One of my aims for retirement was to be helpful and do some good. It is now over six months since I packed up my work laptop and phone and gave up my salary and it seemed a good time to review how I have got on with this aim. Although I never think I have done enough and know that I could almost certainly do more if I wasn’t so busy enjoying myself, I have done a few helpful things. Below is a flavour of how the retired can still be useful members of society:
- We have spent a couple of days working in the garden for our son and daughter-in-law [not sure if this really counts as a good deed as we would do anything for these two]
- I spent an afternoon helping a neighbour organising her work files on her laptop
- I am the volunteer Treasurer for DIY Theatre Company, an established company of learning disabled performers and I provide support to the Artistic Director
- I voluntarily take the minutes for the Board of Directors that runs the development we live in
- I visit an elderly house-bound neighbour and have helped her with online shopping
- We helped another neighbour clear his storage unit and fitted some furniture in to our van and took them to the auction rooms for him
- We have collected litter locally to try and keep the streets a little tidier
It certainly feels good to have the time to do all these things but I think I could try harder.
Back on the road again 