A very touching sentence: "Not wanting to grow old, but one has already become old. Didn't want to lose, but I did. Not willing to give up, but eventually compromised. Unwilling, but accepted it nonetheless. Even with all my efforts, I still couldn't manage this life well."
"I really feel exhausted... Along this journey, what have I gained and what have I lost? What do I regret? I know all of this in my heart, but I can do nothing about it..."
The sentence conveys a sense of helplessness.
But, has life really come to an end? In fact, no！
Retirement seems to be a clear boundary, an important turning point in life. It is like a door, closing the hustle and bustle of a career but also opening up a period of freedom full of endless possibilities.
The reflection on the concept of "aging" reminds me of what Haruki Murakami wrote in "Norwegian Wood": "I always thought that people grow old gradually. But actually, it's not like that. People age in an instant."
That instant might be the moment when one suddenly realizes that they have a lot of free time at their disposal upon retirement.
However, it is worth noting that the boundaries of "old age" in modern society are becoming blurred. 60 years old might just be the beginning of the "third act" of one's life - just like an actor experiencing the climax of the drama only in the third act.
Everyone is thinking about their retirement life, but in any case, don't stop.
If possible, try to start a new lifestyle, such as developing hobbies that involve delayed gratification (painting, gardening, writing),
or completing the explorations one had not been able to undertake when younger (traveling, learning new skills); or it could be to maintain the original pace of one's career, just without the pressure of performance evaluations.
For instance, Zhu Shijian started growing orange trees at the age of 74, and Grandma Moses began painting at the age of 76. Both of these examples prove that the valve of creativity has never been closed by age.
The author of "The Optimal Retirement", Erikson, once said:
"The best retirement life is not one that is far from work, but one that is far from stress;
not one that stops production, but one that changes the form of output."
Perhaps the greatest gift of retirement is finally being able to live according to one's own heart.
The morning light that one couldn't appreciate when young, the stories that one couldn't patiently listen to, and the small hobbies that one didn't have the courage to try, now all have the opportunity to be treated with tenderness.
It is suggested that you try doing a small exercise called "retirement life planning":
- List the 5 things you have put aside due to being busy in the past.
- Write down 3 things that can utilize your professional experience and bring you pleasure.
- Plan the allocation of your "golden three hours" each day (morning exercise? reading? socializing?)
- Reserve some time for spontaneous arrangements.
In conclusion, life lies in movement. Retirement is merely a turning point in life, not its end. Never, ever "retire"
