Renewed not retired.

Retirement comes from the word “retirer” meaning to draw out or endure.  The root of “tirer” comes from the French word “martir” or in English, “matyr”.  A matyr endures torture for a cause.  All in all, not an optimistic word for what is supposed to be the best time of your life.

Attempts have been made to replace the word retirement.  Smartmoney.com had an online contest in 2007 seeking alternative terms.  There were over 4,000 submissions including aspirement, Gen R, redefinement, rewirement and re-creation.

My favorite is renewment.