When we retire, we face a new world. When working for years and decades, we adjusted to the world around us as it was. Commuting, working, office or shop politics, schedules, and careers… it all consumed us.
Uh, Oh!
But when we stop working, we are faced with a very different universe, a different world. Things are no longer the same, and we have little or no experience how to navigate this new world.
Didn’t we have some time off one in a while?
During one’s working career, we have short periods of time off, didn’t we. We went on vacation for a few weeks. Or maybe we had bouts of unemployment. Or whatever. But none of these were the same as being retired. Being on vacation was defined by our working life, being unemployed was defined by our desire for employment. During those time, we were never was free from the employment elephant. (employment elephant: a reference to the elephant in the room.)
But now…
But now, retirement generally means no employment. No job. No more career. No vacation pay waiting for us. No schedules. No determination of how many weeks of vacation you have accumulated based on some seniority at the job.
So the world is open and closed
When we retire, when we stop working, we soon realize that we need a different kind of motivation. There is no boss to prioritize what we do. There are no longer member of a group that gives us peer pressure to get some work done. We need to find our way on our own.
Which is why the idea of retirement is so scary for some. Some are downright fearful of retirement.
I was one of those people. For a large part of the time I was working, I had an intense fear of not working. At the time, working was what gave much of my life meaning. I defined myself by my job, my career, my responsibilities, my salary.
There are positive aspects of focusing on work and one’s career. Voltaire‘s Candide comes to mind. However, the multiple downsides of too much identification with work and career are too numerous to mention.
Fortunately, I was able to wean myself away from those ideas, and even while continuing to work, I found meaning and accomplishments in other things. As a result, I let go of my work-based self-definition.
I was lucky. I found myself before I stopped working. It’s not always easy to find oneself.
Yes, It Wasn’t A Piece of Cake
So when I stopped working, I went through a period of adjustment. Perhaps I continue to do so. I adjust myself to this new world. And, happily, I found that being retired is better than not being retired.
What Needs To Be Done
These are things I went through. Maybe you will have another experience. We are all different, happily so.
- I found the amount of free time was at first disconcerting.
- No one is looking over my shoulder to keep me from slacking off.
- I can do pretty much what I want when I want.
So where are we?
Where can one find oneself that can exist when work is eliminated?
A Large Question Indeed
For me, I looked at what I wanted to do with my time. I decided to pursue some goals and opportunities. Now that time was no longer in short supply, what would I want to do that made beneficial use of the time I now had?
For me, one goal I had was to master something that required consistent practice. I put hours in daily to this endeavor.
Other things include social time. I make sure I participate frequently and regularly with some friends. This includes remotely via computer connections (Skype or similar), as well as local in-person meetings.
I also make sure I am active. Exercise and related behaviors are of great benefit both health-wise as well as for attitude. I do not wish to take on the detriments of being too sedentary.
I belong to a few local social or civic organizations that have meaning to me. I attend meetings or other activities. These involve ongoing social interactions, a great benefit.
Yes, it is possible for retirees to not succumb to negativity.
What do you do as a retiree? How did you adjust to non-work? Reply here: Contact page
The illustration of a sleeping cat is from “A new work of animals,” 1811, by Samuel Howitt.
The illustration of the city of Benares, in India, is from “The Indian empire (illustrated), vol. 3”, 1858, by William Purser.
The illustration entitled “Appalled by the Legacy” (“Épouvantée par l’héritage”), 1871, by Honoré Daumier, in response to the Franco-Prussian War.
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