Happy Retirement

The Serenity Prayer

God grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.

Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him
Forever in the next.
Amen.

--Reinhold Niebuhr

Appreciate yourself -- think of your own history and what you've lived through and appreciate your lifetime accomplishments . Even the "small" things count - your children, your church life, your art work -- I'm not necessarily talking only successes in employment.

You have many years of living and learning... consider sharing your thoughts with the world! You know lots on a specific topic, or have lived through events that others may never know. Share your life with others. If you are interested in starting a blog, I will set one up for you!

Learn and Live -- Classes, day trips, adventures, live in a retirement community with daily activities, crafts, movies. Interact with people.

Friends -- Throughout life we find new friends and lose friends. Take the time to make plans for lunch and other activities with freinds. Friends are there to support you through the good and bad times in life. Even introverts (like me!) need some friendships.

Don't simply think friends will happen -- you have to work towards finding new friends. You can call an invitation out to them... you start the friendship. If it doesn't work out, your interests are different or whatever, don't despair -- simply reach out to someone else. The world is full of people looking to share life with other interesting folks!

Plan for the Future -- just thinking about where life is headed helps you ...

DO SOMETHING -- don't just sit at home..... take action for yourself. Lift your spirits with a PLAN!

Schedule something to do every single day. Get out your calendar and write out what you plan to do this month -- this sounds too simple, but it's a great exercise to see what can be done in a month and assure you won't be sitting around bored or lonely in retirement. It helps you to see the possibilities and to have an errand for each day -- something to look forward to.

schedule a few lunches with friends

matinee movie day

a day to replant a few houseplants that

church

classes

club meetings

grocery shopping days , dollar store days

holidays with family

volunteer opportunities

volunteer with a political committee or for a political cause

Now, its not like you MUST so something every day -- so if it's rainy and you feel like cuddling down into your lazy chair with a good book, thats fine too.

Years ago, The University of Michigan Institute of Gerontology surveyed seniors to determine how they remain active and happy. Some replies were:

Doing busy work isn't enough; neither is a hobby.
This depends on the individual -- some gals will do quite well as they live through their hobbies. They are meaningful hobbies, which might even turn into a small business in retirement. Others need something more meaningful.

Plan some activities with other people.
We all need people, old friends, new friends, folks to chit chat with, have lunch with, spend some time sharing and caring with. Take the initiative and call up an old friend today -- make arrangements for lunch next week -- don't put it off. You'll be glad you made that call.

Continue learning - regardless of your age.
This doesn't necessarily mean a class, though there are loads of adult education classes available nowadays. You can take online classes, adult classes, or learn by reading, or trying new activities. Don't become an "old" person, keep active by learning.

Stay in touch with younger people.
It's good to keep in touch - period. Young folks see things differently, different perspectives is what keeps the world going round. Just like folks from different cultures, folks from different age groups help keep us well rounded.

Do something for someone else at least once a day.
This is great advice for anyone in any stage of life, isn't it? Random Acts of Kindness -- simple things in life -- holding the door open for someone, helping put groceries into someone's trunk, picking up a friend for lunch, sending a birthday card, shopping for a friend who was ill.

Try out your activities before retiring.
This is plain old comon sense -- but do we do it? Before you retire, why not start doing dinner with some old friends? Start learning a new computer software. Join a bowling league.