Retirement Is A New Beginning

My last day of work was one of the most satisfying days of my life.  I had spent forty years in Corporate America working fifty or sixty hours a week not counting the two hours of commuting each day and I was ready to leave it all behind with a smile.  I had done everything they had asked of me for the past four decades and I was ready to start doing the things I wanted to do rather than the things I had been told to do.  All my life I had convinced myself that retirement is a new beginning and the past eight years have shown that to be true.  We have traveled more than we ever thought possible and I have explored new topics that I never had the time for when I was working.  Studying history is one of my great interests and the freedom to visit historical sites and read as much as I could find on a particular event has been more fun than I ever thought possible.  I realize that this would not be everyone’s choice but I’m sure you have things that have interested you that were not easy to fit into your schedule during your working years.  Well, now is the time.

Now is the time to prove that retirement is a new beginning.

Retirement is a new beginning. It’s a time for trying new things.  You can start a hobby or take up a sport.  While golf has been the most popular retirement sport, pickleball seems to be gaining in popularity and has developed a loyal following.  My wife has joined three clubs in our community and has greatly enjoyed her garden club and book club meetings while keeping her calendar clear for cards, Mahjong and cardio-drumming.  She has no idea how she ever found time to work.  That seems to be the common theme among our friends and that’s why I started this website.  When I met someone who said that he was bored in retirement, I felt so bad for this guy that I wanted to make sure no one needed to feel that way when they finally made it across the Finish Line and say goodbye to working every day.

I know a lot of people absolutely loved their jobs and were sorry to leave.  That wasn’t my experience at all, but I can understand how that might be a possibility.  They miss working and they miss not being a part of a group that worked together.  My suggestion for these wonderful people is that they try to duplicate that feeling but without the stress that came with the daily grind of a job.  You can find some activity that will be rewarding for you and for the community.  I know two guys who have become volunteer firefighters in our little village and they’re having a great time doing it.  Fortunately, we don’t have too many fires, but they get involved in inspections and other activities that contribute to the overall safety of our community.  They never thought they’d end up doing this in their later years, but retirement is a new beginning.  It’s really about creating a lifestyle that will keep you motivated and energized as you leave the cares of the working world behind.  For some people suddenly having forty, fifty or more hours to fill can be a daunting task so volunteering can be a great way to solve that problem in a very proactive way.

My wife and I talked extensively about life after work, and we both approached this change in lifestyle with the belief that retirement is a new beginning and an opportunity to enjoy life more than ever.  We moved to a beautiful area and designed and built a home that we love except for maybe when it gets too cold.  The January and February ice and snow have sent us on a series of winter journeys that have turned out better than we ever imagined.  We went from South Carolina down to Florida and then over through Alabama, Mississippi and spent a lot of time in New Orleans before venturing over to Texas.  Some years we have continued through New Mexico and Arizona before ending up in California.  We have a great appreciation for the diversity and magnitude of this wonderful country that we live in and have learned to appreciate the culture and cuisines of each of these areas.  How can you not?  The gulf shrimp of Florida and the barbecue masters of Texas are things that should be experienced by everyone at some point in their life.  And, in every stop, there is something historical to see whether it’s a state capitol, a little town like Plains, Georgia or the historic shrine of the Alamo.  History comes alive in every location and it’s some that I never get tired of.  We look forward to our winter escape every year.

Retirement is a new beginning, and it can be as good as you want it to be because there really is no limit to what is possible.  We took our journeys to new heights with river and ocean cruises and got to places we had only dreamed about.  If money is tight, why not start a business?  There are many ways to create an extra income and have fun doing it.  I started this website as a hobby but have enjoyed the creative process more than I thought I would.  I get to live each memory again as I sit down to write a new post.  Websites have become very popular with seniors.  So has writing and photography and two people I know have published their own book based on the traveling they’ve done.  Technology has created endless opportunities for just about anyone to have a successful business online.  The possibilities are endless.  Don’t just be an observer of life.  Become an active participant.  Sit down and write that novel or travel adventure.  Grab a brush and create a landscape or learn to play the piano or write a poem.  Get out there and make it happen!  It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!

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