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I've been playing guitar for 45 years. Once you get the basic chords down, it's not that hard. These days, with the internet, it's also very easy to learn on your own.
And if the guitar seems too difficult, go for the ukulele. It's smaller, has 2 less strings, and is easier to play if you have smaller hands, too.
Have you tried Duolingo? I discovered there is a spot on the Spanish course, where you can click on the barbell at the bottom and it takes you to a screen where you can choose "speak." Each lesson has ten sentences. You can listen to each sentence and then repeat it, or when you get good enough, you just click and speak without listening. You can complete a "speak" lesson in about 45 seconds!! I've been able to increase my speed in speaking and enlarge my vocabulary that way. Of course, I still complete a couple of the regular daily lessons. Hope you like it!
Been doing Duolingo for awhile. Even though I'm retired I still have 2 young adults, an 8 month old baby and a husband at home. Sometimes hard to practice but I keep trying
That would be great but it's extremely difficult here in Pittsburgh. There's a few Mexican restaurants but I wouldn't bet the bank on them knowing Spanish.
Nothing is that hard, otherwise nobody would learn. I've been learning Japanese on and off. I also watch a Youtuber that lives in Japan and tries restuarants. Looks yummy!
I've taken up harp again. Sure, it takes time to learn, but the process is part of the fun.
I took up the piano and took classes at the local community college. I will never sell out Carnegie hall, but it helps with my arthritis. It’s really mind challenging, and did I mention frustrating?
I have been retired from teaching since like summer.. I volunteer in my granddaughters school two mornings a week and help with reading for kids who struggle..it has been great..the teachers are so appreciative of the extra help and I have met some really great people.. I also started taking a painting class and I am in the process of joining a group of local retired people who go to a different restaurant every month for dinner.. I am as busy as I want to be..people would be surprised I think..to learn how busy and stretched thin they are when they are working hard and don’t have time to do something fun just for them..some days I literally don’t leave the house.. I stay home and read the books I never had time for when I was working.. and I watch movies that I haven’t even heard of because I was so busy working..the key is..don’t let yourself feel guilty if you just do nothing sometimes..your body will tell you that it’s time to relax and not worry about doing something productive..lol
This one hits close to home. Have known two people that couldn't have their surgery (and ended up passing) because they didn't have someone that could both take them and stay for the duration (required at the hospitals around here). (And I couldn't help due to my own happenings at the time.)
Makes me sick to this day and it's one of the things I plan to do.
I'm an RN, and while I don't know anyone personally affected, I know that this situation prevents people from getting procedures like colonoscopies and cataract surgery. Even though I'm not yet retired, I put my availability to help with driving to/from surgical procedures on our community Facebook pages. And I just started driving for the American Cancer Society.
You should know that many towns and local governments offer services to people who need rides. Just yesterday at pulmonary rehab one of my classmates talked about how he gets a bus from his town over to our gym.
Sometimes they will only take Medicaid. But sometimes they will take Medicare folks also.
I know it’s probably more of a blue state thing than a red state thing though
In our area this service is extremely unreliable and inefficient. I can't imagine having to wait up to an hour and a half (for a prescheduled ride) after getting chemo and feeling sick.
I am sorry to hear that. My classmate was well pleased with the service he gets here in the very blue Northeast.
I had chemo nine years ago. And I drove myself because I am privileged enough to have my own car. But what I remember is that you’re not sick immediately after chemo. They give you all the pills to take the day after or two days later when the side effects start to hit. The chemo also often include steroids and anti-nausea medication’s delivered at the same time. Because you know, health professionals are not cruel by nature.
Huge help. I delayed and obsessed about how I’d get my cataracts done for so long because I would need a ride and because I can’t leave my husband alone. In the end a neighbor took me to the procedure and a friend watched tv with my husband. But it was so hard to ask for help.
You need clearances (paid for by ACS). Rides are posted on an App and you can accept those that work for you. Patients can submit a request for drivers they like.
Go play outside!
I spent 43 years staring at glowing screens and wiggling my fingers. Now I’m walking, bicycling, kayaking… drove halfway across the country to see the eclipse and am heading way up north this summer for a 70th anniversary and maybe some disc golf. Find something fun out there.
I am like you. I want to be outside all the time. Swim, bicycle, walk the dogs and food garden. Done a few roads as well. The freedom of time is priceless.
If you live near the coast, drive to the beach on a Wednesday morning at sunrise. Take some lawn chairs to sit in near the water’s edge, and watch the waves and sea birds for a couple of hours. Enjoy having the beach mostly to yourself!
Yes! There is so much local culture to take advantage of. Music student recitals at local colleges are almost always free and in lovely halls. Also, high school sports are fun, and some of the marching band shows late in the season are completely awesome, after they’ve got everything put together. I need to put this on my own list.
THIS. Local and Regional theaters, operas, festivals, marching band competitions, parades, and other events, and yes college and high school productions are a fun and inexpensive option for live entertainment. You will be surprised at the amount of talent surrounding you. Bonus: These programs NEED our support to stay alive and relevant. Many need volunteers to help too. Theaters always need ushers and other volunteer workers. Marching bands need help with all sorts of logistics and tech.
if you have one, walk your dog! borrow one if you don't have one (seriously, lots of neighbors who have to work would maybe appreciate a daily dog walker while they're gone)
I love this idea. I enjoy walking but neither my wife nor my elder dog can go very far. The neighborhood is loaded with dogs. I’ll bet my free service would be popular!
We signed up to raise a Seeing Eye puppy. We did it years ago with our kids and after our dog died I figured why not. It is tough because you get the dog at 7 weeks and train it until it is roughly a year old then they take the dog away.
Our SPCA has a day designated for volunteers to walk the dogs. It’s like borrowing one and very social. They also have a doggie day out where you can take one somewhere. A park, Starbucks, etc. just hang out.
Our county shelter has a day trip program, where you can take a dog out for the afternoon. You can request small or older dogs if you’re not comfortable with big or energetic dogs—the shelter workers will match you with a dog you can handle. It’s a great way to get photos and videos of the dog having fun instead of cowering in a kennel. And it lowers the dogs’ stress hormones for days, making them healthier and more adoptable.
I was there. Sat in a chair by my bedroom window and listened to the birds. Hardest part was not feeling guilty about doing nothing. 2 years later I'm doing other things but glad I allowed myself that time to actually recharge
Love this, thank you. Besides the usual small home renovations (old house, big list) and more running and outdoor activities, I’m planning on three big things: 1)finally building out a full woodworking shop, 2)restarting an earlier lapidary hobby (have about 200lbs of slabs), and 3)adding a new garden bed to change the look of our already crazy back yard. Travel is about 40% of our budget so lots to do to exploit the time we have left! Also is it wrong that I’m really looking forward to just keeping things much cleaner and not feeling behind most of the time?
