Life opens up to those who open up to life
“My retirement day is coming up – just a week to go. It will be a gateway to dull and dark days.” This was a recent Facebook post of my history teacher from the school I attended, which received many comments, from her former students and many others –all throwing the muchneeded ball of positivity towards her. But she didn’t seem ready to catch it as just a day later, she rolled out another post: “Thanks for sharing life’s many inspiring adages for my retirement. Sadly, they don’t practically work.” This again, became a magnet for infinite comments and reactions, packed with suggestions, including ‘volunteer at the local tourism office’.
Is age not just a number? Is retirement the end of the world? Does it mean giving up everything? Or, why not view it as another beautiful chapter of life –another beginning that we can beautify as much as we want. The famous Japanese book, Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life, reveals that when it’s said in Japan people never retire, it means after their official work life has ended, they continue to do something, especially what they love to do, even late into their 90s.
Many of them take up jobs that keep them active and alive. Take the case of Akiko, a 92-year-old resident of a small Japanese village, from this book. She combines her role as head of the neighbourhood association with the sale of handmade bags in a village shop. “If you don’t do anything, death comes for you,” she is quoted as saying.
During my travels abroad, I have come across many elderly volunteers and have had intriguing conversations with them. I can never forget that octogenarian guide at Cape Byron lighthouse near Sydney who climbed its stairs faster than many of us. She had worked at the port’s office all her life and post her retirement, she decided to volunteer as a guide at the lighthouse. At the Museum of Flight in Seattle, I met one volunteer, in her late 80s, who was a cabin crew member of American Airlines for several decades –considering her interest; she joined the aviation museum, where she continues to be around planes. At the Boeing factory nearby, a retired pilot gave us the tour – one of the most passionate guides I’ve ever met.
Interestingly, when my maternal grandmother, Swaran Kaur Bal, retired as a government school teacher, she found her way to a radio station, where she became a regular singer of folk songs. Soon, she began an annual cultural programme, Mela Charkhe Da, where many village women got a chance to showcase their array of talent, and now even in her late eighties, she doesn’t want to stop. Neither do we want her to as this is what gives her the strength to pen three books, including one on Punjabi folk songs. And, there are many more. They go on like her, irrespective their age, which keeps their lives exciting and fit.
When I was in Australia, I came across an inspiring letter from a couple in their 70s, in a newspaper, asking the advice columnist if their decision was fine: “All our life, we have worked and lived in Australia. To add excitement to our lives, we want to live in Europe, learning a language or two for at least a year. We will repeat that for another year in South America.” The answer was encouraging, full of appreciation. “The more you challenge yourself, the more intriguing life becomes. You may feel younger within months with this,” wrote the columnist.
Of course, the couple was all set to open themselves to an exhilarating opportunity, reminding me of what I heard from a friend, not long ago: “Life opens up to those who open up to life.” Surely, there’s no age for it!
IT’S SAID IN JAPAN PEOPLE NEVER RETIRE. AFTER THEIR OFFICIAL WORK LIFE HAS ENDED, THEY CONTINUE TO DO SOMETHING, ESPECIALLY WHAT THEY LOVE TO DO, EVEN LATE INTO THEIR 90S