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For some, retirement may mean that it's time to slow down.
But that's not true for everyone.
Recent surveys
reveal that retirees are pitching their business cards and silencing their alarm
clocks to volunteer, pursue hobbies and go back to school. They are traveling
to places they didn't have time to visit when they were working. For some, retirement
is a growth opportunity, a time to pick up where they left off before work got
in the way of living.
In fact, many retirees are picking up
the pace and having a good time of it. "They have high expectations of something
special happening in this next chapter in their lives," says Ron Manheimer,
Ph.D., executive director of the North
Carolina Center for Creative Retirement at the University of North Carolina,
Asheville. "They know to expect and plan for two or three decades of a life
that is probably less centrally focused on work -- but may involve work -- a period
when they are looking to achieve more balance."
Manheimer
says retirement consists of several phases. "There is going to be an active
phase that will be similar to the life they are already leading, being very involved
in many activities that require physical and mental capabilities."
| Retirement gives you the time to fulfill lifetime
dreams. It's like reverting back to a childhood of play, joy and discovery. |
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| Slow down or pick up the pace? |
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Shedding
the old identity
Remaining active can do wonders for a retiree's
identity, which can be a real issue for those leaving the full-time workforce.
"So much of our identity is caught up in our job title, the company that
we work for, and our business card," says Joan Carter, a certified retirement
coach and co-founder of Life Options Institute and www.whatsnextinyourlife.com,
an online lifestyle resource for people over 50. "When people ask you what
you do, they ask 'who are you?' After you retire, you have to create a new identity."
Many people begin to pursue lifetime dreams in retirement
and this becomes their new identity. These dreams can be simple -- take up gourmet
cooking, join a book club, learn a new language.
Or they can
be complex. For instance, Bruce and Sandie Tanner left Greenville, Ohio, 16 years
ago and founded the Tanner Romania Mission in Nicoresti, Romania, which is now
home to more than 33 disabled orphaned children. "The more we give to these
handicapped children, the more we get back. We have never regretted our move,"
says Sandie Tanner. "We love our life and are so happy that we made this
decision. It brings fulfillment and reason to our retirement."
Giving
the gift of time
A recent AARP survey of 60-year-olds reports that
47 percent of respondents want to devote more of their time to volunteering. Donating
time can help retirees connect with people who share their interests while helping
others.
Sonny Sumampow from Freehold, N.J., was a paratrooper
in the U.S. Army before working for Consolidated Edison for 28 years. He now volunteers
as chairman of the 82nd Airborne Division Association in Central New Jersey. The
group acts as the Color guard at parades, visits hospitalized soldiers, sends
packages overseas and sponsors an annual barbecue for families who reside at Fort
Dix military reservation. |
