What I Learned About the Pandemic
and Retirement
Coping with the pandemic and retirement at the same time was a little overwhelming for the millions of people in their sixties who were approaching or at the end of their working career. They were scared for their own health and suddenly found themselves shut in and cut off from socializing with their friends. With no job to go to or no need to work from home, they found themselves with a lot of time on their hands. Strangely enough, there is a similarity for some people who suddenly find themselves retired with a lot of time on their hands. We learned that many people did not adjust well during the pandemic and, sadly, that's true of some new retirees so I'd like to share what I have learned about the pandemic and retirement.
While the pandemic kept people “locked down” and changed many workers’ day to day duties to a remote status where they log in from home and do as much of their job as possible, this new environment caused people to think that this may be what retirement is like. After all, the socialization that used to place in lunchrooms and during coffee breaks had disappeared. Many people are not able to cope with staying in their house for extended periods of time. This decrease in socialization is something that the pandemic and retirement have in common.
Technology Brought a Ray of Hope to
The Pandemic and Retirement
But, just as technology has come to the rescue for many people in their ability to work from home, it can bring a new ray of hope for those who feel isolated in retirement. The pandemic and retirement have led some people to turn to technology to broaden their horizons. You can either get depressed about the situation or make yourself determined to make the most of it.
Technology has enabled “zoom sessions” where you can see the person you talk to and has been used extensively in the business world. Virtual meetings were really starting to catch on when I retired from Corporate America at the end of 2017 and I can tell you that the technology has gotten much better and the faster internet speeds have made the delay between the speakers in a remote meeting almost bearable. The good news is that it will continue to get better.
Did the virtual family meetings replace a “family hug”? No, of course not. But the ability to see the person you're talking to in real time is something that we saw in Disney's World of Tomorrow and the Carousel of Progress. I remember thinking that we would never see this in my lifetime, but it is something my wife and I do almost every week with our friends in the United Kingdom. Technology is amazing and it is changing the workplace faster than we can keep up with.
There are many benefits with the increased internet speeds and new communication tools. New worlds open up for those who are trying to stay in touch with their loved ones. And the number of things you can do and the resources that are available over the internet are increasing all the time. Remote learning is becoming part of the new normal and it has expanded to include almost everyone. The number of people offering courses over the internet is increasing daily and, for the retiree, there is almost no subject that can’t be tackled as a remote learner.
The pandemic was a terrible and tragic time with thousands of loved ones being lost. But some good has to come out of it and, although it’s a very small piece, the expanded communications that can now take place over the internet is one of them. The pandemic and retirement were something that came almost at the same time for me. One was something that I looked forward and the other was something that I hope we never experience again.
We came through the pandemic without any health problems, and we were very thankful for that. Our biggest "tragedy" was having to cancel a cruise. One of the things that came out of that time was this website. It gave me something to do that was challenging and fun. I found out that I wasn't the only retiree to start a website during this time. Many other people our age started their own business on the internet so, in some ways, the pandemic and retirement gave rise to many senior entrepreneurs and it's something you might look into. If you have an interest or a hobby, why not do a little search on the internet and see what you find? Chances are you'll find someone very similar to yourself who has started their own business and is having a great time doing it. The fact is that you don't need to have great technical skills anymore to create a website you can be very proud of. There's one company that provides excellent instructions that can guide just about anybody down the path to create an internet presence of their own. In the end, life is what you make of it. The pandemic and retirement are two things that changed thousands of people's lives and those who refused to be one of the "shut ins" who did nothing but complain, came out ahead by taking control of their life. A website might be just what you need if you find there are too many hours in the day or you find yourself in front of the television all day. Life is too short to stay at home and complain. Learn something new and do something different. It's time to Enjoy Retired Life!
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