Last time I discussed many retirees seeming obsession with attaining the “good life,” only to wind up disillusioned and dissatisfied. And yet, while retirement is nowhere mentioned in the Bible, we also know that, as we age, we can’t continue at the break-neck speed we may have worked during our careers. So, what can one do?
Many people get to an age, whether we call it retirement or not, when it is time for them to shift gears. One such individual is a man named John Kerr. When he was a boy he wanted be either a fireman or a park ranger. However, he went into broadcasting, where he spent his 40-year career. When retirement hit, he found himself idle for a few weeks and then decided to travel to see some friends. On his way, he stopped at the Yellowstone Park Foundation. He discovered that the park was hiring people to educate park guests on wolves. He signed up. The short version of the story is that he ultimately became a park ranger.
Bill is a friend of mine who retired from the Post Office and is now a docent at the zoo, working with school age children. Or Steve who retired and now volunteers two days a week at a Head Start program. Others have retired from education but now volunteer to read to elementary students. Some have even left administrative positions to become fitness instructors.
Whether you shift gears into another career or you help raise your grandkids, you still have it in you (health allowing) to do an encore presentation. There is no reason to stop impacting lives. You can still make a difference.