Happy is the retiree who knows how to spend time productively

NOWADAYS, senior citizens do not retire entirely. They just move into a new domain where they enjoy doing what they like.

Masako Wakamiya, 82, of Japan spends her evening doing what she loves – coding and designing apps for senior citizens and transmitting messages about the culture and traditions of their seniors to younger people, “Never too old to code – app maker still going strong at 82” ( The Star, Aug 8).

One is inevitably inspired by what she says: “I am so busy every day that I have no time to look for diseases.

“As you age, you lose many things: your husband, your job, your hair, your eyesight. The minuses are quite numerous. But when you learn something new, whether it be programming or piano, it is a plus. It’s motivating.”

That made me look at my contemporaries who are retired. Over 90% of them are still working and earning. One 76-year-old former colleague is still lecturing full time at a private university. Others have turned from part-time into fulltime private tutors.

Only one graduate retiree has something different to say: “What! You having been working for more than three decades. Don’t you think it’s time to take life easy and relax?”

Well, whatever you do, if you derive great satisfaction from doing it, it is well worth doing. The worst thing that can happen to a retiree would be not knowing how to spend time productively.

A.Y. YONG Ipoh