Gaining Altitude — Retirement and Beyond

by Rebecca Milliken

Have you ever shuddered at the thought of retirement? Considered it a fearful, even inconceivable proposition? “Retire? Why in the world would you want to do that?”

In Gaining Altitude, Rebecca Milliken tells the saga of her odyssey into retirement after turning 60, an odyssey that included changing much more than she had anticipated. She invites the audience to accompany her in this memoir as she recounts the highs and lows of laying the groundwork for retirement, making the leap, and finding her way to what lay beyond.

The journey she describes is one without a playbook: the ambivalence and second-guessing, the leap and the limbo that followed – opening the way for the surprising and even exhilarating experience of free fall and freedom, then a “rewirement” – the discovery of an entirely new avocation – writing.

This memoir invites the reader to think differently about retirement. It beckons those with long careers to imagine what might come next: the cultivation of unimagined possibilities in retirement.

128 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 25, 2021

Reviews

[Paula Cox · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did find this book interesting. I was worried it was just going to be a guide to retiring, but was pleasantly surprised that it was her writing about her life and not just a guide to retire. Gives you some insight into what to expect when you retire.

#GoodreadsGiveaway

[Brian Schwartz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Beautiful Book. Milliken takes us through her journey into retirement--the strong resistance, the yearning for something different, the in-between times, the finding her new footing, and the glorious takeoff.

It's a tale that will not only help those considering retirement or struggling with it, but also anyone considering a transition. Can you find some time to sit with the unknown? What if bewilderment were inevitable, but transformation as well?? The author invites us into these possibilities, as if we were traveling with her not only from DC--with all its hustle and bustle--to coastal Maine--and its attendant serene beauty--and back, but also from an impressive career as a psychotherapist while balancing parenthood into a new identity as a writer, developing a craft but on her own timeline.

A great read for anyone reflecting on their life, looking for something new, or who doesn't just want work life to end at retirement but for a new, undiscovered and vibrant life to begin!

[Jane Owen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this Memoir about making the leap into retirement. The Author lays the groundwork for retiring, explains all the highs and lows and takes her retirement preparations seriously. She did her research before taking the plunge. Her words struck a chord in me as I too hope to retire in the very near future so I found this book to be very insightful and feel I can better prepare myself after reading this useful information.

A Wonderful read that we can all benefit from especially us folks whom are looking to retire soon. I was fortunate to have won a kindle copy of this book from a Goodreads Giveaway.


Reviews posted on Amazon, B&N, Goodreads & Kindle.

[Janice · Rating 2 out of 5]

An easy read about the author’s journey to retirement. I was disappointed there weren’t more suggestions or ideas for how to explore new opportunities. Unfortunately, I don’t have an island cabin to sit around in and contemplate my future for several months….

[Randi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to the author, publishers and Goodreads for my copy of this book.