YOU’RE OFFICIALLY RETIRED! What’s in your bucket list?
At last, the most awaited moment of your life has finally arrived. You are now officially retired. Gone are the days of hustling the morning hours to go to work. No more traffic jam to battle everyday. You won’t see some colleagues anymore that you don’t like. No more programming the alarm clock and rush, rush, rush.
Did you have a retirement party? Was it held at the job or your family threw a big surprise on you?
Now that you’re retired, what activities you’ll be engaged in to occupy your time?
Based from my observations, I gathered a list of activities and routines that retired people usually engaged in.
ACTIVITIES AND THINGS TO DO AFTER YOU RETIRE:
PLAY BINGO/BRIDGE/MAHJONG 2 TO 3 TIMES A WEEK
You used to work more or less 40 hours a week. Now that you’re retired it will be shocking not to do something. Joining a group of fellow retired people has some kind of an appeal. It could be a group engaged in a weekly game of bingo or bridge. It can be held in a community center or it could be in a member’s house. You may not be familiar with those games but there are volunteers ( or maybe paid ) that will conduct lessons and teach neophytes. You won’t miss going to work if you can schedule a regular activity like this one.
PHOTOGRAPHY
If taking photos is something new to you, you can invest in a not so cheap camera for a starter. The more you become confident in taking cool and beautiful photos, then you can invest in a more sophisticated camera. What kind of objects appeal to you? You may find nature appealing. What about the wild outdoors? There’s a bunch of subjects you can shoot: flowers, insects, huge trees, mountains, people, cars, selfies, you name it. Taking photographs is one good way to occupy your time as a retired person.
TAKE A TRIP TWICE A YEAR, LOCALLY AND ABROAD
You have been longing to see the Niagara Falls. The popular Grand Canyon is on top of your list. It doesn’t hurt to target the Appalachian Trail. You have numerous places to choose from. If you are the adventurous type, rent an RV or just drive a car. Being retired you can decide how many days to spend in each place. And depending on your financial capabilities, you can plan to travel overseas. Eyeing on the Eiffel Tower perhaps? Or the London Bridge? Maybe you are into visiting museums. Visit them all.
If you have it in your heart, you can volunteer to help at mission houses. Maybe you love animals, there are a lot of shelters that would love to accommodate any help. You can choose to join a group visiting nursing homes. Make some lonely souls happy. Join any humanitarian group. This will require a commitment from you without expecting anything in return. No salary, no honorarium, no compensation whatsoever. You are donating your precious time and energy. But you know that you cannot put a price on that wonderful feeling of helping people.
BABYSIT
JOIN YOGA/PILATES CLASS AND GOLF CLUBS.
VENTURE ON A PROJECT
WEEKEND FISHING/HUNTING
PLANNING IS THE KEY TO KILL BOREDOM
Prior to retirement, you already knew the itinerary for each day. Now that your done working and stays home everyday, you’ll go crazy if there’s nothing to do to occupy your time. The activities above are something to think about. There are other things that can be added to the list. I just enumerated what I believe most retirees do. Consider gym membership, marathon, trail hiking, part time job, etc., anything to keep you busy.
If you plan to write about your chosen activities, be sure to include lots of pictures. That will keep your readers more engaged.
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