by Kyle Sadler
And don’t forget, by being a nanny to the grandkids, you are saving Mom and Dad a lot of money on daycare. Ask for a little financial consideration for your time and efforts.
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Visiting Friends and Family
Every day when I drive home from work, I see a billboard that says, “Talk to a stranger, call your family.” Better yet, you are retired, so pack up the Cadillac and go visit friends and family. I’m not asking for you to seek out every family member up and down your family tree, but I am suggesting that you connect with family members who have been “ignored” due to the fact of logistics.
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Attending a Marriage Retreat
For those who are married, it’s time now to fall in love all over again. Whether you are renewing your wedding vows or just want to attend a marriage retreat and rejuvenate your marriage, now is the time to do it. For thirty-plus years, you have dedicated your waking days to your profession, but now those waking days are filled with being at home with your spouse. Uh, yes, it’s just the two of you day in, day out, till death do you part. You might be saying, “Oh my, we haven’t had this much alone time together since we first started dating!” Now is a great time to learn how to live together every day. Make an annual pilgrimage to a marriage conference; you get to travel, you get to be with your mate, and you get to have fun. But don’t forget: pick a location that you have never been to before or somewhere the both of you will enjoy seeing together after the conference.
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Organizing a Family Reunion
So, you’re a glutton for punishment? Well here’s an adventure for you, and boy is it an adventure. How about organizing a family reunion? Now, I didn’t exactly name this book 99 Fantastic Ideas! Here are a couple of tips to save you some sanity:
1. You will never please everybody. With this in mind…
a. Send out an e-mail to family members to ask everyone’s opinion about dates and locations. But keep things simple and only give three of each to choose from.
b. Once you receive the replies, select the most popular choices for dates and locations and the ones that best accommodate you, the organizer.
2. Do not pay for anybody’s portion in expectation that they will pay you back.
3. Do not put down a monetary deposit to rent a location for the event by yourself. Have family members pay their own deposits.
4. If you are going to use a credit card to hold your portion of the venue, use a credit card that will expire prior to the event. Don’t get stuck with the bill because Uncle Albert died two days before the reunion and everyone is going to his funeral instead.
5. Make sure there is some sort of “escape clause” in the contract so that you are not left holding the bill.
6. Learn fast how to delegate tasks.
Other than those simple tips, have fun!
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Creating a Family Cookbook
Creating a family cookbook can be a very delicious adventure. It can also be an opportunity to make some money. The greatest thing about food is that there will never be too many recipes. There are always dozens of new cookbooks being published and hitting the shelves, so why shouldn’t the next one be yours? Gather up family recipes, retype them in digital formats, and then compile them into one book, and then sell your book. What—you don’t think it’s that easy? Well, it is. In this day and age, self-publishing is the route to go. You can create this cookbook and publish it through Amazon or Apple, just to name a few. These days, you don’t need to publish a hard-copy book; putting your recipes on a website is enough and may reach more people than a traditional book. I have a friend who has the website Kitchenbelleicious.com, which is a fantastic source for ideas on cooking. Why can’t you similarly create a family cookbook website and blog?
By the way, if you need to check the quality of the recipes in your family’s cookbook, prepare them and then give me a call. I would be more than happy to sample food and give you an honest opinion!
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Starting a Family Tradition/Legacy
It all starts somewhere with the work of someone, so why can’t you be the one who starts a family tradition/legacy? The ideas are limitless, but the traditions that last the longest are those that every family member can take ownership of. This can be as simple as a pair of gold cufflinks passed down for generations or something more intriguing, like the family tree you have worked on. It can even be an annual trip to a state park. My favorite is establishing a scholarship or endowment fund in the family’s name. Most nonprofit organizations will have some form of a policy to allow for named grants or scholarships. Generally there are rules as to minimums, but how cool would it be to know that no matter what happens out there in the world, you may be gone but your legacy will affect the lives of others whom you have never met?
My action plan to incorporate this in my daily life is:
VI
Travel Adventures
Even though we’re still talking about adventures for retirees, we have to expand the preconceived notions that most retirees envision upon their retirement. Although you may connect traveling to getting in a boat, airplane, or car and heading to your destination for a week or two, this section will explore true adventures and hopefully entice you to think outside the norm when it comes to traveling.
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Going on a Vacation
The first idea is the simplest yet the most difficult to do during retirement: going on a vacation. It’s obvious that once a person retires, his or her first instinct is to travel to a vacation destination. So go do it.
