It was what you might expect to see at a baby shower. The guest came in smiling and barring gifts. Onesies, romper sets, baby bottles, car sits, baby baths, t-shirts, blankets and all sorts necessities for babies were wrapped in blue, yellow, or mint paper (not pink because it had been announced that twin boys were expected) with designs of balloons, dots and swirls, or some baby animals like puppies, giraffes, bears, or, even cartoon looking cars and trucks. This shower celebration had an optional “entry” ticket. Guests had been asked to bring a package of baby diapers for which they would be given a ticket for a prize drawing. Apparently most of the guest wanted to participate, so the pile of diaper packages grew quite high. Someone joked that after the arrival of the twins, the diaper bounty should last at least, well, a couple of months.
The stage was being set for a new beginning. After the initial realization that a new life was being developed, followed by months of planning for the new babies, family and friends had gathered to fill the nursery with the things need to support the new people coming on the scene.
Have you set up for your new beginning? There was the retirement celebration. There were a few gifts. Co-workers, family and friends extended words of congratulations for hours and hard work done for the past 20, 30, or 40 years or so. At least one person expressed their envy of you for no longer having to rise and shine on Monday mornings, ride in bumper to bumper traffic, and then take your position on the job at the expected start time and hang in there until it was time to quit for the day. Many had asked, ” So, what do you plan to do with all that work-free time?”
You might have answered, “Oh travel, (or play golf, clean out the garage, volunteer at the elementary school).” Some of us prepare years to be able to meet the financial needs that come during retirement. We might even think we know how we’re going to fill in the hours. But once into retirement you may find that the possibilities may be limited by finances, by health issues, by family needs. You made up a list of things to do in retirement but now you are no longer interested in doing some of those things. You’d rather look around for different experiences. The most undesirable thing that happens is to find that having so many unstructured hours leaves you bored or maybe just mildly dissatisfied with your lifestyle.
If you find yourself watching a lot (A LOT) of television, sleeping long into the mornings, wasting time staring up and down the block just to see another soul, don’tt want to count another knit one, purl one sequence, then you may need to start setting up for a new beginning.
It is never to late to start again. Let me know your first thoughts on how you might transform your retirement days.
Gwen Told Me 