The Next Phase of Life Is Not Retirement: Choosing What Fits Your Life Now

I was contacted recently by an old client. This was someone from before my seizure. Before the hard stop. Before my life changed in ways I could not negotiate with, schedule around, or outwork. They had a new project and wanted my help. Years ago, I would have probably said yes. That was what I did. I helped clients get online. I built websites. I solved problems. I figured things out. I ran a web agency at a time when the Internet still felt like a frontier. For a long stretch of my life, that was my work. But this time, I had to say no. Not because the project was bad. Not because the client was bad. Not because I did not know how to help. I had to say no because I no longer have clients. I have effectively retired. But I do not like that word. Retirement Is the Wrong Word Retirement sounds like stopping. It sounds like sitting down, closing the door, and becoming less involved in life. That is not what happened to me. I did not stop wanting to create. I did not stop wanting to…