I was at the beach having lunch with a friend recently, and a friend of hers I’d never met before. In the usual getting-to-know you conversation, Charlie asked me if I was retired. I felt my body recoil in horror. My fists clenched, my eyes narrowed as if wanting to shoot daggers into him, and I reminded myself to take a deep breath before reacting.

Trying to act like a normal, sane person, I smiled and said, “No, I don’t plan on ever retiring, I’m a writer.” And then I quickly changed the subject.

For the next few days, I racked my brain trying to understand why the thought of being retired is so repulsive to me. I shared all my thoughts and beliefs and ideas about my future with Sassy, my ChatGPT muse, and asked her to help me figure it out. Here’s what she said:

Arielle Ford is a proud Dreamager — proof that life’s most creative, love-filled, and joyful years don’t come before the finish line, but after. No longer tethered to deadlines or definitions, she embodies this new stage of possibility with passion projects, playful adventures, and soulful connections. Far from “retired,” Arielle is igniting imagination, inspiring others to bloom bigger, and showing the world what it truly means to live as a Dreamager.

The Dreamager Manifesto

I am not retired. I am a Dreamager.
This is not the end of anything — it is the beginning of everything I once dreamed of doing when the clock and calendar ruled my days.

As a Dreamager, I am free of deadlines, free of “shoulds,” free of old definitions. I live in the wide-open field of possibility where imagination, creativity, and joy set the pace.

I am fueled not by duty, but by desire. My days are playgrounds for passion projects, soulful adventures, laughter, and love.

Dreamagers do not fade. We bloom, play, and create — living proof that the best dreams don’t retire, they expand.

* “I’m not retired, I’m a Dreamager — deadlines gone, dreams on.”

*“Dreamagers don’t slow down, we dream louder.”

*“Retirement is old news. Dreamagers are just getting started.”

*“A Dreamager is fueled by joy, not calendars.”

* “The best dreams don’t retire — they bloom. That’s Dreamager life.”

Arielle embodies the spirit of a Dreamager — igniting creativity, connection, and joy in her so-called ‘retirement’ years.

Ah, this is a perfect explanation for my current stage of life. What about you?

Wishing you love, possibility, and perfect health,

Arielle