Change of Course

There was a time before my wife and I actually retired that I thought I had retirement all planned out. We would be happy in our mountain home in North Carolina.

Spend more time with our friends and on our various hobbies and generally take it easy. Maybe the occasional trip to visit relatives in Florida and elsewhere and perhaps a vacation somewhere, even, perhaps, a cruise. In general, life would slow down and we would have lots of leisure time to just indulge in our laziness.

What a change has happened in the last twelve months. First came the decision to relocate from North Carolina to be near family in Wisconsin. My wife gave a year’s notice of her retirement from the university and we began to plan this major change of location. Then came the actual move which went surprisingly smoothly. We settled into our new domicile and spent some six weeks or so arranging furniture, hanging pictures and me learning how to mow a lawn. To my joy, I found that moving from a higher altitude to almost sea level allows me to resume exercising for the first time in too many years and Nancy could resume her routine of swimming each morning.

We also found that what really made a difference for our happiness, enjoyment, and peace of mind was a drive to not entertain ourselves, but to reach out and volunteer to help where we could find a need. I discovered that schools needed some of my hobbies that turned into study aids and projects; the local YMCA needed swimming coaches to teach children and disadvantaged youth how to swim and had a need for lifeguards. A local business needed someone to help with a remodeling project. There were many events that supported various causes and charities that we now attend and support where we can. The list goes on for us.

My point is that we have found more satisfaction, even joy, in giving back in time and money than we imagined when planning our retirement. I recommend that should you be planning your own retirement or are finding that there is a tiny lack of real enjoyment in your present retirement, that you try giving back for the gifts you have been given in life.

Helping others without the thought of “what’s in it for me?” is a great pleasure. You have life skills, knowledge, and experiences that our youth and our communities are desperately in need of. Share them and enjoy your rewards in a way that you never imagined. Change? Of course!