I had a great idea today!
As a Retirement Coach and enthusiast 😉, I often think of cool things people can do in their retirement years to give their life meaning and purpose.
Today while I was driving my son to school and stopped at the crosswalk, I giggled as I watched the crossing guard.
You see, the crossing guard at the corner of my son’s school is very animated and takes her job very seriously! When the crosswalk lights start to flash, she blows her whistle (very loud!), jogs to the middle of the street, proudly stands legs apart and arms straight out to her side, while she urgently ushers pedestrians safely to the other side of the road.
She smiles as the children say good morning and thank her for helping them cross the street, before running off to the playground. I watch this same ritual every morning. This woman whom I don’t even know puts a smile on my face. I admire her and her tenacity.
So what is my great idea you ask? Well quite simply, wouldn’t being a crossing guard in retirement be the perfect gig?
Think about it….
- The hours are great – a few hours in the morning and few in the afternoon
- You get to wear a cool orange and yellow vest
- You get your own stop sign and whistle (who doesn’t love blowing a whistle?)
- You have responsibility
- You get to interact with children, parents and community members each day and everyone, especially the children are happy to see you
- You get some exercise
- And you have a purpose in your life and a reason to get out of the house each day
Of course, being a crossing guard may not exactly be your cup of tea. If you retired from a career as the President and CEO of a multi-million dollar company for example, putting on that orange and yellow vest and holding a stop sign might not be how you envisioned spending your time in this next stage of your life. But you never know…maybe doing something completely different from your professional life might be appealing to you.
Retirement is the time in your life where you do have complete control over your time. You can essentially do whatever you want! If you want to be a crossing guard, go for it. If you want to join a choir or perform in your local theatre, go for it. Or if you want to volunteer and give back to your community, I say go for it! The possibilities are endless.
What you do in your life during retirement to be fulfilled, have meaning and purpose is up to you. But like anything, it’s important to keep an open mind and explore all options. You never know what you’ll discover if you don’t try.
Comments are closed