Nancy Kruh didn’t realize she was retired until we asked her to be a guest on the Happiest Retirees podcast. She never really liked the label “retired,” and she certainly doesn’t fit neatly within it.
Nancy’s not the first person to struggle to accept and embrace retirement. And, to be fair, it’s not like she isn’t still out there, doing impressive work. She covers country music for People Magazine and People.com. But unlike during her 25-year career at the Dallas Morning News, she’s not tied to the grind. She works for fun and creative fulfillment. She only writes about the topics that interest her.
Nancy says people call her a dabbler, but she prefers “dilettante.” She’s not afraid to try all sorts of new tricks: oil painting, knitting, video editing, home renovation, playwriting, screenwriting, fiction writing, life drawing, singing in a choir, photography . . . you get the point.
But she’s also not afraid to quit the pursuits that don’t bring her a sense of purpose.
It’s slowly dawning on Nancy that she’s in a new phase of life that allows for more freedom. She’s driven to feel relevant, purposeful, and creative. She doesn’t expect to change the world, but she does want to matter.
I’d say that’s a fairly ambitious retirement plan for a dilettante.
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BONUS: Check out Nancy’s curated Spotify playlist featuring some fantastic female country music artists! https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2LXSCnDgZHhPp2rDnorZzy?si=76a30b268ad545b0
00:00-Start
02:26-The Glitzy World of People Magazine
11:42-Volunteering Victories
15:35-Be Choosy
21:37-Semi-Retired, Fully Alive
23:19-Retire the word ‘Retired’
25:27-Scriptured Up
29:34-Selfless or Selfish? Nah, Self-ful.
32:32-Wellness Wisdom
40:43-Happiness Blueprint
46:09-Family Bonds & Vibrant Energy
51:47-Dilettante
53:52-A Feast of the Senses
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