Eight years of retirement has taught me to pay attention to some rules. Each brings me with better days ahead.
Your first year of retirement will be foot-loose and fancy-free. Enjoy your first year; you deserve it. But, as time moves on, you’ll discover some challenges. You had no idea your pre-retirement years did not prepare you for this change.
In my first retirement year, I rested.
Then I had to be doing something. I drove for Uber and Lyft. Taking people to their destination was fun but not a money-making effort. Since I am a Christian minister, the local funeral director had me doing funerals. Both the ride-sharing and funeral gigs kept my social life throbbing. Then it became clear my wife needed my care. My life changed. Now I’m home 24/7. I now have the privilege of caring for the love of my life. She is my treasure.
I soon discovered I needed rules to guide me through the maze I was living in.
If you had not thought about any of these rules, maybe it’s time to take stock. In the work-a-day life we lived, we followed rules. Now, not so much, but we should.
1. So, rule one is to keep an active social life
One thing rampant among seniors is loneliness. An ongoing lack of social connection can be destructive. We’re going to have to fight loneliness.
You are apt to become a solitary person if you don’t take steps to avoid it. Yes, I know it’s easier to sit by a window reading a book than to go out and meet with some friends. But, force yourself; get the car keys, drive to the coffee shop and reminisce with a friend.
Pray that your loneliness may spur you into finding something to live for, great enough to die for — Dag Hammarskjold.
2. Rule number two is to keep a meal-time schedule
Our eating habits will change, and this will change our routine.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner no longer are the punctuation marks of your day. I found one hindrance to having a healthy lifestyle is not keeping a schedule. In our career days, someone kept us to a schedule. Now, we’re no longer bound to the nine-to-five. We’ve lost the perspective of how plans enhance our well-being. So, use your meal times to keep your life on track. Read the many benefits of having a routine from Northwestern Medicine.
“We always have dinner together as a family, even when our schedules are totally hectic. I inherited that from my mum, who would come home from her ad agency job to eat with us before going back to work” — Kim Raver
3. Rule number three is to move more, sit less
“My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the hell she is” — Ellen Degeneres.
Exercise is necessary but usually not a priority. Sleeping overtakes walking; not a good thing. It’s wintertime where I live. So easy to stay in the warm house. It’s a game my mind plays with my body. My body says “Listen up, Richard, you need to do your two-mile walk outside, now.” My mind does not agree. But, to stay healthy, my body wins the head game. I walk. Walking is a must since arthritis will rule instead of me. If you have arthritis, it would be good to read The Twelve Benefits of Walking.
4. Rule number four is personal hygiene
Taking care of our hygiene is an easy rule to omit from our retirement days. It has become an afterthought since we’re not going anywhere today. Besides, no one’s coming to visit us. So, no shower, shaving is optional and applying deodorant you think unnecessary. Think again. You don’t have to look your best anymore, but you should always smell your best. Taking care of hygiene is a half-hour ritual. You ignore this to your detriment.
“People often say that motivation doesn’t last. Well, neither does bathing — that’s why we recommend it daily” — Zig Ziglar
Here’s a primer on good hygiene by Health Direct.
Let’s recap:
- Keep an active social life.
- Keeping your meal-times will form a healthy schedule.
- Move more, sit less. Take a walk.
- Keep personal hygiene at the top of your day.
These four rules I follow every day. I’m sure you know other rules helping us retirees stay and look sharp. Let me hear them. I always enjoy reading your comments.
