I once met a senior citizen in their 90s who told me that she picked up an instrument in retirement at age 75. Can you imagine starting a hobby at 75 and having 20 years of practice behind you?
I think about retirement sometimes. It’s not that I want it to come quickly; I don’t. I love my work, and sometimes I think I’ll work until I’m 100 (or as long as I realistically can).
But I have so many interests, hobbies, and potential hobbies that there are more things I want to do than I have time for while I’m working. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll have enough time to do everything even if I’m retired. There are just too many things to fit into a 24-hour day if I want to eat and sleep too.
My plans:
Learn languages. I don’t want to learn just one language. I want to study Spanish, Russian, Mandarin, and Cantonese.
Play the piano. I’ve read that playing an instrument is good for the brain. But more than that, I enjoy listening to the piano and want to be able to play it myself.
Do ballet more intensively. I’d love to take private lessons to work on the skills I really need to target like extensions and turns. I’d like to learn different styles of ballet like Cecchetti and contemporary. I want to take modern classes like Horton and Graham. And I want to dance more frequently.
Weight train. This isn’t my favorite activity on this list, but it’s a necessary one to maintain my bone density and overall health as I grow older.
Swim more seriously. I hope I can join a Masters team and compete like the people I see online who are still competing in their 90s.
Take care of more cats and dogs. I’d love to foster animals. They take a lot of time, so I’d need to be home most of the day with them.
Spend time with my husband and dog. I need to be with them and have some downtime too.
Teach at a community center. I could teach something like accent modification. Accent modification is typically expensive because it’s mostly done one-on-one. The Parks and Recreation departments near me offer classes for various activities at a discounted rate. I could reach a different audience by teaching this at the Parks and Rec and serve people who might not otherwise be able to access these classes.
Cook. I don’t love cooking day after day, but I do enjoy trying new recipes sometimes. I like the idea of trying a new cookbook or a new type of cuisine each month - Italian food this month, then Mexican food next month. I could build a collection of foods, recipes, and experiences just by cooking.
Travel. Right now, I can only travel for one or two weeks at a time. When I retire, I’ll travel more extensively. I’d love to spend a month in Florence or a season in New York to catch all the performances, eat at my favorite restaurants, and enjoy daily life there. There are so many more places I’d love to visit - Prague, Paris, New Zealand, and so on.
My interests will probably take a lifetime to pursue.
I’ve already started some of them. I learned a little piano after taking lessons for a year and a half. I practice other languages in snippets from time to time. I do ballet and swimming every week. I’m starting now, but I imagine doing so much more when I retire.
And I don’t think I’ll ever finish pursuing them all, even if I’m lucky enough to live to 100.
Maybe that’s what I like about the story of the person who started learning an instrument at 75. You can start a new hobby at any age and still have years ahead of you to get better at it.
So whenever I retire - whether at 60, 75, or 90 - with luck on my side, I’ll have years to pursue my interests.
And maybe someday I’ll be 95 with 20 years of experience behind me.
That thought makes me incredibly happy.