Back to the OP ...
i will 'retire' when the business tells me to by not calling me for gigs ...
Even after that, I believe I will continue to play even for just my own enjoyment until the Lord takes me away ...
I say this for a couple of reasons ... When we had the band in NY and someone would say they 'used to play' we would wonder what that meant - how does anyone 'used to play' ... we couldn't imagine never playing an instrument again, and still feel the same way ...
Also, when I relocated to Rhode Island and left the band behind, having lost the 'security blanket' of my 4 friends and band mates, I did not play professionally for 7 years, but I played constantly at home, especially on weekends when I would play for hours straight ... My wife said to me that she did not want to chase me out of the house, but that I should get some business cards made and go out and look for gigs ... I got a gig in the first restaurant I went into ... the owner told me to sit at the piano and play a few songs ... I did and started playing there two weeks later ... and the rest, as they say, is history ... so, no, I don't think I will ever stop ...
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t.