So, Are You Semi-Retired?

Of course we very much enjoy the opportunity to chat with our guests and learn a bit about what our guests do or have retired from back home. And as part of the verbal exchange with our guests we also enjoy the opportunity to share things about ourselves as people are interested in how our family of five landed here in Stowe from Baltimore, Maryland.

There are a few general questions we typically hear from our guests and one that will instantly bring a smile to our face is, “So, are you semi-retired?” While it is certainly and most likely a popular belief that most B&B Innkeepers are semi-retired, the truth is that this Innkeeping gig is definitely not the lifestyle of the Gentle Farmer. Honestly, it is my hope that my semi-retirement includes a bit less work (especially paperwork) than what we currently accept as part of the deal to maintain this wonderful lifestyle.

And “work” has an entirely different meaning in this “Chapter 2” phase of our lives. In my corporate days I didn’t necessarily perceive a time clock but I did have a clear sense of work time and non work time. Sunday evenings in particular were dreadful to me as my head began to think about the meetings and pending deadlines of the coming work week. Now, I get so absorbed in the everday life and process of operating this Inn that I find myself looking at the newspapers in the living room to confirm the day of the week, seriously. I think that is pretty cool. The trade off; as it has become obvious to us in our short tenure as Innkeepers, there is a profound sense of realization that there just isn’t enough time in the day to do everything you want to do. But, truthfully, isn’t that the same for most of us anyway? And all things considered I am happy to be filling my days as an Innkeeper than anything else I can dream up.

So, in my semi-retirement life plan, I would be hiking more trails, hitting more golf balls, tacking and jibbing more on my sailboat “Oh Chessie” on Lake Champlain, bicycling many more miles through our beautiful valleys of cornfield and dairy cows, skiing trails such as Nosedive and Perry Merrill at Stowe Mountain on a much more frequent basis, and snowshoeing and/or x-country skiing along the Catamount Trail right after that perfect snowfall. Essentially, semi-retirement would appear to allow me the opportunity to become completely and totally absorbed in this amazing landscape of Stowe, Vermont.

Hmmmm, semi-retirement would be a great thing here in Stowe.