Retirement Activities? (55, moving, community, retired)

[slugabug]

I have recently retired in Laurel,MS and after working all my life I find myself completely at a loss of how to keep myself occupied. Are there other retirees out there with the same problem?

[auntbee]

My dh and I definitely have the same problem. We made the mistake of moving to a small town where there is really nothing to do. You might try to do some volunteer work or even look for a part time job. Laurel is like a big city compared to Kosciusko!

[chiffonhead]

or maybe find elderly neighbors that you can sit with in the mornings or take shopping to help them out.

[GreenGene]

Three years ago while on vacation in Maine, the lakeside cabin we were renting came with two kayaks. We had never tried kayaks, but gave them a shot and loved it!

This spring, my wife and I retired (age 55 - we never loved those good government jobs quite as much as we did on the day we retired!!), and one of the items near the top of our list was to get our own kayaks. We took lessons, we rented & tried different types/sizes of kayaks, and in July we bought two kayaks. Since then we've been out 9 or 10 times - we were out yesterday for about 5 hours) - and we really, really like it.

Now, these aren't whitewater kayaks. The kayaking you might see on ESPN? No way, Jose. We like calm waters, and nice scenery, and wildlife. We're in northern Virginia, and there are many places we can put our kayaks into calm waters.

It's a great activity if you're reasonably fit. It's great exercise, great fun, and it's something we can do together. We're already talking about getting some dry suits so we can extend the kayaking season.

[elousv]

Here is another similar thread for ya;
http://www.city-data.com/forum/retir...etirement.html

[knoxgarden]

I had moved to a small town in the South for a job so I knew while I was working how boring and insular they can be. My main criteria for a place to move to in retirement was having things to do. I checked that out very carefully before I moved to Knoxville and I'm very happy with the results. University of Tennessee provides a lot of things to do and brings in a diverse culture.

[Honeycrisp]

A lot of hospitals have volunteers who help w/ patient transport, delivering meds from one part of the hosp. to another, you can volunteer as often as you wish and make your own hours and a bonus is that you'll meet people who prob. have similar interests etc.

[CitySoapBox]

Start a business. Baby boomers are the best ones to start one and will probably account for most new start-ups. Do something that only takes a few hours or create something you can dedicate your work week to.

[URL="http://www.boomentrepreneur.com"]Boom Entrepreneur[/URL] helps people write a business plan if you're lost on how or where to start.

Good luck and enjoy your ME time!

[ferretkona]

Community colleges have a lot classes available reasonably. Take up pottery, jewelry, weaving, wood carving,,,etc.

[sweetana3]

When you retire you need to figure out how to improve your:
1. Spiritual life
2. Physical life
3. Creative life
4. Mental life
5. Social life

Break it down to things you can investigate in each area. Some may cover more than one area. We are planning a volunteer activity which will impact our mental and social
life. Doing a lot more reading to expand our mental life, joining the senior citizen's center for social and other aspects. We are planning a walking program and have a lot of places to walk to plus may join the Fitness Institute for some physical stimulations. I will rejoin both the quilting and embroidery national groups.

I am sure if you tried some new activities, you would both expand your horizons and meet some new people.

You are somewhat close to the JC Campbell Folk Art School in Brasstown where you could spend a week and learn a new hobby.