Now that you have made the mistake of traveling to that place advertised on the Internet that turned out to be a waste of time and vacation money, let’s talk about real vacationing. Why do I say this? Because during my life I have heard over and over again, “I need a vacation from my vacation.” This mistake is made because 98 percent of vacationers do not know how to vacation. I can’t tell you exactly where to go, but I sure can tell you how to determine the right destination:
1. Determine what type of activity is relaxing to you.
2. Determine the cost of that activity.
3. Practice the activity you’ll be doing one weekend at your house…for the entire weekend. The reason I say this is because people will often tell you to just relax and sleep on your vacation. Seriously, can you spend all weekend in your house sleeping and doing nothing? You say, “But it’s different when I’m on vacation”? No, it’s not.
4. Imagine where you find true blissful happiness.
5. Imagine the location.
6. Imagine your attire, the people who will be with you, the air temperature, the noise, the smells.
7. Don’t look for vacation destinations on the Internet; no site in the world advertises what you truly want on your vacation. You have to search the Internet to discover the story of where someone has been that is similar to the experience and adventure you truly desire.
I am no different from the next person—I love Groupon and LivingSocial; however, I promise that nobody advertises the vacation of your dreams on those websites. It’s time to be creative; it’s time to discover the true meaning of the relaxation of retirement.
By the way, the best and most memorable vacations don’t cost a lot of money. Think back to the most fun you have ever had in your life—I bet there wasn’t a huge price tag associated with it.
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Hiking in an Exotic Place
For a more active adventure, hiking on a glacier or seeing the northern lights can be wonderful experiences. Some of the ideas that I mention in this book come from my personal bucket list. Therefore, I toss them out to help retirees think of activities they can do themselves. There are many ways to reach these destinations: taking Carnival Cruise Lines via Vancouver to Alaska or taking a helicopter ride out of Anchorage are just a few options.
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Visiting the Seven Wonders of the World
For anyone who has ever done research, there are
many types of wonders in this world. Why not visit the Seven Wonders of the World? The reason I stated that there are many types of wonders is because in the classification, there are seven natural wonders, seven man-made wonders, and various others. Try doing a few Google searches and think about the destinations you find as travel choices.
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Visiting the Country of Your Ancestral Origin
Visiting the country of your ancestral origin is my wife’s and my next adventure. How cool it will be to walk on the same grounds on which my ancestors once worked, played, and congregated. Thanks to my mother’s genealogical research, I can now look up any location to which my former relatives traveled and visit their native land. You never know; you may even meet a distant cousin while traveling on this adventure.
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Spending a Year Overseas
Throughout the book The 4-Hour Work Week, Timothy Ferriss discusses miniretirements. In the spirit of miniretirements, spend a year overseas. You may be contemplating retiring from what you are currently doing for income, but are you also planning on retiring from life? You are probably reading this book to come up with ideas to fill your time throughout retirement. As I stated earlier in the book, the secret to longevity is staying active. My simple prescription—retire from what you are doing. Live abroad in an area where US products and services have a particularly high value and are not found often (in the majority of the world, you can live on one-third to one-half of what you are currently spending). Rent a house for a year and enjoy learning a new culture (and the native tongue).
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Geocaching
Scavenger hunts have gone high tech. Today, with the assistance of GPS systems, geocaching is the new way of doing scavenger hunts. If you’re thinking, “This is a game for kids,” just google geocaching and read up on it; then go out and try it. I promise you that it’s a blast.
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Going to Adult Summer Camps
For those who are new to retirement, summer camp isn’t just for kids anymore. Just like the ones you went to back in the day, now there are summer camps for adults. You can also “pick your poison”: do you want to rough it out or stay in air-conditioned camp houses? The experience is fantastic, and most of the camps are very affordable. Yes, like youth camp, you will have crafts to do and outdoor activities such as canoeing, and a lot of times there are dances. For singles or couples, these camps are held worldwide. Just do a Google search for “adult summer camps” and discover the possibilities.
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Taking River, Ocean, and Lake Cruises
A favorite bucket-list item of my wife’s and mine is to do a river cruise through Amsterdam, Holland, and Northern Europe. Ocean and lake cruises are another popular way to see the world. Although lake and river cruises are not popular in the United States, in Europe they are very popular. One such cruise line is Viking Cruises. The company has complete all-inclusive packages containing not only food, transfers, and accommodations, but also airfare. Remember to explore your options, because there is more to the world than just your hometown.
