What are baby boomers going to do about retirement? I recall my parents of blessed memory and think about their second act and what that means for us today.

My father Gene retired as soon as he could. He sold his optometric practice (in 1978) just in time to collect Social Security at age 62. He and his wife Marian then moved from Elmira, New York, to Sarasota, Florida, where there would be no harsh winters. They had vacationed in Sarasota many times through the years. Some of Marian’s family lived there, and it would be warm enough for Gene to play more golf. Would there be more for him than that?

Gene did indeed play more golf. It was a great way for him to get together with his friends and get some exercise at the same time – he insisted on walking and carrying his own clubs until his health failed near the end of his life.

But there was much more. Before retirement Gene had been a very active volunteer. Afterwards he did even more community work. He also continued his investment hobby (where do you think I got it from?!?), did more gardening, and ushered at cultural events. He took classes, worked with computers and even did software reviews. And my parents had dinner dates with their friends every single night in their senior housing.

My father’s retirement presented new challenges for Marian. In Elmira she had taken up art at age 40. Within a few years, she developed considerable talent and skill as an artist, won numerous awards, and soon became one of the most prominent artists in her town. She knew that she would continue her art after the move, but Sarasota was in an entirely different league – it was well-known as a regional center for the arts. Would her work be good enough for her to exhibit it there? Well, it was. Marian continued to paint and to experiment with mixed-media techniques for another 25 years. She continued to exhibit her art in juried shows and to win prestigious awards in Sarasota. She once commented “my art is a gift to myself”—it gave purpose and fullness to her life.

When Marian and Gene first retired, none of us would ever have imagined that they would have so much time to do what they wanted. In spite of many health challenges, they lived active and vibrant lives into their early 90’s. I am struck by how much their retirement became a natural extension of the interests and passions they had before retirement. They just had more time to pursue them. As it turned out, their lives were long and full of meaning.

If you are a baby boomer, you are likely to have time, energy and health in your later years. Your “second act”—your years past age 65—may be almost as long as your adult working-age years.

You might be focusing on money worries now because of the current problems with investments and the uncertain economy. You might even be thinking about postponing retirement. (There is nothing magical about 65 as an age for retirement. That age was designated as a marker for retirement in the 19th century when the average life span was much shorter than today.)

Even so, planning for your second act entails much, much more than money. What are your passions? What gives your life meaning and purpose? If you are fortunate, like my parents, to have long lives, how will you use the gift of those days and years?

If you are in your 40s, 50s or 60s, you can think of this period of life as new kind of adolescence, a time to prepare for your second act. Use it as a time to reflect and explore—what would you like to be as you grow old?