Solihull Living Sep - Oct 2020

Later life...
Let the fun begin !.?
Here Peter Thomson takes stock of time during lockdown and how
many older people benefitted from their time at home
The past few months have been
remarkable in mainly a bad way but
thankfully with a few positives thrown in.
Wishing to avoid adding to the negative
bombardments we have been receiving
daily, I am going to concentrate on some of
these positives and how they might interact
with ‘later life’.
Enforced lockdowns have afforded many
of us the ‘luxury’ of decoupling from the
daily grind and given us a time to take
stock. With no workday commuting nor
competing activities to get in the way we
have been able to undertake projects
that have remained on the back burner
or indulge ourselves with new hobbies or
fitness regimes.
It has in effect been a form of preretirement
when people approaching
their golden age get a chance to taste
the future without having to make the
big decision. Retirement used to be at
a fixed age whereby a suitable present
was bought and a venue booked so that
everyone could give their soon to be
former colleague a good send-off. If you
are having to make this decision yourself
do you soldier on whatever or call it a day
28 | www.solihullliving.co.uk
half dreading a retirement with nothing to
do. You can only bake so many cakes and
the garden is not a 7 day a week job. At
this point anxieties can be awakened in as
the old adage ‘use it or lose it’ cuts in and
people become fearful for their future.
But what has the lockdown taught us?
Without getting on an ecological soapbox,
we have all had time to appreciate the
environment we live in. With much less
travel and industry taking place the world
gently began to heal itself. Seemingly bluer
skies and more birdsong have been truly
gladdening. Hopefully all this good will
not be undone as we begin to return to
the new normal. There has been a huge
upswing in the amount of walking and
cycling that has been taking place. People
have discovered some beautiful locations
within a short distance of their homes as
well as getting exercise.
It has also taught that the business of living
is very important for people of all ages.
If you do not nurture these processes
and realise their importance you will
miss out on many uplifting and enriching
experiences. In a funny way it should not
be called’ later life’, but just ‘life’!