Will our retirement years be golden? Like any other thing, it will depend on how we plan.
“Golden years” is synonymous with retirement. Who invented the expression? We have to go back to 1959 for the answer.
It all happened in Sun City, Arizona. The first-ever large-scale retirement community was ready for launch. The marketers came up with “golden years” to convey the next phase of life – a time of leisure and relaxation. Back in those days, people retired at 55 years old. They could look forward to 8 years of retirement. Retirement then was “too old to work, too young to die.”
Fast forward to today. The retirement age is 65 years old (still going up slowly), and people can expect another 20 years. And that is a lot of time for leisure, relaxation and taking it easy! Look at it this way, the years in retirement could exceed all our years in primary, secondary, and tertiary education!
Why not look at retirement as a “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity to reorganise our lives – and enjoy it the way we want? Retirement can be wonderful – we are free to structure our unstructured time. Our parents structured our childhood, and our jobs structured our adulthood! We are now essentially free to do our thing!
When I started out planning my retirement, I had a framework to help me generate ideas. This framework covers three areas: personal aspirations, family/friend relationships, and community activities. And, one theme that strings them up – spend my time in harmony with people.
My study was a convenient starting point. While decluttering, I found my old “Rudiments and Theory of Music”. I rediscovered music! I started to play music again after almost 40 years, went for lessons and played music with others! What a wonderful experience!
I decided I should continue to work part-time. I have opted for a flexible arrangement of working 30%. I can contribute to training residents in Radiology and enjoy interacting with younger colleagues. I recommend part-time work.
I have more time with my family now. I go for pretty long walks with my wife. I have taken over buying groceries and (believe it or not!) cooking for the family! I am also responsible for take-away meals. Reconnecting with old friends and staying connected is such a pleasurable experience. When we work full time, we have very little time left over for them.
I volunteer in the Mind Science Centre, National University of Singapore. I give talks and support research initiatives. Recently, we started this blog to help seniors age well. Being a volunteer, it’s good for our well-being and the well-being of others.
Since “losing my job” from the university (the compulsory retirement is 67 years old), I have reorganised my life. And I am happy! It is almost unrecognisable from my working days as Professor of Radiology.
I have reinvented myself. I will continue to have updated versions to suit the unfolding seasons of my golden years.
Vince
Dr Vincent Chong is a retired Professor of Radiology at Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore.