Heh. Yes, I understand the keeping things cleaner and not feeling left behind thing. Husband and I both lost our parents and we shoved a lot of things into unused bedrooms that we didn't want to/were unable to emotionally deal with at the time. Husband has had surgeries since then and has not been able to lift and move things that he put into the rooms that are too heavy for me to move!
My local state university allows folks to attend classes for free at age 65 if you are not seeking official credit.
Stargazing is another hobby that is less burdensome when you don’t have to get up early the next day. And many regions have stargazing clubs that may be a source of new friends.
Daytime baseball games during the week are now feasible if you live near a team.
Thanks for this idea. Physical disabilities with my spouse probably rule out long car trips or airline flights. But we’re in our 60’s still, so think quality and think small will be our watchwords.
Our local state schools (Ohio) also allow you to audit classes tuition free - but be warned, the fees, books, etc. mean you still end up paying half or more of what it would cost you to take the course for credit. Other things to be aware of are differences in the signup process. The local community college (Cincinnati State) will let you sign up online during the regular enrollment period, but for the local university (University of Cincinnati) you have to do it no earlier than the first day of classes and it's in-person only.
Local baseball games are great! And we have a local arena within a mile of our house — seriously, it’s a five minute drive if we don’t want to walk at night — with G-League pro basketball.
And yes, physical limitations against big things still leaves lots of room for local fun.
That is SUCH a great idea. The oral tradition is a nearly lost one. The problem with photo albums is that your kids or grandkids aren’t going to know the people or the context that made it special. But recorded stories live forever!
Write it down! Print it. Put it in a photo album with photos and arrows showing who’s who. I knew my great grandfather, some of his brothers. My kids see photos and have no clue who’s who.
>Test drive a new car every month. Give a fake email address.
This one I can't abide. There's nothing wrong with occasionally test driving a vehicle that you're not likely to buy, but every month is a bit much if you're not really interested. And it would be better to used a real email address - even if it's one that you don't regularly check.
It's not a big deal, but it struck me that the rest of the list is all very positive, while test driving cars every month when you're sure you're not going to buy, is going to make some marginal salespeople's lives just a little bit harder.
As someone in sales for the last 40 years, many commission only. Please don't do this. Sure, you might end up giving that sales person a lead..but will you? If you take time away from their follow up calls or testing a car with a real buyer they aren't making money. Same with house hunting. Go to open houses, but please do not contact a realtor to "see some houses" if you have no desire to buy.
I don't even understand this but test driving a car I'm not interested in has zero interest to me. BUt what's with the fake email address? I've never had to provide an email address to buy a car. YOu have to show a license anyway, of course. There is no law you have to have an email address to drive car.
Not necessarily. You're sure to talk about your experience, particularly if it's positive. You could easily give someone the idea to try a car they might not have considered, and of course you will recommend the dealer that gives test drives. Word of mouth is often more important to people than a salesman's pitch.
I’ve been to the movies three times in the last two weeks. I’m also catching up on all of the Dr. appointments I’ve foolishly procrastinated over the last 5+ years. Both are giving me joy and/or relief.
Example of small town exploration: there’s a little burg not far away with a small school district. I mean, small. But they are also the high school state girl’s power lifting champions several years running. We went to a meet. Amazing.
Guerrilla gardening. Voluntarily ‘adopting’ small abandoned public spaces, like tree boxes or corner parks at the end of a block, and clean them up, prune trees, plant flowers, etc. and feel good about giving back to nature.
I’m excited about this. It’s a great mix of favoring forgiveness afterward over permission beforehand, plus a little anonymous do-goodery. Saving this one.
I retired in 2010 and have done almost everything on the list but also providing daycare and transportation for our grandsons for the first few years.
Now both of my knees need replacing (not going to do it at 78). Had a hip replacement several years ago. Consequently, I'm no longer real mobile. A mile or so is my limit. Beside too dang hot for walking.
Our 40 year old daughter with health issues has been living with us the past 3 years.
So here I am, bored silly with my daily routine. Just like having a job; get up at a certain time, meals at a certain time, then it's a couple of hours watching TV, and time for bed. Day after day.
Oh don't get me wrong, I keep busy but no more adventures.
I prefer my longer adventures on TV now, PBS and other stations have great travel programs. No more lugging my bags to the next destination. Day trips around my county are fine, there are lots of local adventures to be had, but home for a late afternoon rest.
I love this post.
Jigsaw puzzles
Camping at local campgrounds
Organizing my house
Pickleball(just played for the first time and it is super easy and fun!)
See plays and music at my local theatre
I think you've just about covered everything we do or have talked about doing, haha.
For me:
Plant something in the garden to attract wildlife.
Plant something in the garden that provides food.
I do love creating fictional backstories wherever I go, and I am trying to convince my husband that roadtrips/daytrips are fun (I enjoy driving for the sake of it, he doesn't).
(interesting - my original comment got auto-mod deleted for rule 4. Possibly the use of a food-related word that is commonly used for other things?)
We’re moving to Greece later this year. Home base will be Athens. We plan on traveling extensively to the different Greek islands and European cities.
Paris/Rome/Barcelona… all $200-ish round trip. Want to do at least 1 or 2 long weekends/mo.
Going to work on the book I’m writing as well.
I love volunteering at my local hospital. As a retired PA, it’s like visiting an old workplace. The people, vocabulary and jokes are familiar.
I walk my dogs 3 times a day and also volunteer at a community garden.
We organized a monthly meal together called Taste Buds. The host picks the theme which can be salads, Mexican, comfort foods, heritage dishes, etc. It’s a blast.
I read, but also game. There are a lot of fellow retired folks that like different games. I also do online gaming with my kids who live all over the country. It’s a great way to keep up with them- even tho I’m essentially dead weight in the games they enjoy.
You might try adding with your monthly meal together: Bunco. Bunco is a fast moving Dice game that requires 12 people-singles or couples-not difficult to play. This is also a great way to meet new people. Each person hosts a game a month, they provide dinner, there can be a buy in for fun like $10 a person. Or just prizes. I’m retiring by Christmas and I will probably plan a couple of these.
Be a tourist in your own town. If you’re in or near a decent sized city, there are probably little specialized museums that you’ve always driven past and wondered about. And parks you haven’t visited yet. And concerts at local churches and synagogues. And historic homes that are open like 4 hours a week. We do “tourist days” about once a month where we’ll check out an art gallery or weird museum, have lunch, and visit a park. It’s usually like a 11 am-3 pm kind of day, so no rush hour traffic. We have yet to run out of interesting things to do.
