Retiring puts you at the threshold of new opportunities. Without the obligation of a regular work schedule, you’ll have time to pursue new interests and reacquaint yourself with hobbies that you’ve abandoned due to a lack of time. There are many ways to stay actively involved in your community in your retirement years.
Explore the civic organizations in your community until you find the group that you feel most comfortable becoming a part of. Now that you’re retired you can be an asset to a civic organization by helping with fundraisers, serving as an advocate for the organization or assisting with clerical duties. Having some extra time on your hands puts you in a position of having extra time to prepare food for bake sales or fundraising meals.
There are many opportunities available that enable you to use your previous work experience to help others. Volunteering to help with a tax preparation program for seniors is one possible opportunity. Information on that opportunity can be found at AARP. You might want to pursue the possibility of volunteering as a salesperson in a hospital gift shop, animal rescue thrift store or senior center gift shop if you enjoy meeting new people.
There are lots of ways you can remain active in your community while helping animals. Rescue groups need volunteers to foster animals, take adoptable animals to adoption fairs, help with socializing animals, volunteer at pet fairs, take dogs on a walk for exercise and to assist with clerical duties or physical chores at the rescue center or shelter.
Whether or you live in quality assisted living in AZ or anywhere else, there is definitely something for you to do. You don’t have to feel isolated and it’s important that you find ways to stay actively involved in your community. If you have a hobby such as knitting or crocheting, connect with a group that distributes handmade blankets, hats, booties or crocheted toys to infants in the hospital, a children’s home or to the homeless. It may be possible for you to accompany them when they deliver the handmade items. Use your artistic skills, writing skills, jewelry making skills or any other specialized hobby that you have the space to work on, to make items to donate to local organization’s fundraising events.
Retiring is simply a new phase in life. Keeping active is one of the best ways to enjoy retirement to its fullest.
Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake.