Joy in Retirement: Beth

For the first 50 years of adulthood, we’re often defined by our roles for others, and the responsibilities that come with those roles. To our family, we’re caregivers, providers, confidants, advice-givers and so much more. At work, we wear as many hats as we do at home. And then … just as our working life is complete, our new life is here.

Retirement.

We can finally live our life more on our terms. And health withstanding, we can find the joy we want in our lives — whatever it is: spending time with grandkids, swing dancing, turning that side hobby into a small business …

At Physicians Mutual, we share in that joy our customers find in retirement. Today, we introduce Beth K. Originally from Ohio, she now welcomes every Arizona sunrise with a smile.

In a world often shaped by rationality and logic, Beth cherishes the magical — the mysterious energy that connects us to something bigger than just ourselves, and more importantly, to each other.

So it’s no coincidence she often finds herself in the Superstition Mountains just outside of Mesa, Arizona. Soaring 6,000 feet above the Sonoran Desert, the volcanic range encompasses 250 square miles. Golden poppies, desert cottontail rabbits, red-tail hawks and millennia-old hieroglyphs, welcome her.

Like them, she too is home.

Here, among the desert flora, fauna and unyielding crags, she spends her days. To a casual observer, her furtive starts and stops may seem like this self-described “rock hound” is searching for something.

But to those who know her, they know ... she’s already found it.

An unabashed people person and legendary weaver of yarns, Beth collects new friends as readily as quartz, turquoise and amethyst. Each person, a companion. Every day, an adventure. Quick with a smile and joke, she’s known as “Hollywood” in her neighborhood.

Visiting Omaha for the first time, she’s not come empty-handed. She bears a gift for her new friends, nearly a dozen in total. A small, purple amethyst heart.

“Because everyone here is so close to my heart,” she says. Her green eyes illuminate and she can’t help but smile. A warmest of warm hugs follows. She does this for each and every person.

Over the course of the evening, she delights the group with rock hunting tales, observations from bartending in her younger days, endearing stories about her grandkids she loves so much, and the therapeutic power of nature.

It’s clear that while this self-avowed “rock hound” cherishes her mineral finds, it’s those close to her she finds most precious.

The sky is born blue and clear; the sun, a solitary outline against the endless azure canopy — a signal for the beginning of a new day. Under her booted feet, small red and white stones mesh with the fine Casa Grande soil. Four-petaled California poppies, fiery orange globemallow, and brittlebush blossoms the color of turmeric dot the jagged landscape.

On this early morning, the air is hot and dry and the sun is yet warm but not searing. Besides the soft crunch of her measured steps and soft rustle of the wind, the day is mostly quiet save for the unrelenting staccato “cha-cha-cha” call of the cactus wren.

She banters with her husband, Brad. Their light-hearted back and forth keeps time moving and makes plain the deep affection between the two. A retired over-the-road truck driver, he’s on the hunt for spent shell casings to reload. He’s broad-shouldered and delivers a handshake that could buckle George Foreman. Like many couples, being together — even when doing their own thing — means the world.

To Beth, the treasure isn’t the find, it’s the climb.

And as wonderful as Ohio was, it would’ve been no retirement like this.

She’d worked hard her entire life. And no matter what, she always made sure to be good to people.

A telling example of this was when she was younger, she worked in a department store selling men’s shoes. She took great care in helping customers find the right fit for them, spending as much time as needed, answering all of their questions, and treating them with dignity.

“I always thought I wanted to help someone the same way I’d want someone to help my dad,” she said, reflecting back. She smiles, eyes softening at the thought of her father.

Fast forward to 2021. At the cusp of retirement, she had her choice of coverages and companies. But the thing that mattered most to her was finding a company that treated their customers right.

“I want to be able to pick up the phone and talk to someone, a real person,” she said. “And with Physicians Mutual, I can just pick up the phone and get help. You have the friendliest agents.”

Great customer service, it seems, is magical.

Beth’s Mountain Excursion

What happens when Beth takes our very own John Michael Higgins on a rock hunt? Head over to our YouTube Channel where you can find out what a leaverite stone is!