Learning how to enjoy your
leisure time should be right up there at the top of your list when it comes to planning for
retirement. The focus has always been on
financial security and that has been drummed into us since we entered the work
force. Now it is time to learn that there are other aspects of retirement to
think about.
Okay, you have retired. You have been looking forward to this moment
for a very long time. You have a long
to-do list that you have been compiling for years. You know, all of those projects that you have
been putting off until you have more time.
The first few months are filled with busyness as you attack your list
with gusto, but what happens when that first rush is over and you are wondering
what you are going to do with all of this free time.
Leisure is an important
element of successful retirement.
Ideally you had time to cultivate some interests before you retired, but
if you were too rushed or too busy with actual living it isn’t too late to
start now. Start cultivating interests
now by researching some ways to get involved in them.
Leisure time doesn’t just
mean sitting around with your feet up.
You need both mental and physical workouts to keep your mind and body
alert and functioning. It is also
important to do something that is fun. Every project doesn’t have to be vitally
important, although having something far reaching to be passionate about is a
good thing too.
Leisure is about pleasure
and relaxation. So much of our lives
have been wrapped around work that it is difficult to let go. If this is the case, perhaps a part time job
would be the most fulfilling thing for you, but start looking for other ways to
bring meaning to your life.
Look in the newspaper for
interesting activities and make a list of the ones that might be of interest to
you. There are literacy programs,
genealogy studies, training for a marathon, computer literacy, shelter
programs, bird watching, neighborhood block watch and more. Don’t forget to include social support
groups. Try art classes, card clubs,
hobby clubs, dinner clubs, book clubs, fitness classes and sports. Include things that not only stimulate your
mind but your body as well. Frederick T.
Fraunfelder, M.D. in his excellent book “Retirement Rx,” (2008) sums it up when
he urges you to think of leisure as pleasure and retirement as that “someday”
you have been talking about for so many years.
That some day is now; don’t let your days slip by in obscurity. Plan your
leisure as well as every other aspect of retirement and go for it! Fun and fulfillment aren’t going to come to
you. It is up to you to seek them out.
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