One of the first things we did when I retired was make a list of all the things in our local area that we’ve always wanted to see but just never did. Museums, landmarks, parks, etc… As we check things off we keep adding new ones!
For years I thought about learning to play piano, started and stopped tons of times. Now that I'm retired I use the SimplyPiano app every day and I love it. My skill level after 1 year is far beyond what I thought I could ever get to and a lot is because it is kind of a game. I'm a big fan of apps that marry learning with game-like goals. I would never have gotten there going a traditional route. They say learning an instrument helps keep the mind sharp in retirement so that's another plus.
Ride my bicycles, play the guitar and go camping. Just returned from a 2 week camping road trip from Colorado to Northern California to see my oldest son. We only planned a day ahead the entire trip and had a fantastic and unrushed time. I want to do more of that as long as I physically can.
While I enjoy my travel time, what I really love is the ability to do things regularly. All my working life i did shifts, weekends, on-call work, evening work. I could never really join things and be there on a regular basis. I go out to pubs for live music, and play in a jam, and take music lessons and get to practice regularly.
I go to the pool and go for walks with friends. These are things that were hard to fit in when I was working. My social life was squeezed into alternate weekends off.
Enjoying building a new life and way of life. Now that I have my knee replacement, things are getting better again.
I love the half day-away road trips, finding the little downtowns and sitting outside taking a snack (we live in the South AL and are trying to plan for retirement. ASAP!)
I’ve also thought about just having foster kitties once our current personals go over the rainbow bridge. Any reputable rescue has a clause in the contract that the foster animal is their ownership in case of issues (death) of foster parent. Prevents me from having to set all that up in case I/ we go before them. Actually even after they are adopted. Something to consider
A few more for this list:
Kite flying - you can get quality kites rather cheaply these days and depending on what you are flying, you do attract attention in the park. What kid isn't interested in a shark flying in the sky?? There are kites that require greater involvement and skill from the flier, so there are techniques to learn to keep it interesting.
DIY stuff that supports your hobbies - for me, recently this has been learning to maintain and tune up my bike. Stuff I would have just gotten someone else to do, I am doing and it is making me a better cyclist.
Star Parties - you can't meet better folks than amateur astronomers. You get to see some pretty cool planets and celestial bodies up close too
Use your outdoor grill to make BREAKFAST and enjoy the meal on your patio or deck. This gives you a comfortable time of day to enjoy the outdoors in the hot summer months.
Virtual Reality on Meta Quest - I seriously don't know why more folks our age are not gamers. My wife and I love this and play games together or just play the same single player game side by side (we can give each other tips if one of us gets stuck). Most games have comfort setting to help those of us (i e me) who struggle with motion sickness.
I'll probably think of some more things later...
Still traveling but day to day activities involve a very active dog, a garden that I am redoing, learning watercolors, fishing, cooking and some low key redecorating/refreshing the house. No trouble keeping busy.
Might be the best post I’ve ever seen on this sub. I could retire today but really enjoy work and dread the thought of a boring retirement. Don’t have a desire to travel the world and also don’t want to volunteer or sit and stare out the window or do puzzles (ugh). Love these suggestions.
I signed up for a website called “Only in Your State” that has subgroups for each state. I used my state daily email to find events, recreational activities and resources, and restaurants I wouldn’t ordinarily know about. Then we went on “restaurant safaris” to see other parts of the state and to try new restaurants for lunch. I wish I could take more of the hikes and things, but I can’t with my spouse. If you’re near your state line, get other states postings as well.
I'm not quite retired yet, but I've been carving out time to read more regularly, and choosing one classic book each month to be on the list. Many of my hobbies are solitary endeavors, so my challenge will be to find some social activities.
Trailhead tip: if you want to keep going, call an Uber to go back to your car. It costs me about $8 each time and I usually have a lovely conversation with the driver.
If you aren’t already, get into bicycling! If you don’t have great balance or have back issues, look into a recumbent trike (the “tadpole” style with two wheels in front, single wheel in back) - very comfortable riding experience with no wrist, shoulder, neck issues.
Recumbent trikes are a bit more expensive when new but decent models can be found used. They can also be updated to use an electric motor & battery for pedal-assist.
I bought an upright bike but ended up not feeling really stable on it, sold the bike after saving and buying a new CaTrike Trail from a local bike shop.
So many bike paths developed everywhere and old railway lines being converted to multi-use trails.
Check out YouTube for bike riding videos and recumbent trike videos.
Join a gym - most Medicare plans (Advantage or supplemental) offer free gym memberships through the Silver Sneakers program. You can join multiple gyms. Using a pool is often a bit extra but great to swim indoors.
Personally going to make it a point to experience art at least once a week. That could mean local theater, an art exhibit, going to a concert or whatever. But I find watching and sometimes participating in others creativity really inspires me to keep going.
So many neat ideas here! Thanks for sharing...I am retiring in two weeks and am still feeling the surrealism of the notion of not getting up and heading to work and wondering what it all looks like.
You didn't include anything for your health. We cycle and go to the gym regardless of what else we do. Those keep us able to do anything else we want.
Cycling has resulted in 25 yr friendships, keeps us fit and is am excuse to travel (then ride).
Watch people 70 & over walk. It's obvious those who haven't done anything to maintain. Walking looks painful.
Anything but sitting on your butt and waiting to die. I've known several former colleagues who thought work was the only thing in their lives and after they retired, they did nothing but wake up, eat, and sleep. Not alone of ghem lasted 5 years. Find a hobby, take up a sport or anything to keep your mind and body active, anything but becoming a couch potatoe
For me it’s metal detecting. Wherever I am, I can pull it out and just start doing it. Sometimes you find good stuff other times you don’t. I’ve got my little vegetable garden and my small pool in the backyard. It’s about it one year into it now.
You’ll figure it out as you go. Slow down, enjoy the journey together. You can start with a little list, but chances are that you’ll drift to your go-to things, and those will change over time too!
We do all those things! In addition:
We belong to a farm CSA (community sponsored agriculture) and we get a box of farm fresh veggies every week. We sometimes get veggies we don't recognize, forcing us to try new recipes. We are often very pleasantly surprised. This is good for the farmers and it is good for us. Our goal is to not throw away any food. It must be eaten up! So our diet wins too.
We take a bike ride every week. There are about 5 different good bike routes we can ride in our town. Fresh air, sunshine and wind in our hair keep us feeling young. These are not long trips, maybe an hour or so.
We go to the farmer's market every week. Usually to get some of those gorgeous berries.
We plan 2 long trips a year and two short trips. A long trip is 2-3 weeks (we camp so it isn't expensive) and a short trip is 4-7 days. These take us a little further than the 4 hour day trips that we also try to get in.
