Happy moments of a retiree are not what is shown in drug advertisements. There, always smiling old people play golf and drink juice. In reality, the happiness of a retiree is a quiet morning, a call from a grandchild, a jar of pickled cucumbers that doesn't need to be turned. This is the time when you can finally not rush. Let's be honest and without embellishments: what brings joy to a person who has retired.

Freedom from the alarm clock

The main happiness is not to wake up at 6 AM to the sound of an alarm clock. A retiree wakes up when they want. They can lie in bed, listen to the silence, or, conversely, the singing of birds. This feeling that the day belongs only to you. No one demands a report, no one hurries. You can drink coffee for an hour, flipping through old photos. You can even stay home if it's bad weather outside. Freedom from a schedule is something young people would give a lot for, and retirees get as a bonus.

Grandchildren - an antidepressant

For many retirees, the main happiness is their grandchildren. When a little human runs towards you, shouting "grandpa!" or "ba!" - all illnesses are forgotten. You can spoil grandchildren without worrying about spoiling them (parents will still re-educate them). You can read fairy tales that you were not read in childhood because there was no time. With grandchildren, you can become a child again: make a snowman, launch a snake, play checkers. And not think about tomorrow's accountability. Many retirees admit that they are willing to endure any inconvenience for these moments.

The dacha and its philosophy

For some, the dacha is a form of punishment. For a retiree, it is happiness. The happiness of seeing the first sprout of dill, eating a cucumber plucked from the garden five seconds ago, drinking tea with mint grown by your own hands. The dacha is not work. It is the opportunity to feel needed. The earth does not deceive: as much labor you put in, as much you get. And when the harvest is gathered, there is peace in your heart. The dacha gives a sense of independence: here is my cucumber, my jar, my life. Moreover, it's fresh air, better than any sanatorium.

Communication without obligations

A retiree is happy when they can just sit on a bench with a neighbor. Chat about the weather, politics, new medicines. No business meetings, no deadlines. Just real communication, which is so lacking in the hustle and bustle. You can go to the library and leisurely choose books, talk to the librarian. You can visit an old friend with whom you worked 40 years ago and remember youth. This kind of communication doesn't need to be planned a month in advance - it's spontaneous, and therefore, alive.

Little joys of everyday life

Happy moments are hidden in small things: baking a cake that doesn't burn; calling the clinic for the first time; seeing through the window that the electricity bill has come, and it's less than expected; receiving a package from relatives from another city; finding your favorite type of tomatoes at the market. Young people often don't notice this. For a retiree, each such small thing is a gift from fate.

Morning without haste and evening without bustle

Happiness is when you can spend the morning with a cup of tea and a newspaper (or a tablet). When you're not running anywhere, just looking out the window, watching the snow fall or the leaves rustle. This is the time of slow existence. A retiree is happy when their schedule is not scheduled by the minute, but consists of items like "lie down," "read," "watch a series," "go to the store for bread." The ability to do nothing is also an art, and it is mastered to perfection in old age.

Memory of the past

Happiness is flipping through old albums and remembering your youth. Here I am at a demonstration, here I am at a wedding, here I am with my son in the park. These memories warm the soul. A retiree can talk for hours to grandchildren about how they lived without the internet, how they stood in line, how they built the BAM. For him, this is not nostalgia for a gray past, but a sense that life has been lived meaningfully. A happy moment is when a photograph comes alive in your head, and you become young, strong, full of hope.

The happiness of a retiree is silence. Internal and external. When there are no debts, loans, bosses, and unfulfilled plans behind you. There is only you and this day. And the opportunity to fill it with what you like. Don't miss this feeling, even if you are still far from retirement. Learn to be happy with the little things now. Then old age will not be a burden.

Permanent link to this publication: