Think retirement is about taking it easy...Think again

For most of us, we hope that when we retire, we will find the time to relax, but that is really not true. My friends and I are very busy in our retirement and finding time to relax is still a problem. This may surprise many of you who are looking forward to your time to relax as you plan to or think about retirement. Let me explain, we are now busy doing things that we love, which may be pursuing our hobbies, travelling, volunteering or working (part-time) but not many of are just relaxing and letting life go by. 

For some of us, retirement isn’t just a time to lay the goals of life down it is a time to look back over life at our unfinished challenges and then go back and finish them.  I have two degrees and am proud of the work, time and energy I used to complete them. Many of my friends do not have a degree and they have an unfinished goal to go back and get that degree. 

When I taught at the University of Phoenix, I was not surprised to see young and senior adults, taking courses to finish their bachelor’s degree or start and finish a masters or Ph.D. Working with those students and helping them achieve their goals was a highlight of my career. I understand how big a challenge it is to go back to the classroom and get that certificate, especially when you do it after you have retired.

So why do it?  This may be a question your friends ask when they see you going after such an ambitious goal so late in life.  But when you think about it, you may be a bit offended by the question.  Implicit in this ageist question is the implication of, “What is the point of you getting a degree since you are not going to do anything productive in retirement and you are so close to death?”

Many of my friends started entirely new careers after they retired.  With the advances in medical science today, it is a given that most people live 20-30 years or more “in retirement”.  That is plenty of time to accomplish great things.  So, starting out this era of life with a good education makes just as much sense as it did when you left school and started out on your first career. 

This is not to say that going back to school is going to be easy.  If finishing your high school degree is the goal, and going back to school is not an option, then taking a High School Equivalency program may be the answer. Every country has this type of program it may be called a GED or an ABD or an HSED or HED so you may have to do an online search to see what is available where you live.

The social situation you may face in a college classroom or school may be a challenge.  You will have to get used to being in the classroom and listening to lectures, reading textbooks, taking notes, doing papers and taking exams all over again.  If you go after an advanced degree and take several classes, you will be a very busy senior citizen just keeping up with your studies. Most colleges or universities that offer programs to adults understand that these adults may not have the skills needed so they may offer courses on how to learn.

But there are some joys you can expect from going after an advanced degree.  If you decide to take day courses, instead of online or evening courses, college life and being on a college campus each day is by itself a very stimulating environment.  Being with young people each day can be energizing and you may find yourself looking and acting as much like the youth you “hang out with” as you do your fellow senior citizens.

When I watched students at the University of Phoenix cross the stage, I could see the pride of accomplishment on their faces. Talking to them and their family at the reception after the ceremony, I could see the pride and joy that radiated throughout the room and it was uplifting.

If you are finishing your high school or bachelor’s degree, congratulations, it takes hard work and sacrifice to achieve that goal. However, don’t be surprised if you fall in love with academic life.  As an educator for over 43 years, I believe that learning is tremendously addictive and you may wish to go on for yet more studies in fields of learning that have always fascinated you. 

If you want to study for the pure joy of learning, there are free or lost cost alternatives for you, However, nobody will turn away your tuition dollars if you just want to be in college for the pure joy of learning.  And you will be an inspiration to your family and your grandchildren as well as students when they see you succeed and they tell themselves, “If Granny/Grandpa can do it, so can I.”

Time to become creative

How many times when you were moving through the decades of raising a family and building a career did you say that you were going to write the greatest novel when you retired?  Now that you are retired and the time do you wonder if you could do it? Many of us, promised ourselves we would uncork all of that creativity we have been keeping pent up all these years and let it spill out onto the world.  So why not give it a try?  Nobody ever got hurt trying for greatness. Some of us may write, some of us may learn to play an instrument, some will paint, others will learn to sing, but all of us should try to uncork our creativity. If not now, when?

So, what if you don’t achieve “greatness”, this is a wonderful time to explore your creative side.  It might not be “the great novel”.  That phrase really is a way of expressing the fact that I believe we all have something creative and unique to give and this is our time to let them out.

The idea that writing, or painting, or acting or any of the creative arts are the venue only for the young has been proven wrong time and time again.  It seems creativity and creative expression really knows no age limits.  In the last few years, we have had Haley Joel Osment, Harrison Ford and Clint Eastwood all vying for the Academy award.  That makes a 10-year-old, a man in his late middle ages and a senior citizen all being evaluated by the same criteria for greatness in acting.   

