must-do,might-do,may-do. Inother
words, setsomeprioritiesonyourretire-
mentactivity.There’snorightanswer,but
theactivity listneedsbalance, andyour
commitment to learning:Sure, readgood
books,butacquirenewskills,new ideas,
new things todo (note: stillhaven’t learned
bread-baking!). If theresearch isright, it’s
food foryourbrain, energy foryourbody
and joyandpurpose foryourheart.
Second,understand inadvance that
relationshipschange inretirement,with
partnersandother familymembers;with
friends; andwithco-workers. Icouldwrite
a lothere,but letme focuson the latter:
Iunderestimated the importanceof the
social lifeatwork, andIreallymissedall
mycolleagues.So if they’re important to
younow,figureoutaway tostay in touch,
be itviamonthly lunches, amorningcoffee
oranouting.
Third,make time forvolunteering.On
theInternet, it’snowsuper-easy tofind
organizations thatneedyourhelpacross
awiderangeof industries, fromschools to
social-servicegroups tochurchesandsyn-
agoguesand localgovernments.Theneeds
aregreat, andIsuggestyou trydifferent
opportunities tofind thebestfit.Youmay
surpriseyourself. I labored fordecades
withawhitecollar,butsomeof thebest
volunteerworkIdidwasbuilding those
rampswithpower tools.
Dr.KevinGilliland, aDallas therapist,
sums itupbest: “Weactuallyfind joywhen
wepursuemeaningful things,whenweare
active,notbybeing ‘carefree.’”There’sway
more tosay,ofcourse,butmaybe this little
essaygotyou thinking.Andremember
Howard:Keepmoving.
HEALTH
104
DECEMBER2015
AMERICANWAY
FRIENDSWHOWERESTILLWORKING
BUTSOONTORETIREKEPT
SAYING, “YOURLIFELOOKSREALLY
COOL.HOWDIDYOUDOIT?”
VolunteerOpportunitiesThatHelp
theCommunityandYourSoul
SeniorCorps
With specificprograms for volunteers
55 years andolder, SeniorCorps aims
to connect peoplewithorganizations
across the country, including a foster-
grandparent initiative and theRSVP
programbasedon life skills including
disaster relief, home repair and teaching
English.
Nationalservice.gov
GlobalVolunteers
Under theUnitedNationsChildren’s
Fund and theWorldFoodProgramme,
Global Volunteers offers trips across
seas that involve teachinggeneral
health care, nutrition, water and
sanitationeducation andenvironmental
projects, amongother opportunities.
Globalvolunteers.org
NationalParkService
Volunteer opportunities areplentiful
when it comes toour parks.Depending
on the state, a varietyof jobs— from
campgroundhosts toenvironmental
educators anddocents at historical sites
— areneeded year-round.
Volunteer.gov
Create theGood
TheAmericanAssociationof Retired
Persons startedCreate theGood
specifically for seniors looking to share
life skills and interests and to contribute
to society. Projects includehelpingout
at foodbanks (below), environmental
research,military aide, lessons on
avoiding fraud and starting community
gardens.
Createthegood.org
STAYING
ACTIVEAFTER
YOURETIRE
DR.ROBBRITTON
worked forAmericanAirlines
for22years, inavarietyofpositionsall across
theenterprise.Henowconsultsand teachesas
aguest lectureratbusinessschoolsworldwide
and liveswithhiswife, adultdaughterandyoung
granddaughters insuburbanWashington,D.C.
Takingupanew
hobby in
retirement can
keepyourmindand
bodyactive.
PHOTO
R ICHARD DRURY/AFP/GETTY IMAGES