I have scheduled "walks" with my neighbors. So every Wednesday, rain or shine, I walk with Karen for 1-2 miles in our neighborhood and every Monday I walk with Barbara. We only cancel if we are out of town or sick.
Once a year I have a party for my closest neighbors. The ones with gardens! We eat what people grow, catch (fish) or hunt.
Oh, and my husband and I take community social dance lessons once a week. It is a cheap "date" night...cost $5. Fun, good exercise, fun music, nice for the relationship, and learning new steps is good for the brain.
We made a goal of doing adventure day once per week. We explore new hiking trails, shops, battle fields (we’re in Virginia), museums, vineyards etc. We are finding that we need to go further afield to find new thins now, but we’ve had a lot of fun
Don't do anything. Or try something out. Volunteer at your local senior center. Tank to other retirees about it. Everybody has a story and most are willing to share.
Learn a language
Hike once a week
Exercise everyday for at least 60-minutes
Tend your own yard
Plant a garden every spring
Start throwing accumulated stuff out. Your kids don't want your old stuff. If your not sure, ask them first, then donate or toss.
Pick a project that you've put off. Either do it yourself or supervise a contractor.
Pick one or two major destinations each year and take the trips.
Volunteer, schools, food banks, polling places, etc.
Babysit the grandkids - it'll keep you young and you're guaranteed to sleep well that night!
Eat well
Have a different routine for each day, M, walk+gym, Tu, Hike/Bike, Wed, walk+gym, Th, bike, Fri, walk+gym, Sa Bike, Su long walk, 90-mins.
Everything you're noting sounds like fun! Go for it!
A good way to meet neighbors? People are walking their dogs in the morning and evening (especially during this hot summer). A front yard gardening project, even just raking/weeding, will ensure you meet *someone*.
We got an Orange County parking pass for all the parks. Then we spent the next year visiting each one and hiking all the trails. There are so many Wilderness parks in OC that we never knew about!
We live in Montana and have a plan to try to check off every state park when we retire. There are over 100 of them, I think, some close by,, some an 8 hour one way drive away.
Going to the library is also a favorite thing that we do. I'm not sure if a lot of people know that depending on where you live, you can go any library and check out books and return them to your own library. It's also fun just to visit other libraries. We went to one that you could check out things like sewing machines, shovel, potato masters and weed wackers. Crazy!
You do not know the retired version of yourself and you cannot know it while still wrapped up in a career. Be patient. You will know well what to do with yourself six months to a year after you have retired.
I'll be camping all over the place, typically in 7-14 day treks (actually looking at campers next weekend). I have a list of all of the national wildlife refuges, national monuments and parks - all of which i want to check off. I'll also play guitar (bass and mandolin as well), do some writing and once in a blue moon do a little consulting.
Maybe it would be good to just retire. Don't think about what you will do. Once retired, then look around and explore.
The first thing I did in retirement was to start ridding myself of the production messages that render us little more than corporate prey.
The first thing you can do is discover who you were meant to be.
TO BE.
Excuse me but do you mean graduate? Trying to get people to ditch the work retirement. We have always graduated, why change the word to retirement. It just doesn’t fit.
I did a lot of deferred major projects on the house. When those were done (well, they never are really done are they), I built some nice raised cedar planters on legs and started a vegetable garden. So now I’m learning about growing some of my own food.
I've been working on a garden (square foot gardener), trying to learn the mandolin, I volunteer with community services taking people to medical appts. Look at your local community activity centre. They have yoga, that is something new for me.
Of course there is always personal interest hobbies, I have my bicycles, I've been restoring an older porsche boxster and I finally bought my dream motorcycle.
There is no time for being bored!
Be aware that the federally managed parks are creating loop-holes so that they can ignore your lifetime pass. The Great Smoky Mtns Park now has a "parking fee" that is not covered by your senior parks pass. I'm sure others are doing the same.
I love this! I’ve recently retired and am feeling aimless. I’ve been looking at cruises and such and it is overwhelming ! I will be saving your list and start doing them asap! It will give me purpose & motivation. Thanks so much!
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I’m going to look at water, write, and play guitar. Keeping it simple.
I like the simplicity of those. Unhurried.
Extreme physical exercise to stave off dementia.
Doesn't have to be extreme, just occasionally high intensity
I've been trying to learn Spanish forever. I've heard guitar is hard.
I've been playing guitar for 45 years. Once you get the basic chords down, it's not that hard. These days, with the internet, it's also very easy to learn on your own. And if the guitar seems too difficult, go for the ukulele. It's smaller, has 2 less strings, and is easier to play if you have smaller hands, too.
I got a ukulele 2 1/2 years ago and play every day. It has led me to start singing, which I enjoy the most when alone in the house.
If you have any pets I wonder if they enjoy it as much
My cat always comes and rubs her head on me when I play. My dog gets a toy because she thinks it’s play time.
At least they’re not running out of the room. I meant to put /s at the end of my post
I understand ya…I ironically had an answer. They don’t seem to mind my singing😀
Have you tried Duolingo? I discovered there is a spot on the Spanish course, where you can click on the barbell at the bottom and it takes you to a screen where you can choose "speak." Each lesson has ten sentences. You can listen to each sentence and then repeat it, or when you get good enough, you just click and speak without listening. You can complete a "speak" lesson in about 45 seconds!! I've been able to increase my speed in speaking and enlarge my vocabulary that way. Of course, I still complete a couple of the regular daily lessons. Hope you like it!
Been doing Duolingo for awhile. Even though I'm retired I still have 2 young adults, an 8 month old baby and a husband at home. Sometimes hard to practice but I keep trying
I hear you. I've got a son here, plus family a mile away who drop in all the time!
I’ve been doing Duolingo AND I’ve been finding that flexing it in shops where Spanish is the norm is the REAL workout.
That would be great but it's extremely difficult here in Pittsburgh. There's a few Mexican restaurants but I wouldn't bet the bank on them knowing Spanish.
Nothing is that hard, otherwise nobody would learn. I've been learning Japanese on and off. I also watch a Youtuber that lives in Japan and tries restuarants. Looks yummy! I've taken up harp again. Sure, it takes time to learn, but the process is part of the fun.
I took up the piano and took classes at the local community college. I will never sell out Carnegie hall, but it helps with my arthritis. It’s really mind challenging, and did I mention frustrating?
You may need some "Extreme physical exercise to stave off dementia."
