Retiring or in retirement

They say retirement is no fun.

Once you don’t have a 9 to 5 job anymore, your brain cells could shrink due to prolong inactivity and you could end up pretty soon with all kinds of health problems, and that’s not considering your social life could well be literally dead, as working people may shun you. Is this the reality?

I don’t have the statistics to show what have become of the people who for all purposes and intent have retired for good. Maybe the government should conduct an in-depth study before an ageing society which is fast developing in our nation, sets in.

Looking back, for many of us (retirees), we were once a “peacock” and commanding many “troops” but now after retiring, I would say literally, we have been reduced to a “feather duster”. One may ask, is that all to life?

Not so, because I can tell you, there is indeed a life after retirement.

If you believe in yourself (which you must do), you get up every morning and try to live life somewhat differently from before, deliberately taking on new challenges which you never thought you could or would do.

Now is the time to do those great things you always wanted to do but didn’t have the time to do them before. It’s never too late.

We find new friends, and new things to do. Like a regular walk in the park and breakfast with our buddies, maybe even have weekly “Hi-tea fellowships”.

The thing to do is to give more of yourselves and your time to joint outings and worthy causes.

Take on “reading” as a hobby, start a book-collection (much like a stamp-collection you made in your younger days), and nothing to stop you from compiling a photo-book too.

Write and start a blog (as I do), and if you have the money, travel the world before it’s too late. There is so much to see and do and yet if you look at it, there’s not enough time to see and do them all.

In your free time alone read a good book or listen to good music from your old collection, it soothes the soul.

If you haven’t got a religion, I believe that now is the time to find one. You’ll be surprised how many new friends you will find once you get into it.

Like me, I chose to go to a neighborhood church every Sunday morning. There is still so much to learn, both socially and spiritually.

Actually, you can pick up a good thing or two just by listening to sermons, and some of the hymns they sing are so sweet and lovely not only to our ears but also to our soul. The good thing is, it’s all free.

If we have “baggage” from the past, make peace with one's own self is the one thing we must do, and make peace with our God is yet another. Ultimately, the way forward, you alone must decide.

In conclusion I would say, a retirement that’s free from debt, at peace with one’s self and at peace with God is truly a great way to retire.

I can tell you, it’s fun and invigorating just trying to make the last years of my life the best of my life! Try it.