Adift

[Gardnr]

I am lost.

I'm sorry you're feeling lost. These words come from sister-retired at 64 and a dear friend who retired more recently:

for the first 6 months don't plan 'stuff' or focus on what. Each morning do what you feel at the moment. Then at 6 months, start considering: 1) things to learn, 2) things to see, 3) places to go-near or far

Best of luck in your transition.

[iris lilies]

I went through a kinda lost year, the second year of retirement.

During the first year we were pretty busy playing catchup on lots of stuff and also, I didnt want to make many more committments than I had already made. But in that second year I did a fair number of volunteer jobs and took the necessary courses for being a flower show judge but still had a lot of down time which
I spent playing computer games. Ack!

By the third year of retirement I was getting more involved with national garden club and had more jobs to do with local clubs. By the fourth year I took on a big state wide responsibility which is very very interesting but as I complain about in another thread oh my God I have to attend the annual conference (and attend at least two meeting! Blech!) and a fall meeting, all taking place across my state.

This is all a lot of blather above. What is important to consider, for me anyway, is the TYPE of volunteer activity.

I am finding is that I need a combination of long-term commitments that come with periodic tasks and I also need one time commitments. I like both, the familiarity of the ongoing, and the newness (the learning aspect) of the one-time. For the Ongoing commitment I feel satisfaction because I learn more about the job and I do it better each time. For the one time jobs, the collaborative activity with others can be interesting.

[Teacher Terry]

Thanks Gard, those are things I did when I retired from my full time job. This is just about 10 hours/ week. Some weeks more or less.

[Teacher Terry]

IL, thanks for the tips. I also realized I shouldn’t commit to anything until I see how my wrist heals and what I can physically do. It’s been 7 weeks and far from healed. I am grateful I didn’t shatter mine like my sister did. A year later and she has limited use of her fingers even with PT.

[Simplemind]

TT the first volunteer position I started training for in the last 6 months of my employment with the Police Department. It is with a trauma response team that gets called out by police/fire to work with survivors of trauma. It can be just about anything as far as trauma goes but most often a death is involved. I wanted it to keep a toe in and still see all the people I had been working with. I also wanted it as a more hands on way to actually work with people and assist them in an appreciable way. It is challenging and not for everyone. You do see things you can't un see and many have a hard time with that so turn over is constant. It pushes me outside of my comfort zone as far as driving. We are expected to get to a scene within 20 minutes (not always possible) and it has taught me the ins and outs of the metro area as well as being called to remote areas on the mountain (lost hikers) and to our state parks (drownings). I recently took on an additional position of being an after call debriefer. I follow up with the volunteers that have gone out on calls to make sure they are OK and afford them an opportunity to talk about what they experienced. I could talk about it until your ears fall off so I'll stop there.
The second one is for Meals on Wheels. I started it because after my husband had his stroke and lost his job he needed something outside of the house. I thought it would be good for him to learn addresses, remember order and names. I started with the intention getting him going and then leaving him to it. Unfortunately I found I loved it and we have now been doing it together for 6 years. We love our clients and they have become like family. I actually see them more often than my family. We like to do extra things for them as several are now friends beyond MOW. We have a huge garden so we grow veggies for our folks to supplement their groceries. That gives me an even bigger bang for my buck with my gardening obsession. We used to grow for the food bank but now give a lot away to our MOW peeps.
With the first job people can get really bonded to you and we are only allowed one follow up phone call after the event. I often wonder/worry about how they have survived and gone on but often never know. On the second job people get really bonded and you are encouraged to spend that time and develop relationships so it balances out the effects of the former.
In almost every job I've had since HS I was made a supervisor or manager within a short time. It often meant that I was then mostly working with employees instead of the public/clients/customers. I've found so much more satisfaction doing this than I did at my desk stomping out employee fires all day.

[Gardnr]

TT, With your teaching and writing skills I wonder if you have relatively close access to a program such as this in my community:

We have a shelter that takes in women/children from abusive situations. They are housed, fed, provided counseling and when they ready, they are prepared to go back into the community. Help setting up a home, interviewing for and getting a job.

Could your skill sets help these women prepare for a new beginning? Application help, interviewing roll play, resume' writing......

[Teacher Terry]

Gard, yes what you mentioned is similar to what I did for the state. I have offered before and even offered to do some vocational testing for free since I had the tests. I was told by 2 places you can volunteer if you do what we tell you to and it was unskilled stuff. A friend of mine had a similar experience with a different place. SM, MOW sounds interesting. Your first volunteer job is not for me at all. So wonderful that you can do that hard work.

[Gardnr]

I was told by 2 places you can volunteer if you do what we tell you to and it was unskilled stuff.

Well that stinks. so hard to believe organizations do not want to utilize all of the talent amongst those willing to volunteer. I'm so sorry. i will be interested to see what happens when I retire and offer to volunteer.......many of you are making me consider that I might be better off working 2-3 shifts a month to use my skills rather than assume I'll be utilized well as a volunteer...........

[Simplemind]

TT, I can't begin to tell you how rewarding it is. Some people don't have family, some have family that could give a $%%^. For many we are the only people they are seeing and it is the only food they are eating. I haven't run into a one that is "cheating the system". They are so dear to us. Most have a cat or a dog so we make sure to do special things for them. Their pets mean everything to them and they are so touched to have them acknowledged. It is just little things really but to them it means so much. I started a magazine swap with them so I just keep the magazines going from house to house until they all have read them. Last winter we had some bad weather and we were running behind trying to be very careful. Several called in looking for us, not because they were mad that their food was late but because they were so worried something had happened to us trying to get to them. Oh man...… I was in tears when one threw open the door, grabbed me and started crying.

[mschrisgo2]

I, also, feel adrift. This time last spring I was teaching reading in an afterschool program and loving every minute. This year there is no funding, so there is no program.

I have looked for other tutoring opportunities and came up empty-handed. I went to the library and offered to do a preschool reading time. They said they don't have budget, I said I would do it for free. They said they don't have budget to clean up after the kids who would come- like, clean the carpet. Who puts carpet in a public library, anyway??

This is my second school year post retirement. Last year I played a lot of catch-up. This had been a really long winter and I really need something to do.

The animal shelter is looking for people to clean cages. I really am not supposed to be doing that kind of work, which I imagine is either mopping, or hauling firehose and spraying- as I have a torn rotator cuff.

I'm at the legal limit of 3 dogs where I live, so fostering is out. [I took back a dog I placed last year. She has bad knees, and fell in love with my guys, and it's taken 7 months for her to trust people again. I can't move her again, it's just not fair to her. She is 9 years old, she is staying here.]

I do want to quilt, but I haven't figured out how to do that in our small < 400 sq ft space, since I have 1 dog who delights in getting into things. She is forever grabbing papers off my desk. Grabbing scissors or pins could be lethal. I guess I could crate her while I work, then put everything away after each session...

I read 17 novels this winter and have passed those books on. (the unread novels I kept when I cleaned out my bookshelves)

I spent a lot of hours on geneology. I located all of my mom's first cousins that are still living, and put her in touch with those who were willing. Discovered my father had a huge extended family- that I don't think he even knew about. I have hundreds of 3rd and 4th cousins on my dad's side. But I'm kind of done with all that, at least for now.

I was on the board at church for 5 years. That commitment ended last December.

*** I need something that requires me to get out of the house a couple of days a week, to do something useful with some of my skills, that maybe also allows me to learn something new.

I have played way too many Words with Friends and Cookie Jam games.