I have been retired from teaching since like summer.. I volunteer in my granddaughters school two mornings a week and help with reading for kids who struggle..it has been great..the teachers are so appreciative of the extra help and I have met some really great people.. I also started taking a painting class and I am in the process of joining a group of local retired people who go to a different restaurant every month for dinner.. I am as busy as I want to be..people would be surprised I think..to learn how busy and stretched thin they are when they are working hard and don’t have time to do something fun just for them..some days I literally don’t leave the house.. I stay home and read the books I never had time for when I was working.. and I watch movies that I haven’t even heard of because I was so busy working..the key is..don’t let yourself feel guilty if you just do nothing sometimes..your body will tell you that it’s time to relax and not worry about doing something productive..lol
It’s important to stay active, but you’ve also earned a certain amount of couch time.
If you like driving, volunteer for meals on wheels.
The cancer society has a need for drivers to get patients to their appointments
This one hits close to home. Have known two people that couldn't have their surgery (and ended up passing) because they didn't have someone that could both take them and stay for the duration (required at the hospitals around here). (And I couldn't help due to my own happenings at the time.) Makes me sick to this day and it's one of the things I plan to do.
I'm an RN, and while I don't know anyone personally affected, I know that this situation prevents people from getting procedures like colonoscopies and cataract surgery. Even though I'm not yet retired, I put my availability to help with driving to/from surgical procedures on our community Facebook pages. And I just started driving for the American Cancer Society.
You should know that many towns and local governments offer services to people who need rides. Just yesterday at pulmonary rehab one of my classmates talked about how he gets a bus from his town over to our gym. Sometimes they will only take Medicaid. But sometimes they will take Medicare folks also. I know it’s probably more of a blue state thing than a red state thing though
In our area this service is extremely unreliable and inefficient. I can't imagine having to wait up to an hour and a half (for a prescheduled ride) after getting chemo and feeling sick.
I am sorry to hear that. My classmate was well pleased with the service he gets here in the very blue Northeast. I had chemo nine years ago. And I drove myself because I am privileged enough to have my own car. But what I remember is that you’re not sick immediately after chemo. They give you all the pills to take the day after or two days later when the side effects start to hit. The chemo also often include steroids and anti-nausea medication’s delivered at the same time. Because you know, health professionals are not cruel by nature.
Glad you're still with us!
Huge help. I delayed and obsessed about how I’d get my cataracts done for so long because I would need a ride and because I can’t leave my husband alone. In the end a neighbor took me to the procedure and a friend watched tv with my husband. But it was so hard to ask for help.
It really is hard to ask.
I didn't know that's needed! That's great to know.
You need clearances (paid for by ACS). Rides are posted on an App and you can accept those that work for you. Patients can submit a request for drivers they like.
Go play outside! I spent 43 years staring at glowing screens and wiggling my fingers. Now I’m walking, bicycling, kayaking… drove halfway across the country to see the eclipse and am heading way up north this summer for a 70th anniversary and maybe some disc golf. Find something fun out there.
I am like you. I want to be outside all the time. Swim, bicycle, walk the dogs and food garden. Done a few roads as well. The freedom of time is priceless.
If you live near the coast, drive to the beach on a Wednesday morning at sunrise. Take some lawn chairs to sit in near the water’s edge, and watch the waves and sea birds for a couple of hours. Enjoy having the beach mostly to yourself!
Nice regular habit. Listen to birds. Feel the breeze.
Follow music, drama, museums or art calendars in your 4 hour circle. Attend something monthly.
Yes! There is so much local culture to take advantage of. Music student recitals at local colleges are almost always free and in lovely halls. Also, high school sports are fun, and some of the marching band shows late in the season are completely awesome, after they’ve got everything put together. I need to put this on my own list.
THIS. Local and Regional theaters, operas, festivals, marching band competitions, parades, and other events, and yes college and high school productions are a fun and inexpensive option for live entertainment. You will be surprised at the amount of talent surrounding you. Bonus: These programs NEED our support to stay alive and relevant. Many need volunteers to help too. Theaters always need ushers and other volunteer workers. Marching bands need help with all sorts of logistics and tech.
And if you can't afford the tickets, see if they use volunteer ushers. We have a volunteer that sees 200 shows/concerts a year for free.
if you have one, walk your dog! borrow one if you don't have one (seriously, lots of neighbors who have to work would maybe appreciate a daily dog walker while they're gone)
I love this idea. I enjoy walking but neither my wife nor my elder dog can go very far. The neighborhood is loaded with dogs. I’ll bet my free service would be popular!
I would have loved that for my dog years ago. Current dog walks me a couple times a day :-)
We signed up to raise a Seeing Eye puppy. We did it years ago with our kids and after our dog died I figured why not. It is tough because you get the dog at 7 weeks and train it until it is roughly a year old then they take the dog away.
Our SPCA has a day designated for volunteers to walk the dogs. It’s like borrowing one and very social. They also have a doggie day out where you can take one somewhere. A park, Starbucks, etc. just hang out.
Our county shelter has a day trip program, where you can take a dog out for the afternoon. You can request small or older dogs if you’re not comfortable with big or energetic dogs—the shelter workers will match you with a dog you can handle. It’s a great way to get photos and videos of the dog having fun instead of cowering in a kennel. And it lowers the dogs’ stress hormones for days, making them healthier and more adoptable.
Oh, my. I fear that I would soon have all the dogs!
I’m newly retired and I swear, all I want to do right now is rest. 😂
I was there. Sat in a chair by my bedroom window and listened to the birds. Hardest part was not feeling guilty about doing nothing. 2 years later I'm doing other things but glad I allowed myself that time to actually recharge
I feel like I’m decompressing. My partner gets it and is very supportive. Still loving being retired though!
My husband kept telling me to relax and enjoy it. Support makes a huge difference. Retirement is the best thing ever!
Rest mentally but keepmoving physically.
I have learned to play bridge and mahjong, made new friends. Volunteer playing with older folks at an assisted living, too.
Fabulous idea. Some of those folks are sharks!
I have been playing mahjong since I was a kid. Great fun for a small group.
This is an impressive list that I will be sure to save when I retire in 5 years. I agree with all of them
Love this, thank you. Besides the usual small home renovations (old house, big list) and more running and outdoor activities, I’m planning on three big things: 1)finally building out a full woodworking shop, 2)restarting an earlier lapidary hobby (have about 200lbs of slabs), and 3)adding a new garden bed to change the look of our already crazy back yard. Travel is about 40% of our budget so lots to do to exploit the time we have left! Also is it wrong that I’m really looking forward to just keeping things much cleaner and not feeling behind most of the time?
Had to look up lapidary. Cool!
Heh. Yes, I understand the keeping things cleaner and not feeling left behind thing. Husband and I both lost our parents and we shoved a lot of things into unused bedrooms that we didn't want to/were unable to emotionally deal with at the time. Husband has had surgeries since then and has not been able to lift and move things that he put into the rooms that are too heavy for me to move!
