04-09-2021, Friday, Sunny
I retired in 2016.
Nowadays, many of my friends who are around the same age as I are already or are planning to retire. Our past-time habits gradually became one of the common topics among us. I heard and saw various collections going on: collecting stamps, paintings, coins, cameras, first edition books, cards, toys, and antiques…
I felt that collectors tend to share their collections more passionately, thus I enjoyed their stories more and reread those stories more often.
When my friends asked what did I collect after my retirement, I always replied immediately: “Oh, I collect nothing at all.”
After giving the same answer many times, I felt my answer sounded boring and reflected a dull personality, and I started to think about what I enjoyed most after my retirement. Besides visiting family members far and near, I enjoy outdoor activities, small gatherings, reading books, watching movies, and class reunions.
Actually, I enjoyed watching flowers the most. I found that flowers easily pleased me, because I love pretty flowers in every color and every size. I felt that I am bounded with flowers in a lasting, deep relationship with joy and faith. Seeing familiar flowers in a foreign place, is just like seeing an old friend unexpectedly in a faraway place: I always feel very happy and that happiness can last for a long time.
From casual chatting among friends in small gatherings, I found that possessing passion and having role-models are driving forces for me in my life journey.
Reunion with classmates always brought back old memories of my youth, and I really believed that childhood innocence and purity are magic potions to revive our youthful energy.
I wrote many of my findings down, as I enjoy writing little stories. Actually, when my old friends or colleagues ask what am I doing after my retirement, I always replied with: “I visited my parents in China more often and I wrote little stories about life.”
While living in Silicon Valley after my retirement, I visited a few countries and very often to the Coast along California’s Route 1. I collected many good memories from those visits by writing them down.
After I came to Waltham in the beginning of 2020, I stayed in Waltham for an entire year because of the COVID-19 quarantine, unlike previous years. However, I was very happy staying in a small city, as I saw lots of flowers that I had never seen while I was in Silicon Valley.
After some self-evaluation, I came up with an answer which I liked and I felt could easily open up a conversation to the beginning question.
Now, when my friends ask what do I collect after my retirement, I will reply with: “I collect good memories.”
https://www.psychologies.co.uk/joy-vs-happiness
“Joy is more consistent and is cultivated internally. It comes when you make peace with who you are, why you are and how you are,whereas happiness tends to be externally triggered and is based on other people, things, places, thoughts and events.”