This is the big challenge for me, too, in my final weeks as an employee. Who will praise me for the clever way I solve problems? For my strategic thinking? This is the kind of feedback I've been getting in the home stretch of retiring, that is very much tied to my job.

As a single, childless woman, I got those strokes from co-workers. I need to figure out ways to live as a retired person where I am still solving problems and being appreciated for my analytic skills. I suspect it will be via finding a good match in volunteering. Fingers crossed.