The Retirement Newsletter: Skiing — back on the slopes and other old hobbies
Issue Number: -2.5 — What are my plans?
Welcome
Welcome to issue -2.5 — going back to old hobbies.
As I said in issue -5, What do I want from retirement?, when I tell colleagues I’m retiring, I usually get one of three responses:
You lucky @#!$£%.
You can’t be retiring; you are far too young.
What are you going to do with yourself? You’ll get bored.
And, when they say, “You’ll get bored”, I respond that I will have plenty to do. But the question is, what will I do?
This last week, after a week of skiing in the US, I’ve been thinking about past hobbies and interests to fill my time.
Filling my days
I ask my retired friends how they fill their days, and I keep getting told, “with stuff”. They all keep telling me they are super busy with “stuff”. And when pressed, I can never find out what this mysterious “stuff” is that fills their days. Maybe I will find out when I retire? If I do, I will let you know.
What are my plans (before I get caught up in “stuff”) to fill my days?
Well, I did explore this in a recent issue (issue -4.5 — What will I do when I’m retired?), where I discussed the idea of having three types of things to do in retirement:
The “me” part — this is all to do with health, fitness, and weight, and after a week of skiing, I know this needs some serious work.
The “must do it” part — this is the house — declutter, decorate and repair.
The “don’t have to do it, but I want to do it” — I described this part as the “interesting part” and as “things that I don’t have to do but want to do”. However, my focus was on side-hustles and being a scientist and educator. What about fun things? I didn’t mention anything fun. And as I was skiing, I realised that this was a mistake. I have to have fun.
So, I am now adding a fourth part to the “me”, “must”, and “want” plan discussed in issue -4.5 — the “fun” part.
The “fun” part
I was thinking about the “fun part” when I was skiing.
How could I have missed the “fun part” of the plan?
Sadly, it was easy because I have had very little time for fun recently. I have been very busy at work for the last few years, and I don’t have much time for fun things with numerous other things going on in my life.
My ski trip was a revelation. I hadn’t been away skiing for about seven years. I used to go every year, sometimes twice a year. I loved skiing — the freedom, the cold, the fresh air, the exercise, and being in the mountains.
I stopped skiing as life became hectic, and then COVID-19 came along.
However, it wasn’t until this ski trip that I realised how much I missed it. Until this trip, I thought my skiing days were over. They are not. And this got me thinking. What other things have I shelved over the years that I might now have the time to do?
Travel — I like to travel and explore new places (see below — Travel — Nostalgia Corner), and I have been lucky to spend several years living and working abroad. However, as much as I enjoy airports (yes, weirdly, I do like airports), I am becoming less enamoured with flying. It is not the flying that is the problem but the airlines. Seats are getting smaller, legroom less, and the food is getting worse. And now I also worry about the carbon footprint of the flight. So, future travel will likely be by train or boat, and I may limit myself to exploring the UK. But I must start travelling and exploring again.
Skiing — The first thing that came to mind for fun was skiing (I was on a skiing holiday!), and I decided that I must continue to ski for as long as I physically can — my skiing is basically ‘knee-dependant’, that is, my knees will be the thing that will most likely stop me skiing. However, there is a slight issue with this “fun” activity — it costs a lot, and I haven’t factored this particular cost into my retirement budget plan. Anyway, I will find a way to keep skiing and go at least once a year.
But clearly, I need something cheaper. I would soon blow through my retirement funds if I went skiing every week.
Hiking/Walking — I have managed to continue with the hobby of hiking over the last few busy years, but they have all been short hikes. Maybe I will now have the time to take on something more challenging? Hiking is relatively cheap; you need the right gear (which I have) and the money for the occasional BnB. That’s it. I will definitely be taking this fun hobby more seriously.
Photography — I have always liked taking photos, and I own some nice camera gear, which I haven’t used in a while (see below — Travel — Nostalgia Corner — as this is when I last used my ‘non-phone’ cameras). Perhaps it’s time to get back into photography? I have the kit, and there are no film processing costs these days, so it is ‘free’ once you have the gear. And photography works well with travel and skiing.
Writing — I enjoy writing (this statement would be a massive shock to my English teachers because I hated writing at school). Writing is cheap (OK, computers and phones are expensive, but you know what I mean), and if I am doing the travelling, hiking, skiing and photography, I will have the material I need for writing.
Conclusion
The “fun” part seems to revolve around travel and exploring, which is excellent.
If I travel, I can ski, explore, hike, take photographs, and write about it all.
Problem solved — I have some fun things to fill my time.
How do you fill your days now that you are retired? Please let me know in the comments below.
Travel — Nostalgia Corner
This week, I finish off my stories of the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia before heading to Australia:
Malaysia — Cameron Lavender Garden, The Highlands, Malaysia — Impressive flower displays and a bit weird. The Minion freaked me out.
Malaysia — Cameron Valley Tea House, and Cameron Bharat Tea Valley, Cameron Highland, Malaysia — More tea in the Highlands. Is this a Brit’s paradise?
Malaysia — Strawberries and the Cameron Highlands, Malaysia — What is it with strawberries in the Highlands?
Malaysia — BOH Tea Plantations, Cameron Highlands, Malaysia — One last cuppa before I leave.
Malaysia — Malaysia — Exploring the Cameron Highlands — A fun few days in The Highlands.
Next week, Australia….
Next week
Next week, in issue -2, I will look at the soaring cost of retirement and ponder why it has increased so much in the last few years.
Thanks
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Until next time,
Nick
PS, If you would like to contribute something to the newsletter — a story, advice, anything — please get in touch.