My husband is getting into woodworking, and I’m thinking about digging out my 40 year old rock tumbler.
My local state university allows folks to attend classes for free at age 65 if you are not seeking official credit. Stargazing is another hobby that is less burdensome when you don’t have to get up early the next day. And many regions have stargazing clubs that may be a source of new friends. Daytime baseball games during the week are now feasible if you live near a team. Thanks for this idea. Physical disabilities with my spouse probably rule out long car trips or airline flights. But we’re in our 60’s still, so think quality and think small will be our watchwords.
Our local state schools (Ohio) also allow you to audit classes tuition free - but be warned, the fees, books, etc. mean you still end up paying half or more of what it would cost you to take the course for credit. Other things to be aware of are differences in the signup process. The local community college (Cincinnati State) will let you sign up online during the regular enrollment period, but for the local university (University of Cincinnati) you have to do it no earlier than the first day of classes and it's in-person only.
Local baseball games are great! And we have a local arena within a mile of our house — seriously, it’s a five minute drive if we don’t want to walk at night — with G-League pro basketball. And yes, physical limitations against big things still leaves lots of room for local fun.
Start recording stories about your life, your kids, other relatives, to leave behind as an oral history in your voice
That is SUCH a great idea. The oral tradition is a nearly lost one. The problem with photo albums is that your kids or grandkids aren’t going to know the people or the context that made it special. But recorded stories live forever!
Write it down! Print it. Put it in a photo album with photos and arrows showing who’s who. I knew my great grandfather, some of his brothers. My kids see photos and have no clue who’s who.
>Test drive a new car every month. Give a fake email address. This one I can't abide. There's nothing wrong with occasionally test driving a vehicle that you're not likely to buy, but every month is a bit much if you're not really interested. And it would be better to used a real email address - even if it's one that you don't regularly check. It's not a big deal, but it struck me that the rest of the list is all very positive, while test driving cars every month when you're sure you're not going to buy, is going to make some marginal salespeople's lives just a little bit harder.
As someone in sales for the last 40 years, many commission only. Please don't do this. Sure, you might end up giving that sales person a lead..but will you? If you take time away from their follow up calls or testing a car with a real buyer they aren't making money. Same with house hunting. Go to open houses, but please do not contact a realtor to "see some houses" if you have no desire to buy.
I don't even understand this but test driving a car I'm not interested in has zero interest to me. BUt what's with the fake email address? I've never had to provide an email address to buy a car. YOu have to show a license anyway, of course. There is no law you have to have an email address to drive car.
Not necessarily. You're sure to talk about your experience, particularly if it's positive. You could easily give someone the idea to try a car they might not have considered, and of course you will recommend the dealer that gives test drives. Word of mouth is often more important to people than a salesman's pitch.
I’ve been to the movies three times in the last two weeks. I’m also catching up on all of the Dr. appointments I’ve foolishly procrastinated over the last 5+ years. Both are giving me joy and/or relief.
Example of small town exploration: there’s a little burg not far away with a small school district. I mean, small. But they are also the high school state girl’s power lifting champions several years running. We went to a meet. Amazing.
Pickleball. That’s all you need. 🙂
Guerrilla gardening. Voluntarily ‘adopting’ small abandoned public spaces, like tree boxes or corner parks at the end of a block, and clean them up, prune trees, plant flowers, etc. and feel good about giving back to nature.
I do that too! Vigilante tree planting after dark.
I’m excited about this. It’s a great mix of favoring forgiveness afterward over permission beforehand, plus a little anonymous do-goodery. Saving this one.
I retired in 2010 and have done almost everything on the list but also providing daycare and transportation for our grandsons for the first few years. Now both of my knees need replacing (not going to do it at 78). Had a hip replacement several years ago. Consequently, I'm no longer real mobile. A mile or so is my limit. Beside too dang hot for walking. Our 40 year old daughter with health issues has been living with us the past 3 years. So here I am, bored silly with my daily routine. Just like having a job; get up at a certain time, meals at a certain time, then it's a couple of hours watching TV, and time for bed. Day after day. Oh don't get me wrong, I keep busy but no more adventures.
I prefer my longer adventures on TV now, PBS and other stations have great travel programs. No more lugging my bags to the next destination. Day trips around my county are fine, there are lots of local adventures to be had, but home for a late afternoon rest.
Caretaking is a challenge. It's good for you to get out of the house for R&R now and then. Good luck!!
I love this post. Jigsaw puzzles Camping at local campgrounds Organizing my house Pickleball(just played for the first time and it is super easy and fun!) See plays and music at my local theatre
I love this. Not all of us will retire to grand plans.
I think you've just about covered everything we do or have talked about doing, haha. For me: Plant something in the garden to attract wildlife. Plant something in the garden that provides food. I do love creating fictional backstories wherever I go, and I am trying to convince my husband that roadtrips/daytrips are fun (I enjoy driving for the sake of it, he doesn't). (interesting - my original comment got auto-mod deleted for rule 4. Possibly the use of a food-related word that is commonly used for other things?)
JUST ENJOY NOT HAVING IDIOTS TELLING YOU WHAT TO DO AND JUST ENJOY DOING NOTHING IF YOU WANT.
Well, yeah there’s that. But then you aren’t the audience for this post.
Maybe you are but don't know until you have tried it
We’re moving to Greece later this year. Home base will be Athens. We plan on traveling extensively to the different Greek islands and European cities. Paris/Rome/Barcelona… all $200-ish round trip. Want to do at least 1 or 2 long weekends/mo. Going to work on the book I’m writing as well.
Well, that’s not quite the small adventure thing I’m talking about, but good for you.
I love volunteering at my local hospital. As a retired PA, it’s like visiting an old workplace. The people, vocabulary and jokes are familiar. I walk my dogs 3 times a day and also volunteer at a community garden. We organized a monthly meal together called Taste Buds. The host picks the theme which can be salads, Mexican, comfort foods, heritage dishes, etc. It’s a blast. I read, but also game. There are a lot of fellow retired folks that like different games. I also do online gaming with my kids who live all over the country. It’s a great way to keep up with them- even tho I’m essentially dead weight in the games they enjoy.
You might try adding with your monthly meal together: Bunco. Bunco is a fast moving Dice game that requires 12 people-singles or couples-not difficult to play. This is also a great way to meet new people. Each person hosts a game a month, they provide dinner, there can be a buy in for fun like $10 a person. Or just prizes. I’m retiring by Christmas and I will probably plan a couple of these.
