The Big “6 – 0”

You wake up one day and realize that, wow,  time has flown past really fast.  You reminisce about your younger days in elementary, secondary,  and even college. (that’s the first stage) The second stage of life is your focus on career, family and trying to achieve life goals.  Now the third being retirement.  All this depends on how you analyze your stages in life.  

The moment you have been  dreaming of is here. The moment has come (or almost here) to retire. Retirement is a new chapter of life:  This retirement stage is a blank canvas on which you can paint whatever you choose, so start reshaping your life. This is the time when you stay in bed as long as you want, a time when you do whatever you want all day long.

This is a new stage transitioning from a busy working life being up and about to a more solitary lifestyle. You become more aware of your mortality as well, so make each day count, live it fully, relax and enjoy yourself, and furthermore, things that seemed vital when you were younger no longer seem all that important anymore.

Have you ever wondered how quickly the years have gone by and what it is that you have accomplished in life?  At 60, It makes no sense to reminisce about the past or wish you could magically go back in time to alter  what you did or didn’t do in order to make  your life better at age 60. (How comical)

The choices you made in your earlier years may or may not have influenced the quality of life in your later years. Some people evaluate their lives based on their  achievements or how charitable they have been.  “What have I done in those 60 or so years that I have walked on the face of the Earth?”  is an important question to ask yourself. It doesn’t have to be something major;  a kind word of advice or a helping hand can make a huge change in someone’s life.  However, you can use your life experience to be a mentor to younger people once you retire. It will give you satisfaction to know that you are still needed and that your experiences gained through life might be of value and inspiration to others. 

People, I imagine, want to live to a ripe old age, so that they can see their  grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and perhaps even great-great-grandchildren.

Spend your extra time with family, particularly your grandchildren  (if you have any), taking them out for ice cream and having fun with them.  I am sure you will be remembered as a grandparent who spent time with them and taught them significant life lessons.