Dancin’, Drivin’, and Livin’
DR. ANNE HAZELTON’S INCREDIBLE LIFE IN RETIREMENT
to juice up.” We’re amazed and heartened to hear that charging an electric vehicle is possible even in the wilds of northern Montana.
You’d think hitting the open road would be enough adventure for most retirees, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Dr. Hazelton’s schedule. Nearly every week, she does something awesome. She dances Argentine tango and is a dedicated pickleball player. About twice a year, she travels overseas, occasionally solo. She credits her long list of hobbies with helping her navigate the transition to retirement seamlessly. “I would recommend that everyone find a hobby BEFORE they’re done working, preferably an active and social one,” she says. “I’m the type of person who can’t spend 15 minutes on a treadmill without being bored, but I can dance for hours without it feeling like exercise. I stay healthy, meet great people, and do what I love. You may not be into doing the tango, but you can find a similar passion.” Prior to retiring, Dr. Hazelton had a wonderful career as a physician (MD, MSPH), with her final posting at a VA branch here in Denver. She credits Ann with giving her the sense that she was finally secure enough to retire. “I have to be honest: Prior to speaking to Ann, I hadn’t balanced a checkbook since 1968,” Dr. Hazelton says with a laugh. “I hate finances and didn’t think I was even close to retirement. After speaking with Ann, who understands the federal retirement system as well as anybody, I felt confident that I could retire on my own terms. Ann even gave me the specific date I would be able to retire.” Anne’s retirement hardly feels like settling down. She’s living her life to the fullest and enjoying every day as a result. With the right planning and mindset, you too can have a post-work life as wondrous and mind-blowing as hers.
IF you heard about somebody driving thousands of miles in a brand new Tesla Model 3, who would you picture behind the wheel? You’d probably think of a hip, young millennial, and you’d be forgiven for doing so. But Anne Hazelton defies expectations in every way, including undergoing this road trip on her own. “I was on the waitlist for a Tesla for 27 months,” Dr. Hazelton recalls. “Once I finally had the car, it was time to take the trip. I traveled to San Francisco, Seattle, through western Canada, and then back down to Colorado, with camping stops in the Redwoods and Columbia Falls, Montana.” The Tesla, which Dr. Hazelton lovingly named Stellar, was the perfect vehicle for the trip, with high-tech features that made driving easy and had a minimal environmental impact. “There was only one time when I had to reroute my trip in order to find a viable charging station, and that was only because the area I had planned to visit was closed due to wildfires,” Dr. Hazelton says. “It ended up being no problem, because I chatted with a lovely person who owned a motel with an EV charger as I waited for Stellar
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