yet for me,at least not yet.My business requires physical strenght + I can't do what I could at 24.Besides I like what I do.The work is great,the down side is the assholes that don't want to pay (another stress factor).Oh well,we'll all have peace soon enough I suppose.No worries for today helps as well.

I did. And listened to it a few times. Love the Satchel Paige reference. I've always referred to his quote. A couple of weeks ago, my young partner asked me how I keep doing it. I tried to explain, but Clint Eastwood's answer to basically the same question and this song are much more eloquent than my feeble answer. Thanks again.

Norman, you hit it on the head. We love what we do and we'll continue to do it as long as we are able.

You got it buddy!