When it comes to old age, I look forward to be a senior citizen very much. The idea of being retired with days to myself to do whatever I like is amazing. A traditional retirement to focus on myself and my family would be the primary goal (Finley, 2020, Positive Aging, slide 25). My ideal retirement would be at 60 and with a full pension and living somewhere with family and friends nearby. Hopefully by then, I’d have plenty of children and grandchildren and a home large enough for them with some livestock and dogs on the property.
Since I hold retirement in such high regard, I plan on being the coolest old man I can, breaking the negative stereotypes associated with aging and carrying a sense of pride and leisurely active lifestyle. Linda Fried’s article “Making Aging Positive” from The Atlantic explained the effect of positive aging stereotypes on health. An elderly adult with positive aging stereotypes lived an average 7.5 years longer than those who held negative stereotypes. Old age is not the end of your life and doesn’t have to be the end of the best parts of your character either so I intend to do all the things I want to when I retire.
In order to help see this goal through, there obviously will need to be a lot of work done in a career with plenty of benefits. Luckily, there are plenty of government jobs available in rural Idaho that should help complete the needed pension. The only real concern would just be making it to old age. One of the most important changes that needs to be made is my diet since it’s not the healthiest so I can reduce the risk of disease. Activity-wise, I plan to do a lot of walking and hiking on top of any other outdoor sport I might find in Idaho. I want to always have a dog no matter what household I’m in and having one to talk on walks will be good for me and them. Not only is a dog a meaningful thing to have, but it also keeps one engaged with their home life. No matter what career I choose, as long as I’m in shape and have a loving home, happiness will fall into place, making aging healthily a breeze.
School has been the foundation of my years and has taken up most of my time. Frankly, I’m just glad to be done with it soon. I have no problem with working and enjoy my free time. Once I’m in Idaho, I think life will be much easier and I’ll have everything I need.
Positive Psychology in a Nutshell 