Retirement is a very first world and recent thing, really only beginning to take form in the late 19th century. People used to work until they couldn\u2019t work. Or passed away. It\u2019s not something forced upon you if you are unemployed, like me. I have no employment contract that dictates to me when I must vacate the office. People like me, or \u2018self-employeds\u2019, stop working when they choose to, or can, or don\u2019t. But the reality is that this space of life might arrive on all of us at some time, even if only due to lack of health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I pick up here on my last thought of last week: what are we going to do with it, with ourselves, our minds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There are potentially heavy sides to retirement. The illusion of endless leisure (the lack of structure can become a stress of boredom); the reality of loneliness; missing a sense of purpose; you might not miss working, but you might miss mattering; the fear of becoming obsolete; the strain on relationships.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
We need to find purpose. We need to provide stimulation for our minds. We need a hobby of sorts. Not just golf once a week or cycling twice a week. Need more. There are things that also don\u2019t require too much money, or any at all. You might just have to look.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For me, opening my toolbox and servicing or fixing a motorbike is very relaxing and at the same time, often includes problem solving. For which the Americans and Aussies have produced U-Tube clips to fix anything.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Model plane building can be an excellent idea. Or sowing and knitting. These activities keep the mind sharp. They provide a focus, cause patience, exercise sequence, provide fine motor co-ordination exercises, they give purpose. Obviously the eyes need to be working.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe you can do woodworking or take it up. You get to go outside to your garage or workshop every day. You have \u2018a place to go to\u2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Join your local rotary or participate administratively in a club or a church.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Learn to understand cricket, so that you can enjoy watching it on TV. The process and strategy will be good for the mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Maybe you\u2019re a fisherman. It\u2019s good for patience. Gives your mind space. Making your own flies can be a hobby.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Working gave you conversation. It gave you company: on the way to the toilet; in the kitchen getting coffee; someone to complain to about the boss. Now you might have to rediscover or work on or create friendships. This can be scary and feel lonely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Getting a dog can help here. The companionship this creates is healthy. And you know what happens when you walk your dog: it\u2019s a licence for people to talk to you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Work at choosing happiness. And joy. And not complaining and being negative. We alienate ourselves from other people and friends if we do this too much.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Hopefully somewhere some of these thoughts will mean something to some of you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Retirement, a relatively recent concept, brings challenges like boredom, loneliness, and loss of purpose. It’s crucial to find stimulating hobbies beyond occasional sports, such as woodworking, model building, or engaging with community groups. Building friendships, staying active, and cultivating happiness are essential to navigate this life transition meaningfully.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-252","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-thoughts"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=252"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":253,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252\/revisions\/253"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=252"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=252"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kevinmurray.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=252"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}