As you get older, without you knowing it, you invite your world to become smaller. At first, you might stop doing things because they used to be fun but now seem like work. At the same time, you might stop joining new things, such as new clubs, classes, new hobbies, new friend groups, or going to new places.
You may stop doing things that feel like they are no longer comfortable physically, like sitting on the floor, taking those steps instead of waiting for that elevator, trying a new sport. You no longer challenge your body. You like easy and comfortable!
Eventually, your mind follows your body. You hold on to the same comfortable opinions and ideas. But it is a new world, and new ideas that are challenging the old. New things are happening around you every day, but you have closed your point of view, not allowing new ideas and new ways of doing things into your perspective. So, your world is getting smaller, and you may begin to feel invisible, irrelevant, and have difficulty finding joy and purpose in today’s world.
But once you become aware of the small ways every day that you are doing this, you do have the power to open your world again. Often, this happens after retirement. Just because you are retired does not mean that you cannot have new goals and achievements. Now is the time that you can look to the things that you never had the time for or had the financial means to pursue earlier in your life. Was there another career path you often wished you had taken? It may feel like it is too late, and it is true that you may not be able to pursue it in the same fashion you would have as a full career, but you now may still be able to be part of that world in other ways.
For instance, did you always want to be a lawyer? Volunteer at a Community Mediation Center. Wish you had gone into the medical field as a doctor or nurse? Volunteer or become a member of an Auxiliary Board at your local hospital. Always wanted to be in the arts? Seek out local theater groups, become a tour guide at a local museum. Love animals? You could volunteer at your local SPCA or animal rescue. The possibilities are endless, and there is always a way to pursue your interests, but you have to have a little want to inside of you.
Staying active physically will go a long way toward giving you the energy to open up your life to new things. If you were a runner when you were younger, don’t stop—change from running to walking. Change from high-intensity workouts to yoga. Change sports from tennis to pickleball.
Open your mind to the world around you. Make the effort to consider new ideas and new points of view. Experiment with new things. Learn more about social media, apps, AI, and online classes. It is a big, beautiful world out there, don’t miss a thing.
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