Are We There Yet? vol. 223
Bette Nash died on May 17, 2024, at the age of 88. She has the distinction of being the longest-serving flight attendant, and she actually never retired. She began her career in 1957 for Eastern Airlines, and imagine what she has seen over the course of her career, both good and bad.
Bette loved her career and had a passion for taking care of people and making them feel special. She was quoted as saying, “People need attention. You can’t buy love. You can’t buy attention. But people need this. And it’s for free. You can give this to people for free.”
More and more, I’m meeting people who don’t like the word retirement because of the connotation that one is transitioning to doing nothing. They want to stay busy, be involved, and have meaning and purpose in their lives. But to have those things, I believe a person needs to have a passion for what they are going to be doing. I haven’t found a word to replace retirement yet, but what I hear the most is that people want to continue working, volunteering, or pursuing hobbies but with a different cadence than they had in their pre-retirement lives. More control and flexibility of schedule seem to top the list.
I believe that, like many important things in our lives, the transition after a person’s last full-time job requires a lot of thought ahead of the change. Leaving that job is the easy part. Figuring out what fulfillment and purpose mean on a personal level requires a lot of thought and discernment.
Take care and stay safe.
BOOK:
The Paris Novel by Ruth Reichl
When her estranged mother dies, Stella is left with an unusual inheritance: a one-way plane ticket and a note reading “Go to Paris.” Stella is hardly cut out for adventure; a traumatic childhood has kept her confined to the strict routines of her comfort zone. But when her boss encourages her to take time off, Stella resigns herself to honoring her mother’s last wishes.
Alone in a foreign city, Stella falls into old habits, living cautiously and frugally. Then she stumbles across a vintage store, where she tries on a fabulous Dior dress. The shopkeeper insists that this dress was meant for Stella and for the first time in her life Stella does something impulsive. She buys the dress—and embarks on an adventure.
Her first stop: the iconic brasserie Les Deux Magots, where Stella tastes her first oysters and then meets an octogenarian art collector who decides to take her under his wing. As Jules introduces Stella to a veritable who’s who of the Paris literary, art, and culinary worlds, she begins to understand what it might mean to live a larger life.
As weeks—and many decadent meals—go by, Stella ends up living as a “tumbleweed” at famed bookstore Shakespeare & Company, uncovers a hundred-year-old mystery in a Manet painting, and discovers a passion for food that may be connected to her past. A feast for the senses, this novel is a testament to living deliciously, taking chances, and finding your true home.
Learn more about Bob Len here.
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