Finding space and recalibrating
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Filling the retirement time void
When I talked to people about retiring, I was often asked if I was going to consult or work part-time or what exactly was I going to do - as though I needed to have a fully baked plan, purpose or direction to my retirement. I wondered why it didn’t seem enough that I’d worked hard for so many years and needed some time to decompress and figure it out. To be honest I was exerting as much pressure to have a plan.
Coyote howling and exhaling frosty air on a winter morning.
I understand the reason for the questions because many of us have or have had very full working lives and to just one day stop without something to fill the new time void seems unfathomable.
I just question rushing into filling the void without giving yourself time to stop, breathe and recalibrate.
I’m an introvert by nature and while I can feel comfortable taking the lead in a large group setting or giving presentations in public this requires me to use a lot of energy and it can be quite draining.
I have noticed that I re-energize by more quiet or solo activities like cooking, reading, hiking and definitely photography. (As a side note: Susan Cain has written an excellent book about introversion called Quiet - I highly recommend it.)
“Don't think of introversion as something that needs to be cured. The secret to life is to put yourself in the right lighting. For some, it's a Broadway spotlight; for others, a lamplit desk. Use your natural powers -- of persistence, concentration, and insight -- to do work you love and work that matters.” (Susan Cain - Quiet)
Ant hill chaos reminiscent of how my work life felt some days.
My work life was very fast paced, quite structured and full of responsibility - I was required to respond to and support operational issues 24/7. While I really enjoyed the challenges and collaborative nature of my work there was a very stressful component to it as well that have had some long lasting impacts.
I noticed that when I maintained good boundaries between work and home life and made specific time for those activities that re-energize me, I was much more resilient and better able to deal with changing plans or emerging issues. I felt that trying to continue that pattern of having specific re-energizing time and activities post retirement would be beneficial as I recalibrated. I didn’t realize how important it would be for me.
Recognizing the impact of transitional changes
One of the things I hadn’t spent enough time considering pre-retirement was the impact of my change in routine on my husband who has been retired for a number of years already. All that intensity from my work life was now transferred to my home life and usually directed at him. I’m sure that there were days he wished I was going back to the office!
As I mentioned, photography is one of the ways I recharge my batteries and it has become a great way for me to maintain balance at home and with my husband as we navigate this transition. Photography affords me time in nature which in turn causes me to slow down and enables me to notice details that I would normally overlook. I can gain perspective and and focus my active mind in ways that feel almost meditative. I enjoy taking solo photography walks in all kinds of weather and in fact “poor weather conditions” like foggy, snowy, frosty, and stormy weather can yield some of the best photographic experiences.
Common merganser duck making a path through the thin crust of ice in the early morning light.
For example, the micro thin layer of ice on the pond (pictured) created conditions for this common merganser duck to become an “ice breaker” and only lasted for 30 minutes before the sun melted the ice film.
The light had this mystical quality, the frosty air was crisply sharp as I breathed in and there wasn’t a hint of a breeze. Better still, at 6:30 am there wasn’t another soul around to intrude on the magic. One of the advantages of being a morning person.
Macro image of mycena mushrooms.
I often impose constraints when I go out for a photography walk because otherwise I get overwhelmed with choices and I tend to focus more on gear and technical decisions than on creativity.
This means that I generally like to have a look at weather forecasts and a sunrise app I use to see what is expected before I choose a location. Based upon the location, I make decisions about what I want to shoot - for example, birds or wildlife means I’ll take a long lens and maybe a tripod or monopod, whereas landscapes will be a wider angle lens and a tripod or close up subjects (usually when the light is flat) means a macro lens.
I try to limit myself to one lens and yes there have been times when I’ve cursed not having a different lens with me when conditions change or don’t materialize as expected.
Pied billed grebe with its catch in a local bird sanctuary pond. First time seeing one and it was his shape and movements that alerted me to something different.
I used to think that photo walks would be a great way to get in some exercise and while I do tend to walk quite a distance, it’s no cardio workout.
I meander, I observe and I become quite attuned with my surroundings.
I am amazed at the things I see in my local neighbourhood that I never saw before I started my photo walks. I highly doubt that these birds and animals just started showing up, but rather that my slowing down has enabled me to be mindful of them.
I find myself looking for what seems out of place - a movement, a colour or shape that doesn’t fit with the surroundings and following that intuition often results in seeing something special.
Taking the time and space to adjust
A retired friend suggested that it takes at least two years to really transition into retirement and I think that is a good guide. I’m 18 months into retirement at the time I write this post and I know that things have shifted and changed significantly for me in that time. Photography has been my way of slowing down and recalibrating as I navigate this transition.
I’m not suggesting what everyone’s retirement should look like (i.e., needing a fulfilling hobby, fulfilling a purpose to be worthwhile or being a never-ending vacation), but I have found that having time and space to decompress and recalibrate priorities and just even figure out what the next few years or beyond looks like is important to working out the messy middle as I like to call this transition from working full time to retirement.
What have you found that’s worked well to ease into a major life transition like retirement?
Great blue heron caught in an early snowfall in the autumn. Perhaps wishing he’d made some different choices on migration timing.
I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.
