More retirement thoughts.
As more people learn that I’m about to retire, the inevitable question arises: “so, Steve, what are you going to do when you retire?”. Sometimes it’s as if someone is asking me what I was going to do now I’d won several million pounds on the lottery! I always seem to give a pretty lame response like “oh, I suppose I’ll be taking lots of pictures”! Actually, I don’t see that “retirement” should represent a sudden or huge change in life-style or routine at all and I think I’ve been adjusting to retirement ever since I stopped work at Brocklehurst Architects in 2005.
I’m well aware that there are some things that, several years ago, I HAD imagined I/we would be doing during retirement but which no longer seem that crucial. For instance:
GOLF:
I can recall my great mate Pete and me talking about our respective retirements several years ago…. we were going to play golf together several times a week. Obviously, having moved to Bristol in 2003, this isn’t going to happen – as he frequently reminds me! I used to play golf at least once a week but, over the past few years, this is no longer the case. Essentially, this is due to a) not having a group of regular golfing buddies in the Bristol area, b) no longer being a member of a golf club (largely due to a) and c) the expense.
WORLD TRAVEL:
There was a time when I desperately wanted to travel to India, China, Africa, North and South America and, possibly, Australia. I no longer have this “urge” to travel the world and now feel happier/content with focussing on places closer to home (whether re-visiting or experiencing for the first time) – although I would still like to photograph a desert one day! I accept that this is perhaps partly due to a realistic assessment of a lack of funds and environmental concerns, but we’ll see.
As more people learn that I’m about to retire, the inevitable question arises: “so, Steve, what are you going to do when you retire?”. Sometimes it’s as if someone is asking me what I was going to do now I’d won several million pounds on the lottery! I always seem to give a pretty lame response like “oh, I suppose I’ll be taking lots of pictures”! Actually, I don’t see that “retirement” should represent a sudden or huge change in life-style or routine at all and I think I’ve been adjusting to retirement ever since I stopped work at Brocklehurst Architects in 2005.
I’m well aware that there are some things that, several years ago, I HAD imagined I/we would be doing during retirement but which no longer seem that crucial. For instance:
GOLF:
I can recall my great mate Pete and me talking about our respective retirements several years ago…. we were going to play golf together several times a week. Obviously, having moved to Bristol in 2003, this isn’t going to happen – as he frequently reminds me! I used to play golf at least once a week but, over the past few years, this is no longer the case. Essentially, this is due to a) not having a group of regular golfing buddies in the Bristol area, b) no longer being a member of a golf club (largely due to a) and c) the expense.
WORLD TRAVEL:
There was a time when I desperately wanted to travel to India, China, Africa, North and South America and, possibly, Australia. I no longer have this “urge” to travel the world and now feel happier/content with focussing on places closer to home (whether re-visiting or experiencing for the first time) – although I would still like to photograph a desert one day! I accept that this is perhaps partly due to a realistic assessment of a lack of funds and environmental concerns, but we’ll see.
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