The power of purpose in your retirement years

Welcome to our golden years of retirement living. These older years of our daily living can present different types of challenges for any of us. Now I am nearly a silver seventy, I must say that I have nothing to complain about as I sit and write today. Personally, I have found the benefits of having a rewarding focus for each week.

It is like a mini bucket list. Lots of retirees have a bucket list. For some, it is simply enjoying kicking back and relaxing, in between doing their wish list. We should all take time to cruise along, with our senior experiences.

We can all dwell on our past, but we seek some wisdom to put our brains to better use. Retirees I know in their golden years join their local community groups, such as U3A or Probus. There a range of activities and interest-based clubs gather regularly. Older ladies and dudes can build on their hobbies and past times, or acquire new undiscovered talents.

Examples of my friends’ and senior relatives’ groups include cycling, golf, guest speakers, walking, book clubs, choirs, poetry and writing, lunch clubs, films, bus trips, archery, guitar and jazz groups, cooking, even a wine drinkers’ club not far away. Hope they go home with designated drivers. One lady pal does aqua aerobics, very energetic. Lots of ways to maintain wellbeing, with positivity.

I must say, putting on my togs again is definitely not on my bucket list. To me, anything rates better than hydrotherapy, embarrassing to say the least. That was right there in the boondocks, displaying thunder thighs. With my slight mobility issues, I do more sedentary past times. Like my lady friends in my craft group, we do chick creativity for our individual charities.

That is like volunteering for introverts, with chick power. Weekly, we meet for magical times with coffee fun. We all said we would do the dusting at the end of the next row, about seven years ago! I suppose for future raising of our awareness of individual differences, we might welcome any male who wished to embellish his handcrafting, but it is our female haven.

But then I realise many golden oldies in or near retirement age are really on struggle street. Experts state that nearly one in four Australians of our age, or younger, are living in poverty. They worry about substandard housing, not affording food due to the cost of living, or about not being able to afford their bills at all, let alone on time.

So, whatever each individual can do, even crafting, can be a rewarding retirement donation to our nation’s struggle street. I do have now three older friends who donate their cooking abilities to make meals for homeless and needy citizens in diverse parts of our state. It is a challenge to such capable chefs. Their food kitchen receives invaluable donations of food from their local supermarkets. The food may be right on their use-by date. So, these ladies prepare tasty, hot, and nutritious dinners for others. Good for them, their charity efforts begin at home.

One noble ageing male, facebook friend these days, has started a fund page. For every birthday or Christmas, he asks his family and friends to give the cost of any gift to a campaign. His charity is to raise funds for fresh water wells, in third world villages in Australia’s region. That is one thing most of us do take for granted, turning on a tap with a safe and adequate drinking water supply from a nearby dam. That is his worthwhile focus in his later years.

One other noble lad retired. Apart from spending happy hours with his grandchildren, and his travel, he and his wife became friends of our city zoo. They campaign to support wildlife, breeding programs, and research into preservation of other species. If we have the time now, and we are keeping well, we can be quiet warriors for our causes for struggle street. These are only some retirement ideas, what can you suggest?