My First Book: Living Free, Living Well: My Life as a Zen Bon Vivant

Nine years into a very comfortable retirement, I wrote and published my first book. The full title is on the cover picture below. It describes my journey across three continents and the life-experiences that enabled me to retire happily and comfortably at fifty-eight. It is is a short, simple roadmap for anyone to follow, now available on Amazon.com.

Take a ‘look inside’ the book on the Amazon website. There are many tips: from the financial to the philosophical and everything in between. I selected the pictures with great care, to add to the theme of the chapters. Some are archival and you may have difficulty recognizing. For example, compare the cover picture to this one:

Undergraduate, Calcutta, 1974 — Undergraduate, St. Xavier’s College, Calcutta, 1974

I worked in the pharmaceutical industry as a research scientist for over twenty years. I was laid off in 2013. It felt like a punch in the gut. I describe my feelings on that day in the Prologue. What is your reaction when you read it?

In my office, the last days at work, 2013

That precipitated an intense period of introspection. I had, over time, prepared for just such an eventuality, both financially and psychologically. I was lucky. I retired—and never looked back. I am now living my dream; reading, writing, traveling and speaking. The layoff was the push that did it. It forced me to think, to prioritize, to realize what was important in life. I realized that to be happy and to live well you have to be free, hence the title. Now, I can do what I want to do, not what I have to do to earn a living. The change from “have to” to “want to” makes a world of difference. I have no boss (except my wife, but that is another story, detailed in Chapter 10, My Life in Retirement).

And Now This—At Andaman Islands, India, 2020 — Enjoying retirement—at the Andaman Islands, India, 2020

Who knew that retirement, would be so creative and pleasurable. I have just published my first book and already contemplating a second, a compilation of my stories on travel and adventure!

On an elephant, Arunachal Pradesh, India, 1979 — On an elephant in the jungles of Arunachal Pradesh, India, 1979

I wrote this for those planning retirement or are close to it but afraid to take the plunge. It is also for those interested in life in other lands, in this case: India, France, USA and China.

I hope you read the book and find it entertaining and useful. It may change your life! You may soon be living the good life of a Bon Vivant with a relaxed Zen attitude and enjoying retirement as much as I am. I look forward to your feedback and reviews.