The Retirement Newsletter: Having fun in retirement

Issue Number: 204 (57) — reaping the rewards of hard work

Photo by Author — out having some fun

Welcome

Welcome to issue 204 (57) — Having fun in retirement.

OK, let’s face it. The truth is that retirement is all about not working and having fun. It could be argued that it can be viewed as a second childhood.

We have worked for forty-plus years, saving money to hopefully get a good pension for the retirement we want and deserve. Now it’s time to reap the rewards of all that hard work — it is time to have fun!

Out having fun — when is too old to have fun?

A couple of weeks ago, I was out having a lot of fun. It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. It was costly in money and pain, but it was fun. I went skiing.

I started skiing relatively late in life — I was 30. I only took up skiing because I moved somewhere with a lot of snow. When I arrived and saw that there were ski hills nearby and was told that there was snow on the ground for around three months each year, I thought I had better find something to do with all the snow. Hence, I tried several winter sports.

I tried cross-country skiing. I loved being outside in nature, seeing all the snow, but I hated the exercise. Cross-country skiing wasn’t for me; it was too much like hard work. I tried snowshoeing and loved it. I regret not doing more of it. And I tried downhill skiing and discovered my winter thing. I loved it. I was hooked. (A local ski hill offered a special deal for new skiers. I got skis, boots, poles, and six hours of lessons over a weekend for very little money. I have since described it as the ‘drug dealer’ method of selling me skiing, as I became hooked. It has turned out to be the most expensive small amount of money I have ever spent. As a result of the initial outlay of a few dollars, I have now spent tens of thousands of dollars following my love of skiing.) Anyway, as usual, I digress.

On my most recent ski trip, I was chatting with my ski buddy of the past 25 years, and we talked about when we should stop skiing. At what age?

On the first night, before we had skied, we agreed that we should be able to do another ten, maybe fifteen years. But as the week went on, that number decreased. Our bodies were hurting and telling us that ten years would be a push, and fifteen may be beyond our reach.

Then, I heard of an interesting guy in the hotel. I think his name was Bob. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to speak to him, but I had seen him around.

According to the rumour, Bob was 90 and still skiing. Admittedly, he didn’t do much skiing but was down at breakfast most mornings, dressed for the slopes. He went out, skied, had fun, and stopped when tired.

Ninety! Good old Bob.

About ten years ago, I met a chap named Pete in a ski hotel. He was in his eighties. He struggled walking around the hotel, and I skied with him one day and couldn’t keep up. He may have been unstable when walking, but he could ski. And this was early season — he had two more ski trips planned for later in the year.

My friend and I agreed that recovering from ski injuries (or any exercise-induced injury) has become increasingly difficult as we age. The last thing we want is to do something to ourselves that impacts the rest of our retirement.

And that brings me back to the question. When do we stop? When is it too old to have fun? In other words, when would we stop doing sports and activities that could result in an injury that impacts the rest of our retirement? (I am already carrying some injuries impacting my retirement, and I don’t need any more, thank you very much.) It’s a challenging question and is about balancing risk and reward.

It’s about balance…

This could be taken in two ways: balance, as in balancing and staying upright, and balance, as in equilibrium — balancing the risk and reward.

As I mentioned with Pete above, he may have been unstable on his feet around the hotel, but he was a demon on the skis. He still had his skiing balance, but I have often wondered if he still had the muscle speed and strength to get out of a tricky ski situation.

A natural part of the ageing process is losing muscle mass, and our ability to balance and not fall over goes. We lose our strength and the ability to react quickly to situations. And, we lose the ability to heal and bounce back. Ageing sucks.

So, we need to recognise these inevitable changes, fight back against them, and adapt as we age. We must recognise that we are getting old, but at the same time, we should not let age define us.

This brings me to the second type of balance — balancing risk and reward. We have to respect the changes; otherwise, we run the risk of serious injury. But we should not accept them too soon. We need to strike a balance. We should take the risks, get the enjoyment and fun, but not kill or permanently injure ourselves.

But I must remember that I cannot wrap myself in cotton wool. I have to balance risk and safety because, after all, being retired is about having fun. What is the point of being retired if I can’t have fun? What do you think? Please let me know in the comments.

And, so, I am still none the wiser. At what age should I stop skiing? Now that I am fully rested from the trip, and all the trip-induced aches and pains are gone, I think I can do another 10, maybe even 20, years. We will see.

Next week

Next week, I continue on my “I’m getting old theme” (is this becoming depressing?) and look at ten things that make me age, or feel my age.

Thanks

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Until next time,

Nick

PS: If you would like to contribute a story, give advice, or provide anything else to the newsletter, please get in touch.