Your Doctor Called: It's Not Time to Retire

When we're young, the idea of retirement seems farther away than we imagine. We get caught up in our daily work and family lives, but the years pass, and before we know it, it's time to seriously consider retirement. Or so they tell us. Still, some people want to continue working, are able to maintain the physical and intellectual skills necessary for their occupation, and really enjoy what they do.

I am one of these people. I need to work and do not want to stop simply because I've reached a certain age. For most of my life, I've cared for thousands of patients as a practicing cardiologist. For Your Doctor Called: It's Not Time to Retire, I interviewed a few of my patients about their views on retirement and whether they were happy with the decisions they had made. This book is a short exposé on the history and current state of retirement in the United States, featuring practical advice from those who have and have not retired.

David Lemon, MD, has worked as a physician for fifty years. He completed his medical education at the University of Iowa and Duke University. He practices cardiology in central Iowa and has no plans to retire. He grew up in Oskaloosa, Iowa, and now lives with his wife, Suzanne, and their dog, Sophie, in the Des Moines area. He continues to get up each workday before 5 a.m. He exercises twice a day, does his own property maintenance-raking leaves, mowing, and shoveling snow. He still won't sip a beer and would feel guilty if he ever ate a donut, but he does require coffee to get through the day. He wants to live until he dies, and when he does, he wants to simply keel over and drop to the ground. Someone else will have to see his patients that day.