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At some point, people’s awareness of their mortality grows, maybe even preoccupies.
For the hedonistic, that triggers more desire to travel and otherwise have fun. Doable.
For the relational, it means more time with friends, grandkids, and other relatives. Doable.
For the work-centric, it’s more difficult. As we get older, we’re increasingly passed over for the opportunity to do significant work. It’s often believed that our experience is outweighed by lack of currency, our decreased physical vigor as proxy for decreased intellectual vigor, which is true only in some cases.
Here are some relatively accessible ways for work-centric people to have a last hurrah or three:
- Write something honest, even if it never gets published. Writing can be clarifying, cathartic, potentially contributory. Most obvious is a memoir but it could, for example, be an article- or book-length biography of an unsung hero, or a how-to on something you know a lot about: some aspect of your worklife, dealing with a health concern, a policy issue, whatever feels most meaningful.
- Give a talk or ten. Want to teach your passion or knowledge base? Go small as a guest lecturer in a high school or college class or a one-time talk at a library, adult school, community center, religious institution, or at a professional conference. Or go big and teach a course at a college or a university extension.
- Run for office. Even if it's just a small-district school board, while the wheels of government turn slowly, they are big wheels. And many of these positions are part-time so the commitment may be reasonable.
- Invent something. What’s annoying that you might address? For example, at some point, someone invented the first toothbrush, toothpick, and garlic press. At other points, new and improved versions were invented, for example, the first electric toothbrush, the brushpick (a toothpick on one end, an intradental brush on the other), and a garlic press that also slices and self-cleans.
- Build something. For example, want to convert an attic, basement, or garage into a usable room, even an in-law unit? If your abode doesn’t allow for that, might you do it for a friend? Or how about a memorial arbor for a loved one?. If needed, work with someone on the project.
- Volunteer. More energy has been expended on Trump-hating diatribes than anything I’ve experienced in my lifetime. Should you volunteer for some dump-Trump initiative? Conversely, if you’re feeling that political correctness is censoring worthy ideas, should you volunteer for a conservative or libertarian organization? Of course, there are endless other volunteering opportunities.
Beyond organizations, there are individual initiatives. When my dad retired at 82, he drove people to their doctor’s appointments and grew a slew of tomatoes each year to give to neighbors and friends. I enjoy reading aloud. When I get older and have more time, I could see reading aloud to children in the library or to old people in their home or assisted living facility.
- Do art. Perhaps you’ve reached an age when you don’t worry that the words “starving” and “artist” so often adjoin. So, you can go beyond dabbling to create something of enduring value. How about creating a collection of photographs on one topic, for example, age: from birth through death? Or on nature’s purples: unretouched photos of purple flowers, sunsets, and, per America the Beautiful, “mountains majesty?” One artist assembled a group of kids and they painted a mural over a graffitied freeway underpass.
- Perform. Being in community theatre, even backstage, is a major time suck. That may not be doable earlier in life but maybe now you have the time; you may even want a time filler. Many people consider their involvement in theatre among their life’s more rewarding activities.
Would you like to make music: solo, in a band, choir, or chamber group? Or learn to DJ? Might you want to aim for performing at parties, weddings or funerals, if only for friends and relatives?
- Mentor. Perhaps you just want to spend more time with someone you know. Or maybe it’s reaching out to someone you work or worked with, or a student at a nearby school or at your alma mater.
- Create a Board of Advisors. Meet monthly in person, by phone, or Google Hangout. Each person can take the floor to get the group's input on an idea, perhaps a crowning-glory project, perhaps just a touch of spice onto a bland existence.
As we enter the holiday season, even if we’re still working, things slow down a bit, so it’s not a bad time to think about whether it’s time for a good coda if not grand finale before going gentle into that good night.
Dr. Nemko’s nine books are available on Amazon. He is a career and personal coach. You can reach him at mnemko@comcast.net.
