Retirement is Not the End of the Road
I hate to hear anyone say a bad word about retirement. When I hear someone say they’re bored I want to tell them that they’re the ones who are boring. When someone says that retirement is just a time to slip off to the sidelines I lose my patience. Retirement is not the end of the road. It’s a time to recharge your life and set a new direction. Your first sixty or so years were dictated by others through education, work and family obligations but retirement is the time for you to take command of the ship and set off in a completely new direction.
I know a lot of people enjoyed what they did for a living, but they have to realize that they were NOT their job. Although it may have been closely aligned with your interests and desire for learning, it probably carried a little bit of stress along with it. Unless you worked at your own business, you were probably told what to do every day like the rest of us. Some people thrive on being told what to do and lose their way when their working days are over. They now have at least eight hours of free time every day and, sadly, some people have trouble filling it. They end up in front of the television, bored and feel like the productive part of their life is over. Retirement is not the end of the road. It’s the time to take up all of those activities that you didn’t have time for when you were working like travel, your favorite hobby, reading or even that classic retirement activity of golf. But it’s also a time for learning and that is something I believe every person was made for. We watched a one-year-old the other day who is so curious about everything that you just get a smile watching her go from one thing to another and studying it like it held the mystery of life. Treating everything like you were seeing it for the first time is the secret to staying young. We should never lose the wonder of a child. Retirement gives us the time to pause and ask a child’s favorite question: why?
Retirement is not the end of the road. It's just the beginning and it can go in any direction you want.
We have enjoyed travel far more than we ever thought we would and no matter where we go, we find new things to explore and appreciate. That sense of appreciation for everything the world has to offer is the key to never being bored. There is so much to see and so much to appreciate that as one trip ends you can’t wait to get started on another. Retirement is not the end of the road but very much the beginning if you take the time to see everything in depth. This time in your life gives you the time to savor every trip and every small town in this great country of ours. Main Street USA is still one of the great attractions our country has to offer and there are hundreds of little towns that have their own unique identity, but you have to make an effort to appreciate it. Savor every moment and you’ll see your whole attitude change. It’s like having a gourmet meal compared to a fast-food hamburger. During our working years we rushed through each day and every weekend was a blur of activities that we couldn’t get to during the week. Doing the laundry, mowing the lawn, cleaning the house and painting the kitchen were worthwhile activities but they weren’t the things that you were going to appreciate at the end of the day. It was that fast-food burger that you finished in three bites because you were starving. Retirement gives you the ability to slow things down and enjoy more of what life has to offer.
Retirement gives you the time to pull off the highway and enjoy that little town square that has music in the park on Saturdays and fireworks on July 4th. It’s the gourmet meal compared to the hamburger. A lovely soup and salad to start with your favorite entrée prepared just the way you like it. A wonderful glass of wine adds to the enjoyment just like those little stores can create memories for a lifetime. We still talk about an antique mall we went to in Ohio and the furniture store that made incredible creations from just about anything in Massachusetts. Retirement is not the end of the road unless you make it that way.
The key to an engaging and exciting retirement is to make every activity special and to continue learning as much as possible about an activity, a location or the people who live there. Every part of this world has a story to tell if you take the time to listen and go beneath the surface. Don’t just go to Europe, stay there as long as possible and get to know the foods of Italy, the wines of France and the beers of Germany. You spend a lot of money and time to get there so make each trip across the pond as long as possible and learn and experience as much as you can. Hire a professional guide who can show you the things you won’t be able to see on your own. Don’t just see sites. Get to know the people and sample the foods and wines and learn their customs. There is so much to learn, and retirement is the time to do it. Retirement is not the end of the road. It’s just the beginning and you’ll see that once you get out there and start savoring every moment. Go ahead and get started. It’s time to Enjoy Retired Life!
Thanks for visiting. If you like what you see here, please tell your friends. If you haven’t done so already, be sure you take The Self Discovery Challenge for Retirement! It’s designed to help you make the most of this wonderful time of your life. You’re never too old to discover something new about yourself!
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