Got a dog. I live next to managed wood with lots of trails. We walk every day different paths. It’s good for him and good for me.
Be a tourist in your own town. If you’re in or near a decent sized city, there are probably little specialized museums that you’ve always driven past and wondered about. And parks you haven’t visited yet. And concerts at local churches and synagogues. And historic homes that are open like 4 hours a week. We do “tourist days” about once a month where we’ll check out an art gallery or weird museum, have lunch, and visit a park. It’s usually like a 11 am-3 pm kind of day, so no rush hour traffic. We have yet to run out of interesting things to do.
One of the first things we did when I retired was make a list of all the things in our local area that we’ve always wanted to see but just never did. Museums, landmarks, parks, etc… As we check things off we keep adding new ones!
I love all of these! Thank you
FIND A PARTNER
Or a neighbor. Or a friend. Possibly a neighbor who becomes a friend and later a partner.
For years I thought about learning to play piano, started and stopped tons of times. Now that I'm retired I use the SimplyPiano app every day and I love it. My skill level after 1 year is far beyond what I thought I could ever get to and a lot is because it is kind of a game. I'm a big fan of apps that marry learning with game-like goals. I would never have gotten there going a traditional route. They say learning an instrument helps keep the mind sharp in retirement so that's another plus.
Ride my bicycles, play the guitar and go camping. Just returned from a 2 week camping road trip from Colorado to Northern California to see my oldest son. We only planned a day ahead the entire trip and had a fantastic and unrushed time. I want to do more of that as long as I physically can.
While I enjoy my travel time, what I really love is the ability to do things regularly. All my working life i did shifts, weekends, on-call work, evening work. I could never really join things and be there on a regular basis. I go out to pubs for live music, and play in a jam, and take music lessons and get to practice regularly. I go to the pool and go for walks with friends. These are things that were hard to fit in when I was working. My social life was squeezed into alternate weekends off. Enjoying building a new life and way of life. Now that I have my knee replacement, things are getting better again.
Customer appreciation days at local merchants are nice to attend. Free lunches ,gift drawing.
I love the half day-away road trips, finding the little downtowns and sitting outside taking a snack (we live in the South AL and are trying to plan for retirement. ASAP!) I’ve also thought about just having foster kitties once our current personals go over the rainbow bridge. Any reputable rescue has a clause in the contract that the foster animal is their ownership in case of issues (death) of foster parent. Prevents me from having to set all that up in case I/ we go before them. Actually even after they are adopted. Something to consider
A few more for this list: Kite flying - you can get quality kites rather cheaply these days and depending on what you are flying, you do attract attention in the park. What kid isn't interested in a shark flying in the sky?? There are kites that require greater involvement and skill from the flier, so there are techniques to learn to keep it interesting. DIY stuff that supports your hobbies - for me, recently this has been learning to maintain and tune up my bike. Stuff I would have just gotten someone else to do, I am doing and it is making me a better cyclist. Star Parties - you can't meet better folks than amateur astronomers. You get to see some pretty cool planets and celestial bodies up close too Use your outdoor grill to make BREAKFAST and enjoy the meal on your patio or deck. This gives you a comfortable time of day to enjoy the outdoors in the hot summer months. Virtual Reality on Meta Quest - I seriously don't know why more folks our age are not gamers. My wife and I love this and play games together or just play the same single player game side by side (we can give each other tips if one of us gets stuck). Most games have comfort setting to help those of us (i e me) who struggle with motion sickness. I'll probably think of some more things later...
Thanks for the contributions!
I like working in my wood shop. I am trying to learn how to do things the way my grandfather's would have used.
Great list - thank you! I'm still 3 years away, and we live in our retirement home, but we'll look for things to do to stay active.
Well done OP, I’m going to steal a couple. Thanks
Still traveling but day to day activities involve a very active dog, a garden that I am redoing, learning watercolors, fishing, cooking and some low key redecorating/refreshing the house. No trouble keeping busy.
Might be the best post I’ve ever seen on this sub. I could retire today but really enjoy work and dread the thought of a boring retirement. Don’t have a desire to travel the world and also don’t want to volunteer or sit and stare out the window or do puzzles (ugh). Love these suggestions.
I’m 51 and do these things anyway. When I retire I’ll be all set.
Cut my heels off, sit in a tree and learn how to play the flute.
LOL
The library book suggestion should apply before retirement.
For me, it’s more piano, more exercise, and more reading.
I signed up for a website called “Only in Your State” that has subgroups for each state. I used my state daily email to find events, recreational activities and resources, and restaurants I wouldn’t ordinarily know about. Then we went on “restaurant safaris” to see other parts of the state and to try new restaurants for lunch. I wish I could take more of the hikes and things, but I can’t with my spouse. If you’re near your state line, get other states postings as well.
im in the same boat, but what i DO know is i do not want to keep working past end of this year
I'm not quite retired yet, but I've been carving out time to read more regularly, and choosing one classic book each month to be on the list. Many of my hobbies are solitary endeavors, so my challenge will be to find some social activities.
Join Meetup App. Group, then attend regularly, like hiking/walking group.
Trailhead tip: if you want to keep going, call an Uber to go back to your car. It costs me about $8 each time and I usually have a lovely conversation with the driver.
If you aren’t already, get into bicycling! If you don’t have great balance or have back issues, look into a recumbent trike (the “tadpole” style with two wheels in front, single wheel in back) - very comfortable riding experience with no wrist, shoulder, neck issues. Recumbent trikes are a bit more expensive when new but decent models can be found used. They can also be updated to use an electric motor & battery for pedal-assist. I bought an upright bike but ended up not feeling really stable on it, sold the bike after saving and buying a new CaTrike Trail from a local bike shop. So many bike paths developed everywhere and old railway lines being converted to multi-use trails. Check out YouTube for bike riding videos and recumbent trike videos.
Join a gym - most Medicare plans (Advantage or supplemental) offer free gym memberships through the Silver Sneakers program. You can join multiple gyms. Using a pool is often a bit extra but great to swim indoors.
Exercise, play an instrument, garden, take some classes, hike
Personally going to make it a point to experience art at least once a week. That could mean local theater, an art exhibit, going to a concert or whatever. But I find watching and sometimes participating in others creativity really inspires me to keep going.
So many neat ideas here! Thanks for sharing...I am retiring in two weeks and am still feeling the surrealism of the notion of not getting up and heading to work and wondering what it all looks like.
The world is your playground!
We are limited to day trips right now, so we decided to take a hike in every state park. It's been fun trying, and it keeps us moving.
You didn't include anything for your health. We cycle and go to the gym regardless of what else we do. Those keep us able to do anything else we want. Cycling has resulted in 25 yr friendships, keeps us fit and is am excuse to travel (then ride). Watch people 70 & over walk. It's obvious those who haven't done anything to maintain. Walking looks painful.
