Retirement

I read an article recently that offered four ideas about how to spend your time in retirement.

The co-authors suggested that life in retirement is probably pretty similar to the life we lived while we were in the work force.

If we were busy then, we will probably stay busy now by wrapping a structure around our days, filling the hours with plenty of activities.

For others, retirement becomes, using the authors’ words, a “long vacation.”

A third way to enjoy retirement is to delve deeply into the contemplative, spiritual and religious sides of our lives; that’s something we may have been unable to do as working folks.

The fourth way is “giving back,” which means finding ways to help the larger community, ways that were not possible when we were concentrating on our jobs.

I was intrigued by the article and set it aside after I read it. I’ve given it a lot of thought, and partially agree with the writers, and partially disagree with them.

Now that I have lived nine months as a retired person, making me a quasi expert, I suggest that the successful retired life has all four elements in it.

In life, balance is everything, and that probably includes retirement.

We need to figure out how to balance all four, maybe not into each day but hopefully into each week and definitely into each month.

It’s not a bad idea to take a look at other retirees and see how they are living their lives.

Everyone said my husband’s grandmother, Mimi, would never be able to retire. For many years, her work meant everything to her, and she was very good at it. She proved everyone wrong when she ended her career and soared into a very successful retirement. I think she was successful because she was able to balance the four elements.

In retirement she enjoyed her newly-acquired leisure time by working in her garden. She became an active community volunteer, giving hours of her time to local organizations. I still remember the care she gave to a dear friend with horrendous health problems.

Mimi seemed to thrive as the worries and problems of the workforce evaporated from her life.

I think God will lead us in our days, if we just ask.

And so will the Blessed Mother.

When I was a teenager wearing my blue uniform blazer and plaid skirt, I started every school day praying “The Memorare,” the beautiful prayer to Mary, along with my classmates in homeroom. I recently started praying it again, and was struck by the words “never was it known that anyone who fled to thy protection, implored thy help, or sought thy intercession was left unaided.”

Wow! What a hopeful prayer. It’s a wonderful prayer for academy girls, young mothers with toddlers, empty nesters and even old retirees as we venture into unexplored places.