Skip to main content

Retire with purpose

 I was so excited when I retired. I loved my work but I just KNEW it was time to retire. I was going to retire well! I had a plan! Little did I know… I struggled for around 18 months with a lack of purpose and a feeling of invisibility. Who was I without a job? Others have since told me the same thing. So by all means have a plan—just don’t expect it to be exactly what you imagine. Supportive family and friends are important but no-one else will know exactly how you feel.

Three and a half years later I happy with where I am and who I am. Even though I am an introvert I missed the social aspect of working. Now I meet with a group of friends every week for lunch at a nearby café. I also meet once a week with a good friend at another café. I have already mentioned I love coffee—flat whites actually. We have a great café culture where I live and we happily spend a couple of hours together enjoying the café experience. My ‘pocket money’ covers this.

I have a weekly lunch date with my husband also which is worked into our budget--we very rarely go over budget. As my retired husband and I each have our own hobbies, this is a way to ensure we connect and enjoy time together.

I love Sunday mornings at church and Sunday afternoons relaxing. I am a structured person, so have a structure for each day but try and remain flexible for the unexpected.

I volunteer—serving others is a pleasure and it’s good to give back.

I have a hobby and spend some hours on that.

Apart from coffee, reading is what ‘fills my bucket’. So I factor in reading every day, even if just for a little time. I belong to the library and ask family to give me book vouchers for birthdays and Christmas so it doesn’t impact on my budget.

My days are full and enjoyable. I have purpose once more.

So I urge you if you are struggling with the same issues, find a way to socialise regularly, spend time with friends, volunteer, develop a hobby and find something that really makes you happy (which might also be your hobby).

Happy retirement.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Taking Time Out

  I had the privilege this week of attending a retreat with five other women. The retreat was over three days but unfortunately some of the nine women who intended to go, were unable to as other urgent commitments came up and needed to be kept. So it became a bit different than expected. Six of us attended the first day, but two of us could only go for the day. Another two were going out the following day for the rest of the retreat. Unfortunately one of our ladies became quite sick and to her disappointment missed it all. However, the day I attended was blessed.   The retreat was held at a beach house belonging to one of the group, at an isolated beach about an hours drive away. It was a beautiful sunny day. We deposited our bags and the first thing we did after admiring the view, was to have a cup of tea. This lead to a lovely lazy discussion about all sorts of things, a great introduction to spending time together. Following this we spent about an hour studying and discus...
Post a Comment
Read more

Friends

  I am so blessed to have a circle of really good friends in my life. I am a definite introvert so find it really easy to simply stay home, especially if I have a good book to read. I am an avid reader of Christian fiction. However, I do know that it is better that I have some socialization. Research shows that isolation increases the risk of an early death as well as the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease so obviously I want to avoid that if possible. Research also shows that socialization is good for brain health including making your memory sharper as well as increasing well-being and feelings of belonging. Although as an introvert I find socialization can be a little exhausting, I do enjoy time with my friends and it makes me happy. Introverts tend to have a few very close friends whilst extroverts tend to be friends with everyone and find socialization energizing—strangers are only ‘friends they haven’t yet met’! Now that is of course a very broad generalization, but i...
Post a Comment
Read more

Planting Seeds

  Carrying on from last week, I was wondering how I am sowing seeds. I realised that we can all sow seeds everywhere we go. I don’t go out that often actually, I don’t belong to any secular groups but I can still be responsive to the leading of the Holy Spirit. Under his leading I made a determined effort to get to know the names of all the staff at my two favourite cafés that I visit at least weekly. I ask about their families; I support where I can. My friends and I find opportunities to give them all a little gift of chocolate and a card with a verse of scripture written on it. They all know we are Christians. I guess that might be called planting seeds. I converse with the supermarket checkout operators just to have a chance to bring a blessing to them. Some of them now know I am a Christian. I can easily bring God into conversations with unsaved family members, neighbours and strangers I stop and talk to in the park—with the leading of the Holy Spirit. I do not adopt a heavy...
Post a Comment
Read more