“As a columnist, there aren’t a lot of people telling me what to do.”
Welcome everyone to the It Matters To Me Podcast, a show that celebrates the random through 1-on-1 conversations with people and the passions they pursue.
My guest today is Steve Lopez, columnist for the LA times where he’s won dozens of national journalism awards and author of three novels but is here to talk about his newest addition to that list titled, Independence Day.
Steve loves his job and the jolt of energy he gets from writing a column that serves as a catalyst for conversation. But in Independence Day he wonders what it might be like to live without ever-present deadlines hanging over his head.
He takes a very introspective approach to the idea of retirement and what it means to his identity by talking to others who have successfully left the demands of full-time work and others who’ve stumbled in reaching that goal.
In his book, Steve examines questions of identity, financial limitations, and what to do with your wild and precious life when the obituary pages are no longer filled with strangers.
It was a great read, even for someone like me in his mid-thirties because it’s not a “how-to” or step-by-step guide but a personal and emotional story towards something so pivotal in his and many others’ lives.
Along with Steve’s all too natural way of holding a conversation, this one couldn’t have been more meaningful and been more enjoyable for me.
Alright then, let’s not waste any more time. Here’s my talk with Steve Lopez.
Additional Links
Independence Day (Harper Collins):
https://www.harpercollinsfocus.com/9780785288756/independence-day/
Steve Lopez (LA Times):
https://www.latimes.com/people/steve-lopez
Steve Lopez (Twitter):
https://twitter.com/latstevelopez?lang=en
It Matters To Me (Instagram):
https://www.instagram.com/adamcasey/
It Matters To Me (Website):
https://itmatterstomepodcast.com/
It Matters To Me (Twitter):
https://twitter.com/CelebrateRandom