What to do if you’re not working

InMaricopa.com runs, on a regular basis, opinion pieces submitted by community members. The following article is the opinion of the author, and does not necessarily reflect the views of InMaricopa.com.

The question is: what do you do after you retire? Depending on whether it is a desired or planned retirement, or one that is both unplanned and unwanted, may result in different answers. Hopefully, a person with a planned retirement will have anticipated it and will not even have to ask the question. However, most of us have not planned that far ahead in our lives.

Retirement can be the end of our work life, due to attrition, lay off or disability. It is easier to call it retirement than saying anything else.

So what do you do without a “plan?” Besides the obvious (make a plan), there are many avenues to fill time in productive ways.

Websites generally say most people go back to work. The second thing people do is volunteer. To find a place to volunteer, check with everyone you know or search volunteering online. Don’t have a computer? Check with your local library. They usually have terminals for checking things on the Internet. If you don’t know how, ask someone for help; most people are more than happy to show someone how to get around on the computer. Also, while at the library, check out and read a book you find interesting.

Some other ideas are: buy a computer and learn how to use it. Play games online or learn how to chat with others.

Maybe looking back in time at what you did before you even started working might give you an idea. For example, baseball may have been a big part of your life at one time, so why not be a spectator? Playing at the age of 65 might not work as well as it did when you were 12.You might walk over to your local park and watch a little league game. If the weather doesn’t cooperate for outdoor activities, go to the mall or a local store. Walking around someplace like Wal-Mart or the mall will let you get some needed exercise. A pedometer doesn’t cost a lot. Going before the stores open may help keep spending in check.You can always join a gym and get in shape.

Phone a friend. Even if you cannot go anywhere, a nice conversation helps fill time and will give you something else to think about. As far as maintaining your sanity, get out of the house once a day. Get the mail, walk around the block or sit in the back or front yard for awhile just to have a change of scenery. If you are able to go out, meet someone for coffee or lunch. Dinner is always the most expensive meal of the day, and being on a fixed income shows us how to save money.

Make a list of household things to be done and check them off as they are completed. Cleaning closets and cupboards, even the garage, are not things we like to do every day, but it needs to be done sometime. Break chores down so hours are not spent doing everything at once. It doesn’t matter how much you do at one time as long as the whole project gets done eventually. Remember, there is no hurry to finish. As long as it gets done, who cares how long it takes.

Field trips with friends and local clubs will provide many outings, as well as joining groups with whom you share a common interest.

There are many people looking for things to do, and many things to do – if we use our imaginations.

Lynn Grant took early retirement due to disability in 2001 when she was in her early 40s.

Photo by Joyce Hollis

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