Learn to Appreciate Retirement
Someone said to me the other day that they’d give anything to be young again. I asked him if he wanted to go back to work every day and his answer was a resounding “NO”. I guess if we could wave a magic wand, we’d all want to turn back the clock on old age, but retirement comes with so many other advantages, it’s a shame to focus on the aging aspect and not appreciate the wonders this time of your life has to offer. The bottom line is we need to learn to appreciate retirement and make that act of appreciation a daily habit. When you take the time to savor all the wonderful moments in your day, you can’t help but be extremely grateful to be a senior citizen living in this remarkable world. We sometimes take everything this world has to offer for granted and never appreciate how good we have it. We can travel the world, communicate with anyone almost instantly and there are technological advances happening all around us.
The best way to age gracefully is to learn to appreciate retirement and all it has to offer.
Retirement is a time for learning new things and seeing new places. We live in an amazing world and, although reading about it and watching travels shows can be very entertaining, there is nothing like seeing it in person. Once you take your first road trip, you begin to realize what a big country we live in. Although our cities are crowded, you can travel miles on a highway without seeing a single home. Travel through the mountain ranges from the northeast down into Virginia and out toward Tennessee and you can imagine the explorers heading west to a new frontier. The scenery is amazing and you can stop almost anywhere and find a small town that is as different from the overcrowded cities as you can get. You can learn to appreciate retirement by taking the time to explore the different parts of our wonderful country. Compare the rugged mountains of the southwest to those in the east and you begin to see how diverse our country is. You’ll find different cuisines and even friendly arguments about the best barbecue style. Sample the ribs and pulled pork from Kansas City, Texas and Carolina and you’ll have the tough decision to make about which one you like better. Compare the shrimp off the gulf coast with the lobster from Maine and you’ll begin to appreciate how certain foods can identify a particular region and become part of your memory bank. It’s fun to discover geography through food!
Europe has a lot to offer as well. Travel the rivers and see the castles that still dot the landscape along with the vineyards that seem to be everywhere. Learn to appreciate retirement and the freedom that it gives you to explore the world at your own pace. Trace your ancestry as far back as you can and visit the origins of your grandparents and great grandparents. My wife and I met some of her relatives on a trip to Spain as we searched for the farm she had visited when she was eight years old. We could never have had the time to make such a trip while we were working but that all changed when we retired. Retirement is not only a time to see new places or explore your past but it’s also a time to learn new things.
Don’t be afraid to expand your horizons and discover an inner you that you never knew existed. Try a new hobby and, perhaps, discover a new passion. Retirement is a time for learning new things. Learn to play an instrument or take a cooking class to make your own bread or cook those delicacies that you’ve discovered during your travels. Learn to build furniture or take up sailing. There’s no limit to what you can do. Learn to appreciate retirement by giving yourself permission to do something new – something you’ve always wanted to try because that’s what retirement is for.
I’m very aware that some readers are thinking that this all sounds great, but where do you get the money to do all of this? If you’re flexible and shop around for the best deals, you’ll be surprised at some of the savings that you can realize. Last-minute deals can be especially attractive and definitely something to look into. The flexibility retirement gives you is amazing. You can also look for ways to make more money. There’s always the possibility of a job, but I think it should be related to something you’re interested in. Many hobbies can be turned into an income and, if you do a little search on the internet, you’ll probably come across a few examples of people who share the same interests as you starting their own website. I started this one and the purpose was to help people learn to appreciate retirement. There’s no reason you can’t do the same thing, and you’ll be joining hundreds of other retirees who are having a lot of fun running their own little business in retirement. There are many ways you can create more income in retirement and start to do the things you’ve always dreamed of doing. You just need to take the first step and start exploring the possibilities. It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!
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