Your purpose or goal(s) in retirement

L

LoveTulips

Senior Member
Location
British Columbia, Canada
So the first year of my retirement, I felt incredible, not having to get up in the morning, not going to work, wow!! Second year of retirement, trying different things - volunteering ( that did not work out as I was working in an office as a volunteer (they should have been paying me :ROFLMAO:and at one time being a greeter at the Seniors' Centre, bored out of my mind).

Don't want to volunteer for some other interesting positions because I would have to take transit, which is money I prefer to save. I tried joining the Art Group, the Quilting Group and the Singing Group at the Seniors' Centre. Art Group, too cliquey, the Quilting Group, too impatient with me as a beginner, the Singing Group, too boring - if I have to sing Sweet Caroline one more time, I will scream. Now in third year of retirement, I thought to attend church services, but there are some discrepancies between the way I think about certain issues as opposed to the Catholic Church.

Anyways, I don't want a part-time job in case someone suggests that here. And I don't wish to join a more liberal minded church, as I was born Catholic. Also we (hubby and myself) have no money to travel.

Also I thought of having goals - such as learning to draw to an expert level. However, I cannot focus on one hobby at at time and never have been able to focus on only one hobby. I love to draw in graphite, paint landscapes, paint portraits, quilt, crochet, paper quilling, do colour pencil portraits, etc. I have many, many art and quilting courses I have purchased online.

So here I am in my third year of retirement, and I have decided that my purpose in retirement is challenging myself to improve in all of my hobbies as long as I enjoy them.

I figure this is the time not to put pressure on myself to get upset with myself because I don't have one purpose or one goal. I mean really, how much time do any of us have to enjoy life after retirement? My best friends all died at 60 years old, 63 years old, and 65 years old.

Do any of you have a purpose in retirement of goal(s) in retirement. I would really like to know.
 

Retirement is a gift of time- a time to do whatever you want. If you want to volunteer-that's great, but don't look at volunteering as just having "something" to do. Don't ask why, but I got interested in Ancient Egypt. I read about Egypt. I watch videos on Egypt, I visit museums with Egyptian artifacts, because I want to. It's fun for me. You have to find something that you want to do. It could be whatever- maybe you had a childhood fascination in Japanese puppetry???? It's whatever gives you pleasure.
 
The first thing I did in retirement was travel. Over the next 12 years, we traveled a total of over 500 days on 47 trips.
In between trips, I volunteered as a pilot for Angel Flight West, flying 110 missions with patients.
I also volunteered on a tourist railroad as a conductor.
 
survival mode.jpg

I had trouble giving myself permission to just slow down and enjoy. I kept this meme to remind myself that this is "my time" and it is perfectly acceptable to just enjoy my self and do what I want. I have worked and saved, raised children, done volunteer work and donated time and money. This is my time to enjoy just being me, and that is OK.

Do what makes you happy.
 
Aunt Bea said:
I’m not sure that I need a purpose, my only real goal is not to become a burden on the people that I care about.

I’m perfectly content to putter around and live a quiet drama free life.
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Another winner from Aunt Bea. Agree 100%

Regarding volunteering -- I tried to volunteer for a state-run hospice center. The idea was to take our certified therapy dog to various patients and be the conduit for the dog -- Zoey in this case -- to offer her special talents.

I went through the mandatory "orientation" (which lasted 4 hours) and the organization demanded all manner of information -- background checks, TB inoculations, the name of my first-born male child, driver's license number, proof of auto insurance, the list went on and on and on.

I put up with that BS for a year, then when they wanted to rinse and repeat, I told them, No. And I offered my thoughts that the lawyers have too much control over a VOLUNTEER gig that shouldn't be nearly that arduous.
 

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