When one has completed a working lifetime, perhaps raised a family and paid off a mortgage, retirement may appear as a letdown: an end to a productive period of life; a time when you can only look back to what you achieved. All that has been important, and given you meaning and a purpose to live, has gone leaving only memories. Such thinking can lead to depression, to isolation and a feeling of worthlessness.
The alternative is to think of retirement (what a depressing word!), not as the end of your worthwhile life, but as the start of a different form of living. This is a unique time when you have the opportunity to be a different person. Perhaps someone who now has the time to be interested in world affairs, who can contribute to a community, who can pick up new skills and explore new areas of knowledge. It’s a little like Alice through the looking glass. For so long your nose was pressed to the glass, checking yourself daily and what you were achieving. Now the mirror has smashed and you are free to find out what lies behind.
Once through the retirement barrier, there is a wonderful world waiting to be explored. With a backpack full of unfulfilled needs and unexplored opportunities, you are free to go where your fancy takes you. But when walking through this new country, remember not to keep looking back: the view ahead is always better and anyway you might trip!
Renaissance not Retirement 