The New Retirement. Jan CullinaneЧитать онлайн книгу.
local school system for additional options.
Usher. Assist audience members and see performances for free? Contact your community theatre, high school, college theatre department, or performing-arts centers. A win-win.
Voter Registration. Contact your local election office and volunteer to be an election worker. There may be requirements, such as age, residency, and proof that you are a registered voter.
Walk a Shelter Dog. Contact your local shelter. Besides walking a dog, you may want to help in the office, collect donations, or best of all, adopt a furry friend.
Xenophon Therapeutic Riding Center (http://xenophontrc.org). “To enrich the lives of individuals with disabilities through a high-quality program of equine-assisted therapies.” For additional therapeutic equine programs, see https://www.ridinghome.com/page-us.
Your imagination. What can you do to make a difference or give back? Perhaps think locally: Which of your friends, neighbors, or relatives could use a hand with household or yard chores, grocery shopping, or babysitting? Volunteer to organize a meal train for someone who is ill or whose loved one has passed away; walk dogs for a friend who has had recent surgery.
Zoo. Perhaps for you, “It's all happening at the zoo,” like Simon and Garfunkel sang. Be an exhibit host, assist with day-to-day care of the animals, or perform administrative duties.
This list is a snapshot of volunteer possibilities; training, background checks, and certain time commitments are often required. If you're still looking, go to www.volunteermatch.com, put in your ZIP code and see the opportunities, both in person and virtual, that await.
Research shows it really does feel better to give than to receive. Volunteering is a great use of some of those 168 hours.
Learn New Things/Hone Old Skills
“Broadly speaking, human beings can be divided into three classes: Those who are toiled to death, those who are worried to death, and those who are bored to death” (Winston Churchill). If lifelong learning opportunities through classes or volunteering aren't enough, let's explore some other activities that enrich your life by broadening your knowledge, sharpening your skills, improving your health, or that are just plain fun:
Move. I took up tennis in my late 40s, and quickly became a huge devotee. It checks off a lot of what I like – exercise, social support, friendly competition, structure, and enjoying nature (I live in Florida, so it's outside play year-round). Tennis has led to many warm and lasting friendships (and lunches!). If you're looking for something a bit easier on the joints, consider pickleball, which is the fastest-growing sport in America, according to The Economist.If racquet sports aren't your thing, perhaps join a gym (consider a few sessions with a personal trainer to get you on the right track), golf, bowling (a group from our community bowls weekly, with dinner afterward), belly dancing/ballroom/square/swing/line dancing (some studios provide a partner for you if you need one), and swimming and biking (easy on the joints). Snowboarding is so popular among older adults they are called “grays on trays.” Plant a garden. Climb a mountain. Try a SUP (stand-up paddleboard). Of course, there is always walking, which is easy, free, and can be social or solitary. And, if you have a dog, he/she will love it.
Think. Join or start a book club – with your neighbors, through your local library, or online (check out www.goodreads.com for lots of suggestions). Linda and her husband Pete started a couples' book club in their new neighborhood by mailing an invitation to their neighbors (they didn't know all their names, so just a “Hello Neighbor” and an invite to come to their home on a specific date/time with the book selection included). It was the beginning of a decades-long book club, and decades-long friendships. Or, organize a monthly game night – Euchre, Train Dominoes, Bunco, Pictionary, Mahjong, and so forth. Strengthen your brain by learning a new language or instrument. Do crossword puzzles (I love the free online daily mini-crossword from the New York Times), Sudoku, acrostics, “Words with Friends,” and jigsaw puzzles. Try an “escape room” – work as a team to escape a locked room within an hour by solving clues and puzzles. Addictive and mind stretching.
“Be Curious, Not Judgmental.” Although this phrase is attributed to the poet Walt Whitman, according to Snopes (a fact-checking site), this is not Whitman's quote. However, if you watch/watched the miniseries Ted Lasso, “Be curious, not judgmental” is how the main character approaches life. Ted asks questions; he doesn't jump to conclusions; he's open; he doesn't assume; he explores all possibilities; he doesn't make snap decisions. This fictional character and this phrase are great models for making the most of retirement.The benefits of being curious are backed by science. A 2013 study in Psychological Science found that improved memory was found only in those who engaged in activities that were “unfamiliar and mentally challenging, and that provide broad stimulation mentally and socially.” Examples included quilting and digital photography. The lead researcher in this study, Denise Parks, said this about keeping our minds sharp: “When you are inside your comfort zone you may be outside of the enhancement zone.” Push yourself to do things outside of your wheelhouse.
Create. Indulge your inner chef, if you're so inclined, or take up painting or sculpting or photography. Perhaps consider community or local theater. Helene G. performed in the musicals The King and I and South Pacific at Leisure World, an active adult community in Silver Spring Maryland, as well as in a performance of Our Town. (If you have stage fright, you can always work behind the scenes.) Or, sing at your place of worship; St. Augustine said, “To sing is to pray twice.”
Family. A study by Age Wave/Merrill Lynch found that retirees ranked staying healthy, improving health, and relaxing at the top of their “Everyday Leisure Priorities” list, followed by family connections. Certainly “family connections” can fill lots of hours. But what does that phrase mean to you? Living a short distance from children/sibs/aging parents? Staying in touch via technology? Frequent in-person visits? Following your adult kids if they move? Having a second home near adult children/parents? Acting as a full-time sitter for your grandchildren while their parents work? Moving closer to your kids when you're elderly and need help? This is an important area to consider and discuss, particularly if you're part of a couple – are you both on the same page? To find out, take the survey, “Retire Close to Family … Or Not Too Close!” from TopRetirements.com at the end of Chapter 4, What and Where Is Home?
Travel. Travel is usually close to the top of the list of “wants” in retirement. No surprise – there's a big and exciting world out there to explore, and retirement provides the time (and hopefully the money – more on that in Chapters 8, 9, and 10). One of Rosemary and Ed G.'s retirement goals (Rosemary was a high school counselor and Ed is a retired CPA) was to visit every continent. It took 12 years to accomplish, but they did.
Of course, there are many types of travel. Recall the Greyhound bus commercial, with the tag line “Leave the driving to us.” Do all the planning, do some of it, or be like the Greyhound ad, and purchase a complete travel itinerary with most, or all decisions preplanned. All you need to do is show up with your luggage and travel documents and the tour company will take it from there. What kind of traveler are you? Do you want a knowledgeable guide to lead you, or are you more likely to strike out on your own, meet the local people, and create your own itinerary? Or perhaps you're a hybrid of the two approaches, or you want to experience travel in a variety of ways. You could be like Carol and Phil White, who bought a small RV and lived in it for a year as they traversed the United States.
Here are Carol's