Think back to when you were seven, eight, or ten years old. What did you love to do when no one was grading you, paying you, or evaluating you? Drawing? Singing? Building things? Collecting stories? Playing outside until you forgot the time?
Here’s a suggestion: choose one of those childhood interests and give it a small place in your life for just one week.
Why Go Back?
Those early interests often reveal something true about us—curiosity, creativity, patience, imagination. Over the years, many of them were pushed aside by “serious” responsibilities. Retirement is a chance not only to look forward, but also to gently look back and retrieve parts of ourselves we left behind.
Make It Simple, Not Perfect
This is not about becoming an expert. If you used to love drawing, you don’t need expensive materials. A pencil and paper will do. If you liked music, play a song and hum along. If you enjoyed building things, try a small project: organizing a shelf, fixing something minor, arranging a corner of your home.
The goal is not perfection. It is reconnection.
Seven Days of Rediscovery
For one week, spend even ten to fifteen minutes a day on this interest. Notice what happens:
- Do you feel more playful?
- Does time pass differently?
- Do memories resurface—people, places, moments you had forgotten?
You may find that the activity itself becomes less important than what it awakens in you: a sense of lightness, curiosity, or quiet joy.
Let It Inform the Rest of Your Life
At the end of the week, ask yourself: “Do I want to keep this in my life somehow?” Maybe once a week is enough. Maybe you’ll move on to another childhood interest. Maybe you’ll discover a new hobby entirely.
Either way, you will have reminded yourself of something important: there are parts of you that existed long before job titles, responsibilities, and expectations. Retirement gives you the time to invite those parts back.