Retired elderly fellow feels loss of respect, how should he deal with it?

Dear Dr. Jim

I am a frustrated older, retired man who likes to write short poetry.

I have this problem, I have lost my respect since I retired.

Here is my little poem about that:

a couplet....
my retirement is the pits
i get not respect since i'm 66

Almost had it with this kind of life, Mr. Putz

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Well, Mr. Putz, I am very sorry about how you feel. To me, your poem is nice, though also very revealing.

Saying that, I've been there and done that! And am still in the recovery stage if there is such a thing.

Basically here are your problems:
(1) people no longer know you by your occupation, about you, it is "just that retired elderly fellow down the street;"
(2) your kids probably make more money than you do, way more, some of them;
(3) I don't think you live in a year-round temperate climate. Being snowed in for winters is the pits;
(4) you really don't have any hobbies you are proud of; and
(5) you like visiting and wasting time too much to get into the swing of things like you did when you worked. I surmise you have had an adventuresome life much like I had before you retired.

Now, some ideas. That is all I can do, I'm not a shrink or a professional advisor on personal life. BUT I AM VERY EXPERIENCED IN LIFE!

First get a nice hobby. My wife has pretty near outdone me on golf, so I dropped down on that. I do like to write and this may turn out to be how I am known. "Oh yes, he is the writer over in the Bentwater subdivision," "I know him," or, "I have heard of him."

Since you have been blogging about as long as I have, seem to have about the same amount of time or more than I have, and you also like to write, I'd say cash in on that.

See where poetry takes you. Make blogger friends with it. Here are 690,000 ideas on that aspect (click link # 1) or these 4,700 people who like writing poetry, and they blog about it (click link # 2). Since the latter group all have Blogger Blogs you have something in common with them right away.

You can go to your profile, then click on your interests for more ideas of getting with the bloggers. I just did a blogger search on "writing+poetry." to get the above 4,700.

I have heard you have a dog. Take it for walks in the neighborhood, you will meet a lot of friends that way. Around here, I am also known as "Adi's Grandfather."

You might want to look into training and using your dog as a therapy dog. Especially if you like to be helping people who are even less fortunate than you--there are many (click link # 3) or (click link # 4)! Check with the Delta Society if this interests you at all (click link # 5)

I have to stop here. You can brainstorm your interests, age, former occupation(s), religion, politics, etc, then find local or distant groups or individuals to share these interests with.

And go to it, your new dignity is waiting for you!




So, keep on keep'n on, and till then,
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