Create the life you want.
People tend to be happiest when they’re in their 60s and 70s — when work responsibilities have been shed, the kids are grown up and everyday stress levels melt away like snow in spring. While retirement certainly creates some challenges, it’s important to appreciate retirement for the exceptional opportunity that it really is. Here are some great aspects to your golden years.
Go wherever you want.
You can fly midweek, drive during non-rush hours and go out to dinner at 5 p.m. if you want to. You can also stay out late because you don’t have to get up for work the next morning. You can make a travel bucket list that includes trips to the Grand Canyon, the Empire State Building, the Pyramids or the Great Wall of China.
You’re free of your addiction to ambition.
You probably spent a good portion of your working life competing with colleagues, pushing for a raise and angling for a promotion. It’s the American way. But retirees don’t care whether they get a better title or a bigger office. A huge weight is lifted from your shoulders when you quit the rat race. It’s the freedom that many retirees appreciate so much: Freedom from the pressure to get ahead, to get your kid into college and to keep up with the neighbors.
You can still work part time.
Just because you’re retired doesn’t mean you can’t pick up a job here and there. You can carry over occasional assignments from your old company, parlay your personal interests into a money-making gig or take a temporary job just for the fun of it.
Keep current with culture.
You might have been too busy with a career and kids to follow some of the great directors like Alfred Hitchcock, Woody Allen or Robert Altman. Now you can go on Netflix or Amazon, or borrow DVDs from the library, and enjoy some of the great stories of our times.
Join a book club.
Now there is finally time to read a biography or a novel and sit around and talk about it. Consider joining a book club at a senior center or library. If reading is not your thing, try playing cards or pool or going to an evening class.
Baby-sit your grandchildren.
Once your first grandchild arrives, you have the opportunity to spend time with the next generation. You can get to know them and create some deep and lasting memories that will endure long after you are gone.
There’s time to give back.
There’s not much time for volunteering when you are working. Now there is nothing to stop you from coaching Little League or joining a civic club. Consider becoming a volunteer tutor to share knowledge and skills with young people.
Time to do nothing.
There’s finally time to enjoy the pleasures of sitting on the front porch or the back deck and soaking up the atmosphere, reflecting on your life and enjoying the cool breezes wafting through the trees.
Live your dream.
Some people have a half-written novel in their study or a half-crafted piece of woodwork in the basement. Retirement gives you the time to write the rest of your story and perhaps even publish it online. You can complete the projects in your workshop, make jewelry or crochet sweaters and sell them on Etsy.
Do what you want.
In retirement there are no more expectations. You don’t have to please your parents or bear responsibility for your kids. You can move to the city or the country. You can do something or nothing. No matter how well-financed you may or may not be, you can live the lifestyle of the truly wealthy: You can do what you want and answer to nobody but yourself.
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10 Things You’ll Love About Retirement originally appeared on usnews.com
