Explore your passions & hobbies in retirement
By Ron Settler
Are you one of those people who don’t want to retire? Perhaps you enjoy what you do and don’t want to quit. Maybe you don’t know what you would do if you retired so you just keep working. Sometimes people don’t retire because they don’t think they can afford it.
My father-in-law told me about a neighbour who passed away at 93. He was still saving for his retirement. Many farmers have farmed so long and worked so hard that they know nothing but farming. They don’t have a plan for what to do in their later years.
Over the years I’ve met quite a few retirees. Many were quite happy and some others you wondered if they were enjoying their retirement. Don’t forget that the couch and the TV kill more people than we think.
Regardless of how far you are in your career, you should have some thoughts about what you would want your retirement to be like.
Our time on this planet is limited and sooner or later, we’re going to go off to another place.
Every day puts us one day closer to our expiry date. Let’s see what a few people have done to enjoy retirement.
Travel
Want to see the world or parts of it? A great retirement plan! One couple we knew many years ago bought a new suburban and an Airstream trailer. They spent every summer for 10 or more years on the road.
Another couple lived in their motor home for many years.
A lady we knew who was single couldn’t wait to get into the new senior’s housing so she could travel and not worry about having to get someone to look after her house. I remember talking to her years ago when she was in her 80s. She was trying to find someone to go with her on a tour of the oil sands.
Another couple toured almost the whole continent in their camper van.
Drag racing
Our friend Ray Dueck has taken up drag racing. While he still is a key member of the farm team, he spends a lot of time fixing and racing his 1961 Ford he has owned since 1972.
He dragged it out of the caragana row in 2008 and with the help of a son-in-law and some nephews, they pulled out the 223 six-cylinder and put in a 429 V8. He’s been racing it since 2017 and it runs a quarter mile in 11.3 seconds. He’s raced it in a few different provinces. He says if it gets too loud, he just takes out his hearing aids. He’s found the racing community to be full of friendly people of all ages – many of them seniors.
Collecting
About 20 years ago, we visited a relative in Eastern United States where his neighbour showed us his two hobbies. His first hobby was collecting items and memorabilia from an obscure and now defunct railway. I think his father worked for this railway. He had amazing stuff, including paper cups with the railway’s name on it.
His second hobby has always stuck in my mind. He had a little HO model railway in the basement with a little town site on it. Along the tracks, he had built miniature models of all the buildings that were important to him in his life. He had the houses he had lived in, the train station in his hometown, the church he went to and many other places that were important to him. It was an interesting and special little town for him.
Another retiree we knew, a rancher, had a big collection of ranching and brand histories. Maybe you like collecting cars or tractors. Many retired people do this. However, if you don’t have the cash for the real thing, maybe you can collect model cars or tractors. They are easier to store and cheaper to buy than full size cars.
Hobbies
Another fellow we knew became an accomplished woodworker after he retired from farming. He could take a piece of ordinary wood, laminate it to another piece, turn it on the lathe and make the most beautiful things. His intarsia sculptures (sculptures made of various colours of wood) always sold for very high prices at the community auctions.
Another retiree we met from Manitoba when camping gave us several items he made from wood. He used to sell them at trade fairs but that became too much work so he just gives them away now. The bowl and stirring paddle are made from maple.
Another occupation
Sometimes a change is as good as a rest. One couple we know retired early and bought a coffee plantation in Costa Rica.
They seem to be enjoying life there and have dual citizenship. No need for winter coats and snow shovels.
Other people take part-time jobs in their retirement or make some spare cash with odd jobs or selling things at trade fairs. I met an interesting fellow who drove me home from a car dealership. He had been retired for years and spends his time as a shuttle driver.
Volunteering
Back in 1994 we spent two weeks doing repair work with the Mennonite Disaster Service in Alexandria, Missouri. The town was flooded in 1993. It was a great experience and a great working holiday. The couple who ran the crew of 20 or so were retired dairy farmers.
The man organized the work and helped with the repairs and the woman cooked for the crew. We all stayed in one house and it was an unforgettable good time. We met people from many places and helped make the world a little bit better.
There are many opportunities to volunteer all over the world or right at home. If you don’t want to travel, I’m sure there are seniors needing rides in your town. Many of our museums, parks and other public places are kept running with the help of volunteers. One of the retired farmers from our area volunteered at the Western Development Museum and helped with the restorations.
Athletic activities
I have absolutely no experience with sports or exercise, but I know people spend lots of time in their retirement playing sports or being physically active. I was telling one customer that I hadn’t run in years and he informed me that he started running marathons. He had just done a half marathon and walks 10 km a day. He is 78.
Another couple we know travel the world to bike and run in different places.
And if you like golf or curling, you can do those sports until late in life.
Choices
If you are retired, you have the time to do anything you enjoy, and you don’t have to worry whether what you are doing makes money or even makes sense.
Here are a few questions you need to ask yourself to help decide what works best for you.
What do you want to do?
This has to be somewhat practical but not always. If you are married, you should find something that you both can agree on doing. Your spouse may object to turning the spare bedroom into a roost for your racing pigeons. Or your idea of rebuilding motorcycles in the living room might be vetoed. Try and find a common hobby or pastime you both enjoy.
Do you like meeting people? Camping or travelling can be a very social experience if you make it that way. Or maybe you just like puttering around in your garden or shop.
What can you afford?
Many of us dream of the things we would like to have but reality usually interrupts. The enjoyment of retirement, like travelling, isn’t dependent on whether you travel first-class or coach. It’s about enjoying the experience. Whether you travel in a huge RV or a little converted van, it’s the places you will see that matter. Collections can be huge or small, but like what you collect. Don’t be scared to spend some money if you have it. Isn’t that why you worked so hard?
What are you able to do?
As we get older, we generally get a bit slower and have a few medical issues. Be realistic with your expectations. Maybe you can’t work your way around the world on a freighter in your 70s, but don’t wait too long to do those bucket-list items or you won’t be able to do them at all.
My dear wife retired from many years of keeping the books correct and up-to-date at our business and is now working harder than ever in the garden and has 15 hens to keep her busy.
And what about me, you ask? As I’ve passed the marker and am now receiving government handouts monthly, perhaps I should change my lifestyle.
Unfortunately I like the work I do (a man who loves his job never works a day in his life), but just want to do a bit less of it.
We’ll see how that works. I have a yard full of old cars I might fix someday, thousands of books to read, and collections of all kinds of “treasures” to enlarge.
While I get to that, enjoy the end of winter and plan your golden years. BF
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