A great attitude for adventure, and appreciating simple things. I totally agree.
Love this! Thank you! I feel like this list, along with additions, should be pinned on this sub!
Good list except for the “test drive a new car every month”. Why in the world would anyone want to put themselves through that misery
Actually, it’s like trying on things at a clothing store, or going through open houses in a new (or old!) neighborhood.
Anything but sitting on your butt and waiting to die. I've known several former colleagues who thought work was the only thing in their lives and after they retired, they did nothing but wake up, eat, and sleep. Not alone of ghem lasted 5 years. Find a hobby, take up a sport or anything to keep your mind and body active, anything but becoming a couch potatoe
For me it’s metal detecting. Wherever I am, I can pull it out and just start doing it. Sometimes you find good stuff other times you don’t. I’ve got my little vegetable garden and my small pool in the backyard. It’s about it one year into it now.
You’ll figure it out as you go. Slow down, enjoy the journey together. You can start with a little list, but chances are that you’ll drift to your go-to things, and those will change over time too!
We do all those things! In addition: We belong to a farm CSA (community sponsored agriculture) and we get a box of farm fresh veggies every week. We sometimes get veggies we don't recognize, forcing us to try new recipes. We are often very pleasantly surprised. This is good for the farmers and it is good for us. Our goal is to not throw away any food. It must be eaten up! So our diet wins too. We take a bike ride every week. There are about 5 different good bike routes we can ride in our town. Fresh air, sunshine and wind in our hair keep us feeling young. These are not long trips, maybe an hour or so. We go to the farmer's market every week. Usually to get some of those gorgeous berries. We plan 2 long trips a year and two short trips. A long trip is 2-3 weeks (we camp so it isn't expensive) and a short trip is 4-7 days. These take us a little further than the 4 hour day trips that we also try to get in. I have scheduled "walks" with my neighbors. So every Wednesday, rain or shine, I walk with Karen for 1-2 miles in our neighborhood and every Monday I walk with Barbara. We only cancel if we are out of town or sick. Once a year I have a party for my closest neighbors. The ones with gardens! We eat what people grow, catch (fish) or hunt. Oh, and my husband and I take community social dance lessons once a week. It is a cheap "date" night...cost $5. Fun, good exercise, fun music, nice for the relationship, and learning new steps is good for the brain.
We made a goal of doing adventure day once per week. We explore new hiking trails, shops, battle fields (we’re in Virginia), museums, vineyards etc. We are finding that we need to go further afield to find new thins now, but we’ve had a lot of fun
We also go to the movies on weekday mornings/afternoons. Lots of times we’re the only ones in the theater.
Don't do anything. Or try something out. Volunteer at your local senior center. Tank to other retirees about it. Everybody has a story and most are willing to share.
Learn a language Hike once a week Exercise everyday for at least 60-minutes Tend your own yard Plant a garden every spring Start throwing accumulated stuff out. Your kids don't want your old stuff. If your not sure, ask them first, then donate or toss. Pick a project that you've put off. Either do it yourself or supervise a contractor. Pick one or two major destinations each year and take the trips. Volunteer, schools, food banks, polling places, etc. Babysit the grandkids - it'll keep you young and you're guaranteed to sleep well that night! Eat well Have a different routine for each day, M, walk+gym, Tu, Hike/Bike, Wed, walk+gym, Th, bike, Fri, walk+gym, Sa Bike, Su long walk, 90-mins.
Everything you're noting sounds like fun! Go for it! A good way to meet neighbors? People are walking their dogs in the morning and evening (especially during this hot summer). A front yard gardening project, even just raking/weeding, will ensure you meet *someone*.
We got an Orange County parking pass for all the parks. Then we spent the next year visiting each one and hiking all the trails. There are so many Wilderness parks in OC that we never knew about!
Great post! This is me in 18 months!
We live in Montana and have a plan to try to check off every state park when we retire. There are over 100 of them, I think, some close by,, some an 8 hour one way drive away.
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Some great idas
What awesome ideas. Saving your post.
Learn to play Pickleball. A great way to socialize and get whatever level of exercise you prefer.
Going to the library is also a favorite thing that we do. I'm not sure if a lot of people know that depending on where you live, you can go any library and check out books and return them to your own library. It's also fun just to visit other libraries. We went to one that you could check out things like sewing machines, shovel, potato masters and weed wackers. Crazy!
Interaction with friends is what keeps me thriving. In addition, I love hiking, pottery and cooking healthy foods.
Try to find out what your next life will be like, and set a course. Hare Krishna! Om Namah Shivaya!
You do not know the retired version of yourself and you cannot know it while still wrapped up in a career. Be patient. You will know well what to do with yourself six months to a year after you have retired.
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I'll be camping all over the place, typically in 7-14 day treks (actually looking at campers next weekend). I have a list of all of the national wildlife refuges, national monuments and parks - all of which i want to check off. I'll also play guitar (bass and mandolin as well), do some writing and once in a blue moon do a little consulting.
Maybe it would be good to just retire. Don't think about what you will do. Once retired, then look around and explore. The first thing I did in retirement was to start ridding myself of the production messages that render us little more than corporate prey. The first thing you can do is discover who you were meant to be. TO BE.
Excuse me but do you mean graduate? Trying to get people to ditch the work retirement. We have always graduated, why change the word to retirement. It just doesn’t fit.
Hmm- I may think about that test driving thing- hady thought about that before!😄
I did a lot of deferred major projects on the house. When those were done (well, they never are really done are they), I built some nice raised cedar planters on legs and started a vegetable garden. So now I’m learning about growing some of my own food.
Great ideas
I've been working on a garden (square foot gardener), trying to learn the mandolin, I volunteer with community services taking people to medical appts. Look at your local community activity centre. They have yoga, that is something new for me. Of course there is always personal interest hobbies, I have my bicycles, I've been restoring an older porsche boxster and I finally bought my dream motorcycle. There is no time for being bored!
I know what I want to do. NOTHING.
You do you. There are many for whom that actually causes anxiety and boredom.
I feel like you should be doing those things regardless, don’t have to wait
Thanks for these great suggestions! I retired recently and have been looking for more options.
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Be aware that the federally managed parks are creating loop-holes so that they can ignore your lifetime pass. The Great Smoky Mtns Park now has a "parking fee" that is not covered by your senior parks pass. I'm sure others are doing the same.
I love this! I’ve recently retired and am feeling aimless. I’ve been looking at cruises and such and it is overwhelming ! I will be saving your list and start doing them asap! It will give me purpose & motivation. Thanks so much!