Golden Years

Earning the Right to Do What You WantEveryone has their own definition for the term the ‘golden years’. Some are talking about the best days of their life or the most memorable ones. But the actual definition explains the golden years as the time of life after retirement from active work. These would be the years that you no longer have to go into the office or deal with that unruly employee. At this point in your life all you have to worry about is you and your family. This is a time to not take advantage of. You may feel out of it for a little while after retiring, but then when you see what the world has to offer for you, you will never wish you can go back.This is the time to do all the things that your life before retirement made you too busy or tired to do before. You can do a multitude of things in the golden years that you couldn’t do when you were still a part of the work force. You are no longer on someone else’s dime or on anyone else’s time! So before you just head out to the world sit down and give a deep thought as to the things you wish could have done, but never had the time or money to do.Some people choose this time to fall off the grid for a small period of time. Since they have been taking care of other people’s needs and wants for so long, they want to spend some time with just themselves and maybe the people they love the most. If this happens do not take it offensively. Try to think of how you would feel at that point. They will come back around eventually.A few great ideas for activities after retirement are golfing, dance classes and vacationing with the family. Golf has always been a leisurely sport. It is a sport where you can get physical exercise while still catching up with people without loosing your breathe. If you do not know how to play golf it is a fun sport to learn. Taking a few lessons and then hitting the green with some friends never hurt anyone. Dance classes are a great way to get physical exercise and meet other great people. You can take salsa classes, swing dancing classes or even ballroom dancing. It is a great way to keep you body and brain moving while still having a great time.Vacationing is always a win. Going on vacation with your family or loved one is even better. Taking a casual stroll down the beach on some island in the middle of nowhere or going horseback riding up in the mountains are a great way to relax and have fun. There is always the option of hanging out poolside with a mai tai as well. Delicious and fun! Amusement parks are always a fun get away especially if there are kids in attendance for this fun get away. There are plenty of things for people of every age to do in these arenas. In some amusement parks you can grab a glass of wine while the kids are off on the roller coasters unless you are a hip grandparent like a lot of them are and you want to join them in the festivities.Some people write up something called a bucket list, which is essentially a list of activities or things you want to do before you die. Sometimes, coming up with a list like this can make it a bit easier on you when you are off to the golden years, because you then have ideas of the things you want to do. Start out by writing down five to ten things you have always wanted to do and start from there crossing one off after the other. You can always choose to add on to this list. Just make sure you get around to the higher priority ones!