When I jumped off the professional career train I didn't (and still don't) know how to refer the next chapter of my life . "Retirement" doesn't work because it has negative connotations to many.  Explore, recess, break, and alternative lifestyle, are some of the  phrases I've used to explain what I'm doing now. In the end, it doesn't really matter what this next chapter is called and I've realized that this obsession for classifying/naming what I'm doing is a remnant of my education/training (i.e., biologist); one of many remnants I'm working to leave behind as I focus on being present and enjoying life.
Its obvious now but when I was on the career train, I didn't think outside the 3 phases of life I was trained to follow - education, work, retirement. Now that I'm off the train, it makes more sense to forget about these three arbitrary life phases and view life as an ongoing opportunity to explore. Sure, one has to do something to earn a living but hopefully this isn't limited to 30+ years on the career train.