I am in my second childhood and am proud of it! Usually, when we hear the comments about someone being in their second childhood it is considered a dig, but I beg to disagree. I would like to offer up the mindset that living like a child in retirement can be a remedy for the fears and frustrations I hear so many retired women lament about. Many of the retiree FB groups I belong to are filled with comments from women who are frustrated that life is not as fulfilling as when they were working. This amazes me! Are you kidding me? I don’t feel this way and find it hard to understand but since so many women feel at a loss in retirement it must be real, and I decided to ponder on this.
I am learning that many women feel they are missing out on friendship, and social activities, they are bored and feel useless and invisible. Their life has no meaning. It’s kind of like these women feel like victims! This makes me want to get all these ladies together in a room and give them a great big PEP talk.
Before retirement, I often felt I had to live my life according to the “rules” of what my job required of me. I had to BE a certain way, dress a certain way, and talk a certain way. Now that I am retired, I get to live life and look at life through the lens of who I AM. Not fears or “Have to’s” or what others expect of me. I can make up my own “rules” and make my own decisions that respect and honor what I feel to be my authentic self. Now is the time to reprioritize to feel empowered and to respect WHO I AM.
But how? This sounds like a huge life overhaul and a daunting task. I want life to be simple now. So how do I make this change simple? Start with love. Knowing what I love and loving what I know to be what is good for me. I need to let people know what I want my life to be by using comments like “I would love to go to a movie.” “I would love to go on a walk.” I would love to take a road trip.” But what if I don’t KNOW what I would love to do? Here living like a child comes into play. I must open my heart and remember what it feels like to be engaged with life. To do this little exercise I look back to when my children were babies and toddlers. Everything was interesting to them. They were excited and found delight in the little things…flowers, bugs, a jack-in-the-box, peek-a-boo. They expected the world to be a wonderful playground. They had FUN!
How simple right? All I must do is embrace my second childhood. I must be curious about the world around me. I can expect the day to unfold new adventures. And since I am expecting adventures, I will find them, no matter how small or insignificant some may think they are. I can relish a simple walk in the neighborhood, and I can delight in the little things like the sweet aromas of flowers, birds singing their songs, the cloud formations in the sky, and the sounds of children playing. When a friend calls me and asks me out to lunch, I can answer with “I would love to have lunch with you!” or I can call a friend with an invitation such as “I would love to have you join me on my walk today.” I can make time for playing games and having fun.
Yes, living in my second childhood is what allows me to enjoy this stage of my life. It allows me to feel refreshed and relevant and alive. By being open-minded and open-hearted, I am learning there are wonderful things to explore. “It’s a good thing.”