In fact, it is notable that a few years later when Clint Eastwood won the Oscar for directing, he remarked that much older directors than him were still making their masterpieces.  So, he was a youngster in his 70s just getting started striving for greatness.  These are just a few examples to show that if these senior citizens can shine in their creative work late in life, so can you. 

Some of us are afraid of being embarrassed, don’t be, also don’t be afraid to get out there take the introductory classes in the art form you want to try out.  You may have always dreamed of painting.  Did you know that Picasso and Rembrandt did some of their finest paintings when they were older?  There are thousands of online courses for seniors, many are free or low cost,  in every discipline so if you are nervous about being the Grandpa or Grandma of the class find a class you’re your peers where you will get the respect you as a fellow artist and peer in the artistic community and no one will wonder or comment on your age.

This is not to say that writing or other forms of creative expression are not going to take work to master.  But in that department, you also have the inside track, you are no stranger to hard work.  You worked hard to raise a family, succeed in a career and provide for others all of your adult life.  Now its time to use some of that work ethic to let your own light shine and for a little while, let it all be about you.

Have you ever wondered?

Have you ever thought about why dogs are so quick to wag their tails and cats are so quick to purr? Even the ones that have been lonely, abused, and betrayed? 

Because, as is true of all animals, they were instilled with the distant awareness that no matter what the world shows them, they're still deeply loved and needed, that their presence alone has made a difference, and that in just the shake of a leg, seemingly without reason or rhyme, everything can FANTASTICALLY change for the better. 

As is true of all people, except sometimes we tend to forget.

Putting Your Affairs in Order

Moving into the final phases of life, calls for thinking about things that you might have put off before.  This includes many of life’s philosophical questions and looking back on life and thinking about what you did well and what you regret.  But aside from those reflective questions, there are some basic things you should do now to “put your affairs in order” so that in the event you come to that final day of your life, your children and those charged with such affairs know what to do.

It seems almost morbid to “put your affairs in order” early in your retirement life when you are healthy and active and there is no obvious threat that the end is near.  But these are not decisions that should be put off until your health begins to decline when you are significantly older.  These are decisions that call for a mature and thoughtful review by a retired boomer fully in command of his or her faculties.  That means that putting your affairs in order is something to do now and not procrastinate about.

After all, when you started a family, you didn’t wait until the children were grown to buy life insurance or think about their education.  You took care of that when they were still crawling around in diapers because that is what mature adults do.  So now its time to be a mature adult about the end of life paperwork so those affairs are in order and ready for when they are needed.  The kinds of end of life issues that should be decided paid for and settled now and by you include…

• The settlement of life insurance and who has the authority to close it out.
• Is your will up to date and correct?  This should be reviewed at least every two or three years even if your assets have not changed because there may be other details that should/could be altered. 
• Are your medical directives decided and signed?     In BC we have Representative Agreements that allow us to appoint someone to take charge of our health issues if we cannot speak for ourselves. You can also set up a DNR decision about whether you wish to have your life prolonged if you are on artificial life support after a catastrophic illness or injury. This is a “Do Not Resuscitate” order and what you decide will be the law to medical teams who are caring for you during those final days.   Don’t leave this decision to loved ones to agonize over when they will already be in emotional distress.  Be the adult and make those decisions now and make sure your children and loved ones know what your decisions are.
• You should also set up a Power of Attorney to have someone take care of your financial and legal affairs if you cannot speak for yourself.
• Are the proper legal documents for the disposition of business assets and how you wish to see other legal affairs handled properly documented and in good legal order?  A final review by your lawyers will give you peace of mind that these documents will not be susceptible to legal action after you are gone.
• Are you thinking about becoming an organ donor? If so, have you filled out the correct paperwork and let your family and friends know of your wishes?
• Do you have your funeral arrangements decided?  It is you who should decide where you will be buried, whether cremation is preferred and other details of the ceremony. If there are particular songs you want to have sung at your funeral, a church or minister you want to see handle the ceremony or other details that are important to you, document those so your loved ones can observe your wishes.  Many people prepay for the burial plot and casket in advance.  This is an act of love if you do this and take that burden off of your loved one’s minds.

Of all of the end of life decisions you will make, the most important one will be making sure all of these documents can be found and that you have carefully trained a trusted friend or relative in finding and executing these documents.  The last thing you want to have happen is for your children to have to hunt through boxes of old documents to find life insurance papers, your will or other important end of life documents. 

Create good legible copies that are legally correct and secure them where they are safe and easy to locate.  Go through them with your executor or who will be responsible for them so they know exactly how your will and other affairs should be administered.  And make sure everybody has copies including all of your children and everyone who is mentioned in the will.  In this way there will be no questions when the time comes and everyone will know what to do.