Living the Third Act with Intention

 At a recent provincial Senior Summer Games, my brother had a humbling and inspiring experience. At over 75, he and his partner played in the doubles tennis event. They fought hard but came in second. The winners? A team made up of a 95-year-old and his 85-year-old partner.

That victory says something powerful about aging. Retirement is no longer a brief period of rest at the end of life. It’s an extended act, sometimes longer than school or early adulthood, which requires its own form of vision and preparation.

From Two Acts to Three

Traditionally, life was seen as two acts:

• Act One: Education and work preparation.
• Act Two: Career and family.
  Retirement was a short epilogue.

But now, retirement is a full third act. Thirty-plus years of living, learning, and creating new meaning. If we treat it as a passive stage, it can feel empty. But if we embrace it as an intentional act, it becomes a stage for reinvention.

Building the Third Act

So, how do we build this stage of life? The answer lies in balance:

• Physically, we need to stay strong, not just to avoid illness but to keep doing what we love, like playing tennis at 95.
• Emotionally, we need community and purpose. Without them, the years feel longer and lonelier.
• Financially, we must prepare for decades of living, not just a handful of years. That means smarter planning and ongoing adjustments.
• Creatively, we must cultivate joy. Whether through hobbies, travel, volunteering, or entrepreneurship, creativity gives life texture.

Inspiration in Action

My brother’s story is a reminder that older age doesn’t mean stepping off the court, literally or figuratively. The 95-year-old didn’t win because he defied aging; he won because he prepared for it. He adapted his life to stay strong, engaged, and ready.

That’s the challenge for all of us: not to deny aging, but to rethink what it means. Retirement is not an ending; it’s an opening.

Living with Intention

The third act gives us time, precious, powerful time. The question is: how will we use it? Will we drift into it unprepared, or will we step into it with intention, planning, and imagination?

The players at the Senior Summer Games showed what’s possible when we choose the latter. They remind us that we have more control than we think, and that retirement is not about slowing down but showing up.

If life is a play in three acts, retirement is no encore. It’s the act that ties the story together, the place where all our learning, resilience, and creativity come alive.