Pearls of Wisdom

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Today marks ten years since I shut down my office computer for the last time, closed my briefcase and walked out of the door into Planet Retirement. That's right, unbelievable though it seems, it was a decade ago!

Having just reached what is currently the official state retirement age, I do feel privileged to have retired when I did. I am conscious that had I in fact waited until now, I would probably be entering this strange new world in a state of total exhaustion and significantly reduced good health.

Are there any little nuggets of wisdom I can take from my experience and share?

At risk of sounding like a cliched reality TV show contestant, it has certainly been a journey. An exploratory trip into the unknown where time and freedom combine to offer a choice of pursuits and lifestyle. Ultimately I have opted to try to live more simply with less, embrace nature and honour my health and well-being. There is a beautiful world out there that enclosed in a workplace we may barely encounter. When we do embrace it, spirits soar and happiness rises.

I don't feel old or put out to grass. I'm not aware of any decrease as yet in my mental faculties and am certainly still physically fitter than I was on the day I retired. That said and despite devoting so much of my time since 2014 in the pursuit of fitness, age is forever creeping on and given time or latitude will inevitably be the victor.  There are now noticeable niggling aches on occasions; my unstable right knee may yet requre surgery; skiing and sailing although both undertaken since retiring are no longer on my participation schedule.

Instead I have a regular timetable of weights, cardio, and Pilates classes. Ten years ago I sought activity; today I work hard at maintaining strength but can also enjoy the meditative side of Yoga.

Family has expanded with the marriage of the Eldest and arrival of Grandotty. Who even knew ten years ago how much love you could feel for grandchildren?  I cetainly had no idea of the extent of the bond I would enjoy.

I've tried to exploit opportunities for creativity, discovery and learning. Not in the traditional sense of the classroom  but through experience and experimentation. Retirement hasn't been a time to sit back and vegetate or amass baggage (metaphorical or physical) but rather a period for doing and seeing, volunteering and travelling and getting rid of  all that unwanted stuff.

It's been an era with setbacks and sadness too. The loss of loved ones and peers is more apparent at this time of life and the Covid pandemic with all its restrictions was a bolt from the blue. Then there's our current predicament with a house undergoing substantial repair; I certainly never envisaged a catastrophe of that magnitude. Ultimately, however, tragedy can help build resilience and the ability to bounce back is a strong base for contentment.

But writing this, what do I realise too? That perhaps with a decade of retirement has come wisdom. Not enough for a necklace, but there are some little pearls.

(Image by 育银 戚 from Pixabay)

 

Comments

Treaders said…
Congratulations on being 10 years in. So many don't make it, or get to enjoy it for just a few months. We are indeed lucky!
19 June 2024 at 07:21
Caree Risover said…
Thank you and I think your comment on good fortune is another little gem to save for the necklace!
19 June 2024 at 07:50
Marksgran said…
Congratulations on your 10 year anniversary. I often wonder now how we ever had time to work for a living! It's nice to look back and appreciate what we have achieved and look forward to achieving more but different. As Treaders stated, we are indeed very lucky.
22 June 2024 at 20:56
Caree Risover said…
Definitely no time for work and yet sometimes it still feels as though there’s so much to do and so little time to get it done!
23 June 2024 at 09:12
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