Bonnie Wyler is a Literacy/Outreach Librarian at the library. Read Bonnie's column in the February 1, 2018 edition of the Norwood Transcript and Bulletin.
Some people are eager to
retire because the demands of their jobs become exhausting as they get
older. The elementary classroom teacher
and the hospital nurse come to mind. Even
those who are looking forward to leaving their work are wondering what they will
do. This seems to be a universal
question, whether one thinks about it long before retiring or after the actual
transition from work to retirement. In
talking to a number of friends who have been retired for varying periods of
time, I found a wealth of creative ideas for finding rewarding pursuits in this
new phase of life. Here are some of
them:
A very useful book that offers help in making this
transition and even talks about what to do in the first 30 days is The
Retirement Boom: An All-Inclusive Guide to Money, Life, and Health in Your Next
Chapter by Catherine Allen and others.
This book is helpful in thinking through all the important issues one
faces in retirement and planning ahead for them. Some intriguing chapter titles are:
“Renegotiating Life at Home,” Simplifying Your Life and Living a Life of
Passion,” and “Making Your Money Last.” The
authors’ major recommendation upon retirement is to take time for oneself and
to reconnect with friends. After a lifetime of work, most people need a
chance to decompress, to reflect on what they want in the coming years, and to
focus on taking care of their bodies and health. Other helpful books include Get the Most
Out of Retirement: Checklist for Happiness, Health, Purpose, and Financial Security
by Sally Hurme, and How to Make Your Money Last: The Indispensable
Retirement Guide by Jane Bryant Quinn.
Travel is high
on the list of priorities for many retirees.
Although people prefer to travel with a spouse or a friend, there are
also other options if that’s not possible.
A number of travel companies offer small group trips all over the
world. Eldertreks is an adventure
travel company for those over 50 that allows one to choose an activity level
from easy to challenging and an adventure style from cultural to diving to
photography. Other active vacations are
offered by companies like Vermont Bicycle Tours (UBT), which offers
tours worldwide that include combinations of activities, like biking, hiking,
and kayaking (with the option of electric bikes) and bike and barge river
trips. Road Scholar (formerly
called Elderhostel) offers educational travel in 150 countries and provides
lectures and guides to help participants learn about each location. Untours is a company that offers
something unique – independent travel with support. An “Untour” provides a private apartment or
cottage in the chosen location, a rental car, assistance on arrival and
departure, a free cell phone, and planning advice and support throughout your
stay, all for a very reasonable cost.
These are but a few of the numerous travel companies that will happily
take your business.
Volunteering
opportunities are available in the schools, environmental organizations,
political action groups, Public Radio stations such as WBUR and WGBH, and many
other organizations. Tutoring adults in
literacy skills – English as a Second Language (ESL) or reading and writing –
is a very rewarding activity, some say the most rewarding volunteer work
they’ve done. Free training and support
for this work is offered by the Literacy Program at the Norwood Public Library
twice a year.
Child Care –
Many retirees who love children or have grandchildren become involved with
babysitting on a regular basis. They may
commit to a regular schedule, which has the pros and cons of a part-time job,
or being “on call” to help out. Many
other people prefer lots of visiting time with grandchildren, without the
commitment of a regular schedule. Either
way, one of the pleasures of retirement for many is the opportunity to spend
more time with grandchildren.
Household projects
-- Retirement provides the time to tackle long-postponed organizing at
home. In short, this is a chance to
simplify one’s life. Decluttering/downsizing
after years of accumulating is a goal for many.
Out with clothes held onto for 20 years in hopes they’ll come back into
style. Time to clean out the belongings
of adult children who have stored their life’s possessions in their childhood
rooms (if you haven’t succeeded in persuading them to do it themselves). For some, there’s the project of organizing a
lifetime of photographs, or making plans to remodel a room. In retirement, there’s finally the time to
work on projects one didn’t have energy for when working full time.
Hobbies and new learning
– Retirement is an ideal time to pursue new or deferred interests. Many people choose to learn a musical
instrument, take up photography, do art projects, go birding, begin a writing
project, or join book groups. Retirees
have time to take better care of themselves (and often need to). One can join a gym, take more walks, or attend
a cooking class. There are many opportunities for lifelong learning courses
designed for older people, such as those offered at Wellesley Weston Life
Long Learning, Evergreen at Boston University, and community Adult
Education programs.
The following thoughts were offered by a good friend who
has been retired for several years: “Be
open to new things, start with a few. Take
a class (a good way to meet people). Build
slowly, don’t rush into things. Keep a
balance. Remember that everyone finds
their own way.” One of the greatest
pleasures of being retired seems to be finally having time flexibility and
leisure time, a chance to start the day with a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper. As we get older, we need more time to reflect,
to savor our experiences, to slow down a bit and smell the roses.
