Repacking

Repacking, says Richard Leider and Alan Webber, is an essential step in getting ready for retirement or what they call a “life reimagined.” According to these authors, repacking means deciding what to keep and what to jettison for the years ahead. It’s “a practice that challenges you to lighten your load.”

Makes me think of climbing Colorado’s Uncompahgre Peak , one of my favorites. The final 200 yards to this 14,000-plus foot summit is a scramble—a rocky terrain where one has to use both hands and feet to make the ascent.

So I leave my hiking poles behind (won’t need them), along with some of the weightier items in my pack (won’t want them).

So I’ve been thinking about what to leave behind as I attempt post-retirement summits. I’ve decided I can do with less eating out (made sense with my college schedule but drains resources I can use for other things) and less TV (especially the 24-hour news channels—do I need to tell you why).

There may be other things, but it’s a starting place. And I like the analogy.

Looking down on high mountain valleys dotted with bighorn sheep is well worth doing without one’s stuff for a while.

And the pleasure of a few meals out pales next to the dream just starting to form for my future.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *