Project Escape: Lessons for an Unscripted Life

Lucinda describes herself in project Escape as “someone who’s persevered and never gives up.” Understatement of the century! This book is at its core about how to embrace retirement, but it is much more. It is about how to reconnect with your best friend and spouse. It is about giving up literally everything and learning that you are much stronger than you ever expected. It is about facing corruption and still finding the motivation to help those in need, even when they see you as the people who need help. It’s about finding self worth without material things. If you are contemplating a life change, Lucinda and Project Escape will provide you with insights and perspectives that you otherwise would have never considered! Loved it!

If you are thinking about retirement, especially a second career after retirement, read this book, especially if you are thinking about the Peace Corps. If you are retired, but things haven’t gone to plan, then this book may inspire you to try a new approach.At the start of the book, the author is working on a five-point retirement plan. She decided that she would have a second career with the Peace Corps after retiring. By the time her last day at work finally arrives, both her and her husband were already preparing for their Peace Corps assignment on the island of Palau in Micronesia.They expected an island paradise. It would be an understatement to say that things didn’t go as planned, and that, in fact, things rapidly went from bad to worse. The work she did was important, but her office building had no working toilets or air conditioning. The monthly allowance from the Peace Corps was far below the current cost of living and so at times they were food insecure as they didn’t have enough to cover the cost of food, housing, and transportation to their jobs. The local beaches were polluted with raw sewage and the water on the island wasn’t safe to drink.From time to time, the author reviewed filled out a scorecard to measure her progress towards reaching her retirement goals. Things were not looking good. And yet, the couple found ways to keep up each other’s spirits, and in the process, found themselves falling in love all over again.This is a quick, entertaining read, with some good suggestions on what makes a good retirement and how to bounce back when things don’t work out as planned.

I found Ms Jackson’s book to be an entertaining, interesting story about how different people transition to retirement (from “everyday will be a Saturday”, to a search for new activities and commitments), the dysfunction of the Peace Corp (for which I had experienced as well) and the gap between what Americans are accustomed to as a way of live and what host countries may present (which almost any American who traveled to “third world” counties will recognize as both positive and negative features) , and the evolution of her marriage to cope with all three. The fact that her marriage pulled them through the experience to a successful outcome is the outcome we’d all hope for. It's a good book worth reading, even before you get ready to retire.

In her second autobiographical book, Lucinda Jackson describes a later period that is fraught with quite different issues than her first book about growing up, getting educated (both formally and as a woman scientist in corporate America). After succeeding in all of the metrics of a career, retirement throws many curveballs her way in the changes in self-image and thinking and habits of that successful career. She chose an altruistic change to becoming a Peace Corps volunteer in the western Pacific in "partnership" with her husband. Trials and more trials that are sometimes painfully funny, ironic, and tragic. This Lucinda, in contrast to the younger one in her first book, is both wiser and more vulnerable - often due to the vestiges of stubbornness, orderliness, idealism, and moxie that she used in that earlier life.

“Project Escape” is more than just a blueprint for how to plan your remaining productive years after formally retiring from full-time employment, it’s also an entertaining story about Lucinda’s wayward adventures in a very out-dated Peace Corps movement. At times it read like a script from a pilot reality tv program called “I’m a Professional, Get Me out of Here!” and I found myself immersed in her misery and yelling at her to get the hell out of there!While her decision to follow the path she did sure isn’t what I’d be doing, her narrative around the decision-making process was a thought-provoking exercise in planning a meaningful next chapter in your life when you still not only have more to give, but also still have lots of adventures, ambitions and goals that you want to achieve.An entertaining and thought-provoking read 👍

Having read “Just a Girl: Growing Up Female and Ambitious” (a great read, especially for young women just entering the workforce), I was thrilled to discover that Lucinda Jackson had written another book, this one about her personal journey transitioning from the corporate, highly structured world into retirement. Using tools from the workplace, Lucinda shares her journey and methodology to identify core values and develop a post-retirement life plan that aligns with and supports those core values. But, as Lucinda beautifully articulates in her book, those plans don’t always work out as expected or bring the successes you envisioned. It’s important to evaluate and adjust plans to bring happiness and control back into your life. I highly recommend this book particularly for those planning or already in retirement.

This was a great read with a thoughtful consideration of how to find personal fulfillment the the post career stage of life. Through the lens of a challenging volunteer experience, the author dives into self-awareness, life values, and determination. It provides a deeper perspective on retirement planning.