Make The Most Of
Your Retirement Experience

Your retirement experience should exceed all of your expectations.  You worked all of your life to get to this point so you should make every day count.  Making that happen is completely in your hands.  We created this site in response to someone saying to us that they were bored in retirement and that it wasn’t living up to all of their expectations.  That was one of the saddest things anyone ever said to us.  We have thoroughly enjoyed our retirement and, while we realize that we have been very fortunate in our lives, there is no reason that you can’t make every day of your retirement experience a happy one.

This is the time to explore old interests and create new ones.  This is the time to reconnect with old friends and discover new ones, to see new sites and rekindle memories.  And, with the power of the internet at your disposal, you really don’t have to leave your home.  Virtual travel is gaining in popularity and the “zoom” experience that has enabled teleconferences within the corporate world has given rise to new and more exciting social opportunities.

Your Retirement Experience
Is A Work In Progress

To make the most of your retirement experience, you do have to do a little work.  You have to do some planning and explore all the opportunities there are to make the most out of what life has to offer.  You’ve got to build your social network because meeting new people and staying in touch with old friends adds tremendous enjoyment to your life and creating new friendships can broaden your horizons.  If you have grandchildren, you can plan your time with them and let it be a learning experience at the same time you enjoy their company.  You have a lot of wisdom to offer whether you believe it or not and passing some of that on in a gentle and nurturing way can strengthen the bond that you have with them.  Don’t be surprised if you learn as much from them as they do from you.  There’s no better way to get up to date with all of the advances in technology than to learn it from a child or young adult.  When they happen to be part of the family, that just makes it a little more special.

One of the best ways you can teach children is to give them a "hands on" experience.  We have found that Children's Museums that can be found in many cities and college towns can be a great way to get a child exposed to new things and new ideas.  Aquariums and zoos are also wonderful learning opportunities disguised as a family outing.  Our daughter was inspired enough from one trip to an aquarium that she had a marine biologist listed as her career in high school.  Taking her to concerts and buying a piano put that ocean-based career on the back burner as she explored and eventually lost herself in the world of music.  Giving children those experiences can be valuable learning lessons.

It won't surprise any regular visitors to this website to find out that almost every one of our vacations had a visit to a historical site planned as a learning experience for our children.  I happen to believe that history is one of the most important topics there is to help children, who will be tomorrow's adults, avoid the mistakes of the past.  It is gratifying to hear them recount our trips to places like Williamsburg, Monticello, Washington D.C. and Springfield, Illinois.  Reading the biographies of the people who shaped our country is one of the most valuable lessons there is.

Taking the time to volunteer at your church, a local charity or even a historic site where they need to guide their visitors can add to your retirement experience as well.  Learning about the local history is a great way to appreciate all our ancestors struggled with to give us what we have today.  We have found historic sites to be among our favorites because of the glimpse it gives us into our past.  Doing an internet search to see what’s in your area will probably give you a few ideas about where you might want to go to explore the great history this country has to offer.  If you have the resources for international travel, by all means take that opportunity because it is one of the best learning experiences there is.  You can read all the books there are about a place, but actually seeing it makes a huge difference.  You get to know the people and what they've lived through especially if you arrange a guided tour with a professional company.  Anyone who has any doubts about what it was like to live behind the Iron Curtain should take a tour of East Berlin focused on the Cold War.  The surveillance tactics by the secret police were incredible and ruined people's lives.  The government-controlled media robbed people of the truth and suppressed any criticism of the people in power. We spoke to volunteers at the museum who shared their stories and are helping us to preserve and learn from history.  Volunteers at historic sites deserve our gratitude.  Volunteers everywhere deserve our gratitude and it might be one way you can enhance your retirement experience.

We have found our local church to be a spot that has given us tremendous satisfaction through volunteering and taking the time to be thankful for all that we have in our life.  Volunteers deserve our thanks. Our retirement experience becomes richer and fuller when we practice what is referred to as an “attitude of gratitude”.  As corny as that may sound, there is a great value in that practice.  If you live in the United States, you have much to be grateful for.  If you’ve made it to retirement, there is even an added measure of enjoyment that is yours for the asking.  Take the time to enrich your retirement experience and you’ll find how much more you can Enjoy Retired Life. 

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