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Visiting State and National Parks
As I mentioned in other sections, some of the best views and sights can be seen when you visit state and national parks. Whether you are there for a short day trip or overnight, these parks offer a wide assortment of amenities and activities. Just by visiting a state or national park, you will conquer multiple adventures listed in this book. The really great news is that a lot of the parks offer free or extremely discounted admission for senior adults. So, load up the car with the grandkids and have an enjoyable day at the park.
My action plan to incorporate this in my daily life is:
VII
Spiritual Journeys
One of two ideas probably popped into your mind when you read the title of this chapter: church or mediation. Yep, both answers are correct; however, let’s dive a little deeper into this topic. The reason is the same as one discussed previously: spiritual journeys alter preconceived notions about what can constitute an adventure. In this section, we will explore ideas that a common person might not assume would fall under this topic.
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Meditation
Peace, love, and harmony are the keys to mental health. These are achieved by people who practice meditation. Unfortunately, meditation is taken out of context a lot of times because of a lack of understanding. A lot of people think that the only form of meditation is the classic chanting of “om” or some other mantra. However, meditation is the clearing of the mind to become calm and silent. As a Christian, I utilize mediation in order to do my biblical studies and prayers. Trust me, meditation is not easy, and to clear the mind takes a lot of practice. Once you have achieved a calm and silent mind, controlled thoughts and, in my case, prayers, become easier.
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Making a Pilgrimage
Pack your bags (or just come as you are) and become a pilgrim. Commit yourself to visit a site or sites that are meaningful to your spiritual life. Going on a pilgrimage as an act of faith has been an integral part of religious life for centuries and now you have the time to do it. Because of the vast number of possibilities, you would want to search the Internet for locations pertinent to your faith. Whether it’s to the Holy Land, a monastery, or the site of an ancient temple, you have to remember that a pilgrimage is about the journey and not the distance or cost.
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Participating in Mission Work
(Domestic or International)
This next adventure is my wife’s and my passion: mission work (domestic or international)! Although we have traveled on international missions, the main mission work we’ve done has been helping those in our community. Mission work can be as simple as washing dishes at a soup kitchen and can get as involved as sharing the gospel in China. The whole purpose of this type of work is to further God’s kingdom. Therefore, discover your purpose and utilize any and all talents that you may have to serve others. And before you start making excuses as to why you can’t serve in one capacity or another, please note that I have been on mission trips with seventy-five-year-olds, unemployed individuals who didn’t have a dime to their name, and agnostics. Just like them, you can do it! Life is about sharing and giving what you have, and once you do these things, you will be forever rewarded.
As for my wife and me, our goal at retirement is to do international mission work for unreached populations. Actually, if you bought this book, 100 percent of the money we receive from your purchase will go toward mission work. If you would like to find some ways you can serve in missionary work, please contact me or your pastor. We would be delighted to share some ideas with you.
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Caring for the Homebound or Elderly
The next adventure could be characterized as a mission project, although it certainly doesn’t have to be approached in that manner. Spend time caring for the homebound or in nursing homes. You may be thinking it’s awkward to deal with such people, but I hate to say it, you may be in their position in the next twenty to thirty years yourself. Wouldn’t you want someone to come and visit you? Your answer may be, “I wouldn’t want a stranger coming to see me. I wouldn’t know what to talk about.” But those who are homebound or in a nursing home don’t care if they have a scripted Q&A time; all they care about is that someone is making them feel like they are the most important person in the world. Your presence (and a plate of cookies wouldn’t hurt either) is all they are looking for. They need you in order to stay alive.
My action plan to incorporate this in my daily life is:
VIII
Volunteer Activities
This chapter is probably the most important one in this book. Whether it was the fact that my roots when growing up were deeply embedded in 4-H or that my parents taught me to give back to the community more than I take away, volunteering is the quintessential element of advancement of society. Humanity cannot function on proprietary organizations alone. It must rely on indiv
iduals saying, “I want to make a difference and leave this world better than how I found it.” Volunteer opportunities can be found in more areas than just your local soup kitchen (although that is very important and highly recommended).
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Learning a New Trade or Skill
My dad once said that when he retired he wanted to work in a cabinetry shop. Well, he had no actual experience building cabinets, so why would they hire him? His solution was that he would volunteer to learn a new trade or skill. If my father were to go to the owner of a cabinet shop and say, “I want to sweep the shop, help with deliveries, and be that third hand you need around the shop, and it will cost you nothing. Would you teach me to build cabinets?” After the business owner took a second to catch his or her breath, the owner more than likely would say yes. As my mom and dad used to tell me, “It never hurts to ask!”
