Through my earlier working years, as I observed two kinds of retired people. Some that thought they were looking forward to doing nothing and some that were excited to have the time to do some of the other things they wanted to do. It seemed that the ones who checked out and did nothing had passed away within 5 years. The ones that lived longest seemed to have a reason to “wake up” every morning and do something. The something could be playing with the grand children visiting a neighbor who needs comfort, or taking up a musical instrument, or building toys for the kids, maybe taking that trip around the world, or even becoming the next great leader in the country!
It really doesn’t matter what that something is, but it matters that you are empowered and driven to do it every day!
Humans find it gratifying to “create”. Personally I really enjoy writing as a creative outlet, in the same way some might enjoy building a wooden toy for the grandchildren, or even putting a puzzle together in a nursing home. The big difference between work and retirement is you can choose if you WANT to do something or not. In my working career I have been lucky to work at a job that I actually enjoyed. On Friday’s when I would hear people in the elevator say “thank god its Friday”, my reaction was – gee is it Friday already
