Retire , Refire , Rewire
For most of us , planning for retirement meant financial planning . It meant looking forward to time with friends and family and doing the things you “ never had time for .” And it is essential to look for harmony between what was and what is to come .
What we could not foresee , however , were other life challenges that would play a role in our lives and retirement plans . These include personal and family health issues ; losing friends and family members that were an integral part of our lives ; an awareness of our own mortality and the realization we might not achieve all the goals we had set for ourselves and our family . This doesn ’ t need to be negative , and with the right perspective , can create possibilities .
Possibilities
What was your bucket list ? Are there things you can still achieve either with help or individually ? Do you have a purpose each day for what you can achieve ?
Have you taken advantage of the myriad activities and programs for seniors ? Are you starting a new hobby , learning a new skill , working with children , volunteering , reading at the local library , journaling your life , or sorting through those photo albums to pass along the stories and history to your family ? There are always things we can do in retirement that we could not do when working . The key is to create harmony between your interests , capabilities , and opportunities and act on them — again creating purpose in your life .
Purpose
Develop an assessment list of the goals you have set and achieved . Create another list of strategies for how to achieve the remaining goals and the resources required .
Harmony in retirement comes both from within and your connections to your own world . It comes from recognizing the possibilities .
What we have to do is “ un-retire ” from our retirement !
Whatever time we have left , with whatever limitations we might encounter along the way , can and should be meaningful .
Follow the Japanese concept of ikigai , which translates to “ your reason for being .”
After a career with the Calgary Board of Education , Ron Jeffery spent years organizing educational travel . He and his wife Linda now host longstay tours for retirees and are currently in Portugal for a month . He continues his passion for photography and volunteering with ARTA and CRTA committees .
Just imagine how much easier it is to learn to play one string .
news & views SPRING 2023 | 49