Time can mean so much

 Time is different in later life. Having expended so much energy in our youth, we are less willing or unable to summon the energy and enthusiasm for a repeat of earlier initiatives. As we reinvent ourselves when we retire, we may gaze upon the paraphernalia of our prior employment, such as tools, books, and credentials and struggle to come to terms with the probability that these will no longer be needed as we move forward. These props can evoke nostalgia for the end of a career even though some of us will retain them in the faint hope that they might once again become useful.

Some of us do not retire. Some of us shift to part-time work and thereby avoid some of the difficulties experienced by those who leave their former careers entirely behind. Because of the high value placed on work in our society, those retirees who have problems developing new initiatives may experience guilt about whether they are doing enough. But it can be difficult to follow through on initiatives because many in our society expect seniors to confine/herself to lives centred on recreation, relaxation, and travel.

It is important, nevertheless, for those of us who have retired to search for meaningful projects and recreational activities if we have set up the money we need for retirement. Significant initiatives in later life are different from those of the earlier stages. If finances are adequate, meaning and life satisfaction–rather than economic necessity and ambition–are more likely to be the criteria that influence their choice of activities, projects, or employment. Time and health are important as we look for ways to make our life meaningful in retirement.