Endings Are Beginnings: Adding Excitement to Your Retirement

By Carolyn Campbell

Leslie had always looked forward to retirement. She imagined sleeping late, working in her garden, and going on trips. But when the day for her actual retirement grew near, she was surprised to feel uncertainty and even a little bit of sadness. Her work had defined her life for so long. Many accomplishments and dear friends came from her experiences at work. She was used to her regular schedule, which included completing assignments and feeling a sense of fulfillment when she succeeded. A well-earned short rest had always been followed by the anticipation of starting a new project. 'What will happen now?" she wondered as she cleaned out her desk and prepared to walk away from her office for the last time.

Just as it is reassuring to plan a financial future following retirement, it's also comforting to plan some activities and to remember earlier hopes and dreams for this unique time of life. Now that the usual meetings, deadlines, and projects have dropped away, it's time to recall wishes and goals and make plans for fulfilling them. It's a good time to set a course for the future, in a relaxing and fun—rather than pressured—way. Keep in mind that when you retire, you will have many more hours a day to do whatever you wish. It might be a good time to do those things you've always thought about but haven't had a chance to try yet. You can start having fun without having to worry about being productive all the time. As one retiree once said, "I still find each day too short for all the thoughts I want to think, all the walks I want to take, all the books I want to read, and all the friends I want to see."

The following are some suggested activities to enjoy during retirement.

Meet New People

Consider replacing your work contacts with new people. Seek out new friends through clubs that appeal to your interests or hobbies, such as a knitting group, a senior women's or men's recreational club, a golf club, or a church group. Check the club listings online in your area or the postings on the community board in your local library or grocery store. Friendships are energizing and sustaining, and now that you are retired, a friendship could include a leisurely late lunch, a relaxed telephone conversation, or even a weekend getaway.

Learn Something New

One retired librarian took accordion lessons. It was her lifelong dream that she had never shared with anyone until she retired. Another retiree began his dream of studying and collecting antique cars. A group of retirees who lived in the same large city created an improvisational comedy group. Another senior woman made a sky diving jump after her granddaughter dared her to try it. Feel free to think outside the box and choose an activity you have always wanted to try. Learning carries its own satisfaction.

Take a Road Trip

A road trip can be a day trip over to see the museum in the next county, or a relaxing, leisurely journey that includes many days and several states. You never know what some out-of-the-way neighborhood may have to offer until you walk its streets. Feel free to set your own pace as you see new sights, meet new people, and cherish experiences that you've never had before.

Travel to Another Country

Have you always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower or visit the town where your ancestors lived? There are many flights available online at lower than usual rates, particularly if you are now free to travel off-season or at a less popular time. You can also search online for package trips that include airfare, accommodations, and guided tours and activities.

Cook Your Way through a Cookbook

If you are a lover of food and would like to expand your culinary expertise, consider choosing a cookbook and preparing each recipe in turn. For inspiration, you might want to watch the movie, Julie and Julia. Based on a true story, Julie Powell sets a goal to cook every recipe in Julia Child's food Bible, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, in one year. You could choose an all-encompassing, "general" cookbook that covers many types of dishes or a specialty cookbook that includes only Italian dishes or low-carb specialties. Or, rather than choosing an entire cookbook, consider researching a recipe for a dish you remember from childhood, or something you have enjoyed eating at a restaurant. Take a leisurely afternoon and enjoy each step in the cooking process.

Spend Time with Those You Love

Hanging out with a cherished person in your life is precious. It could be your grandchildren who you see regularly, a classmate you still remember, or a cousin you haven't visited for years. Hanging out is just being together, doing nothing in particular. Just the closeness, even if the conversation is minimal, unimportant, or non-existent, is nourishing.

Exercise

A health study in England showed that retirees who continued to exercise were more than three times as likely to experience healthy aging than those who did not. Along with providing relief from stress, physical activity is its own kind of adventure. In the past, daily work was largely physical. Now that physical exertion is no longer a requirement for earning a living, people don't get rid of stress as easily. It accumulates very quickly. To implement exercise into your newly-free schedule, try aerobics, walking, jogging, dancing, or swimming. Or if you are feeling more adventurous, consider zip lining, paddle boarding, or scuba diving.

Start a Blog

A blog is a personal website where you can post articles, stories, or simple essays. If you don't actually buy your own Caribbean Island or sky dive for the first time, writing about your interest on a blog is the next best thing. Read other blogs for inspiration. You can find an amazing array of personalities in the blogosphere with interests spanning everything from reading to river rafting. As you write and read other blogs, you will meet folks with similar interests and passions. You can share your thoughts in your posts, as well as interact with others via their blog and websites. It is easy and rewarding.

Practice the Fine Art of Doing Nothing

Feel free to do nothing for hours on end if that is what you want to do. Or take a while between activities to decide which one you really want to do next. For the first time in your life, this is now your choice to make.

Don’t be afraid to live an exciting life after you retire. Remember the stuff of your dreams and the adventures you always wanted to try, even as far back as when you were a child. Think of the pursuits that caused you to think, "Maybe someday, when I have the time..." Possibly the best part about retirement is that none of your goals or activities are mandatory. In most cases, you can start or stop pursuing them at any time. If you try out a new hobby and it doesn't suit your fancy, you can stop, take a break, choose something new, or simply rest a while. Your hours are your own.

You've earned this time to be yourself, cherishing your memories and experiences along with the freedom to pursue recreation, rest, and relaxation. What you do with your retirement hours is all up to you.