Or “What’s your Purpose?’ part 2! Seriously, in my last blog post, I talked about what we as baby boomers do when our reality changes; when our identity as parents’ changes; when we have time to ourselves to be ourselves!
The problem for many of us is who are we really? When we are not the busy parents running children around or the stressed-out career person looking for a promotion and the next level of stress to climb to? Here is a key question to ask yourself:
What did I want to be and do when I was 10 years old?
Yes, that 10-year-old brain had ideas and dreams that were big (or modest) of a life yet to be lived. Well, now you have lived 2/3 of that life. How close did you come? Are you just where you thought and planned you would be? Have you done that and now look for something new? Or did you get completely off track of what you wanted?
I’m not saying we must completely change our lives. Or look back in disappointment. Life is life and we live it as it comes. The best laid plans……. Or my favorite: “Man plans, God laughs”. (He laughs at me a lot!) A life lived that resulted in a beautiful family or good job or fantastic memories is a good life!
The point is that this is our second chance at some of those dreams from your 10-year-old mind. What interested you at 10? Did you want to master the guitar? Go for it—it’s not too late. Did you want to be an Olympic gymnast? Well, that is probably not going to happen, but how about taking some yoga or weight training classes. It’s not too late to be in shape. Here are some ideas of where to find your passion:
Learning
- Local colleges often have community classes and some even have senior oriented classes in topics as diverse as Astronomy, Biology, Mathematics and Foreign Languages. You know you always to learn French, right? Here’s your chance!
- There are so many free classes online these days. Check out this link to an article with a whole list of them. Work at your own speed, take them with you to the beach or the mountains…..
- Learn a craft. Join a dance class. Become a gourmet cook or a wine expert. Use your camera for beautiful photos. There are so many local classes through city park departments or YMCAs.
Sports/Fitness
- Jump on that bike again and learn to enjoy the feel of the wind in your hair. Many cities have extensive bath paths and even mountain biking trails.
- Learn to kayak or sail.
- Take fitness classes at the YMCA or a local gym.
- Sign up for Tai Chi in the park.
- Get a personal trainer and weight train in earnest. Those muscles will come in handy to keep you fitter and safer!
- My personal favorite—go hiking! There’s nothing like the woods and a trail though the quiet.
Travel
- Now that you have the time, no kids and hopefully, the money to travel—do it! Whether your passion is for foreign travel or local camping, go somewhere you always wanted to go. We can’t see every place we are curious about, but we can try to visit a few.
- Cruises are awesome—my favorite vacation! Try one if you haven’t gone before.
- Camping is still fun—take your grandkids. They will love it and their parents will appreciate the time alone!
- Speaking of grandkids—see if you can get everyone together for a trip to Disney. Memories that will stay with your grandchildren forever!
- Set a goal—Rory and I are planning on lots of hiking in National Parks when we stop working. By the way, the Senior Pass, which is lifetime, is going up in price on August 28th, so order yours now!
Volunteer
- Take your expertise and put it to use. Teach English to new immigrants, mentor a fatherless or motherless child as a Big Brother/Sister or sign up to work the line at your local food bank. There are so many wonderful opportunities to volunteer in every town across America, and retirees have the time to spend. At Hope House, I work with over 40 volunteers—all of whom are retired.
- Become a foster parent. This is a big commitment, but if your heart is still yearning for little feet in your home, give it some thought.
- Whatever cause you care deeply about—find a way to volunteer in that area. Plant trees, clean parks, etc.
If you let your 10-year-old mind go free, you will discover your passion. I’m sure many of you have been fostering this all your life, but now—you have time to really go for it! Above all, don’t let declining health and energy become an excuse to shrivel up into an “old” person! We are boomers—we don’t shrivel!
Passionately loving my amazing grace filled life!