When I am old, besides wearing purple, I will… do what?
Business sage Peter Drucker recommended doing volunteer work, but he also advised: If you don’t volunteer while you are working, you will have trouble getting into doing so when you are retired.
Some Irish, God bless them, have come up with a short animation, now on Youtube, about the dream of finishing one’s to-do list when one is retired. Many of the Youtube comments are from folks still steadily working. Here’s the link.
The list in the cartoon goes on and on, as lists are wont to do. I remember a housewife telling me there was no point in her making a hopeful improve-your-life action list because her list of things to do would grow so big, so fast, that she would be overwhelmed and not do anything at all. As in her present situation… I told her I understood, I have been the same. I liked how she was observing the ancient Greek advice: Know thyself.
The Greeks also said, Nothing in excess. So I won’t do a cartoonishly long list.
They also said, Everything in moderation. Yes.
As I get older I get more realistic about things, things like “diminishing returns” and “grandiosity.” The latter, by the way, can be tricky and hidden: Sometimes I only clue in after I find myself avoiding something and then I have to relax, and think, and figure out what’s going on. No wonder Socrates and his stoic friends were so humble.
In the spirit of being humble, even though I’m semi-retired and might by now have something to share, I won’t say anything about my own lists, not just yet.
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Sean Crawford
Wearing purple,
In my tired blue world,
November
2025
Afterthought: If you are hoping to learn to be all fully functional in your life skills, looking for retired people’s quotes and wisdom, then don’t look at me, as I’m not yet fully retired. My favourite wisdom today was from my client, SheilaAnn Langdon, who I swear was not looking at me, but maybe glancing in my direction, when she came up with a learned, masterful quote: “You never learn.” You’re on your own with that one.
