I think I’m getting there but it hasn’t always been an easy road and some of the lessons I learned took some understanding. When I left full-time paid employment I told colleagues I was going to sit under a tree and sip wine. How naive can you get? In truth any attempt at an alternative lifestyle takes more time and energy than you would imagine. If its comfort you want then stay in the centrally heated, salaried luxury of mainstream living for as long as you can. Personally, I wouldn’t go back there for all the tea in China. The starting point for me was to understand just how lucky we are:
But retirement can be a double edged sword. On the one hand you have the freedom to do whatever you want, whenever you want to do it. On the other hand, your job, your status and maybe even your identity has been taken away. Last year you were a senior member of a company, a teacher or a public servant. This year, you’re just another old guy walking down the high street on a Thursday morning. How do you cope with that?
So, the trick is to prepare and plan for new activities that will allow you to maintain self-respect. These activities must be important to you. In short, you need a project or two; something that matters, something that gets you out of bed in the morning, something that drives you – something that you can feel passionate about. When you find that, you’ll also find that the weekend golf or tennis is enjoyable again – as a fun activity, not a job replacement strategy.
So, how does it work for me? Well, although I stopped working for the man sixteen months ago, I haven’t yet managed to describe myself as ‘retired’. I downsized my house and bought two other houses, one in the UK which I rent out. The other, here in France, is my home. I bought it in need of renovation and I’m still digging trenches, hammering, plastering, plumbing and painting – skills I have had to learn.
As for the boat, well, I’m renovating her too. And there is a sense of urgency because I want to launch her within the next few months so I can get some serious cruising done this year. In truth, when you add the vegetable garden and the hens into the equation, I’m probably working harder now than when I had a full time job but the rewards are greater and more tangible too.
I used to describe myself as a Civil Servant – now I’m a self-employed property developer, boat-builder, blues guitarist and hen keeper, not really retired but in receipt of a good pension – and happier than I have ever been. If you ever find yourself in a small town called Plouer sur Rance, look me up. Maybe we’ll find time to sit under a tree for a while.
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