Rocking Through Retirement MICHAEL LEFT THE WORKFORCE AND PICKED UP THE GUITAR
When our team connected with Michael, he had just put down his bass guitar. “I was playing some Allman Brothers,” he told us. “It was pretty fast, so I might be a little amped up!” Michael retired from his job at the Department of Veterans Affairs three years ago. Every day since, he has spent a big chunk of time in what he calls his “music room” — a tricked-out space in his Colorado home filled with amplifiers, guitars, keyboards, microphones, mixers, a rack-mounted sound system, and recording equipment. “For decades, all I had was the acoustic guitar. It’s a 1976 S.L. Mossman and was handmade by Stuart Mossman in Winfield, Kansas. I bought it new in 1978 and took it to the Gulf War several times,” he says. (Did we mention that Michael is also a 22-year Air Force veteran?) Other gems in his collection include a reissued 1963 Gibson guitar in cherry red and a gorgeous 1997 Stevie Ray Vaughan Fender Stratocaster.
“Every piece of my equipment has a story. I spend a lot of time on classic rock, blues, and rock ‘n’ roll out of the ’60s and ’70s, but I will touch on just about anything that sounds good to me,” Michael says. When asked about what brings him to the music room each day, he quoted The Who’s classic song “Pure and Easy.” “There once was a note/ Pure and easy/ Playing so free, like a breath rippling by”
“In our time together, Fran and I have never argued. She is my best friend. She has taught me so much about life, and she is just an incredible person,” he says. Now that Michael is retired, he and Fran spend more time together. They hike, bike, snowshoe, and explore Colorado’s mountain towns on foot with Rocky. Fran is still working, but
“When it comes to music, that is a quote that I live by, because I can just play one note and let it ring out, or I can add other notes to it,” says Michael. “It just sort of fills my room!” Michael’s wife, Fran, sometimes joins him in the music room. On other days friends come by to jam, and without fail, his Akita pup, Rocky (“85 pounds of lap dog”), sprawls at his feet. Michael credits Fran and Rocky for helping him truly enjoy his retirement. Since he and Fran got married at the Pentagon on Sept. 11, 2002 (which is another story entirely), he hasn’t had a single PTSD episode from his time in the Air Force.
Michael says she’s no longer stressed about having enough money in retirement.
“She was actually afraid of it! … But over the last year and a half Fran has found herself at ease and is now looking forward to retirement,” he said.
“Every day I wake up with a smile on my face. I have no stress,” he says.
2 | 303-922-4304
Published by Newsletter Pro . www.NewsletterPro.com
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online