I woke up very early today. Last night I tried to sleep early but my right foot was so restless that I had to apply a Salonpas patch on it. This morning I woke up very early to use the bathroom and could not sleep anymore after that. My neck is the one hurting this time. I must have done something bad yesterday. I finally assembled one panel of the 3-panel divider that I bought from Amazon months ago. It involved a lot of bending and lifting albeit very light components. Then I proceeded to work which involved sitting for nearly 5 hours of paperwork. That must have been the culprits that caused all these pains. Time to understand why.
It all boils down to assessing my body at retirement age. I should have retired last month (in my ideal world) but reality dashed that hope. One reason is the difficulty of finding my replacement. Health care people are difficult to recruit since the pandemic and most facilities now offer either limited or very demanding hours of work. New graduates prefer big hospitals and fancy facilities who pay the best premiums and my place is not exactly at the top of the totem pole. The facility is trying its best to accommodate my age and my declining strength and capacity but still, I’d prefer to be indulging in my most desirable tasks. Hiking in the woods, walking in the parks, doing small and light travels in places I haven’t been before, resting, reading, writing and blogging, learning the latest on computer programming, pursing web development - these are the activities I’d personally prefer doing as I pass my twilight before the night descends.
I believe in Fate. I will retire when Fate tells me so. Meanwhile I can still indulge in some enjoyable tasks given the few hours of work I do in my profession. I still have time to spare for things I want to do. Except when the workload is heavy, I still manage to do a few things I like to do. Recently I have developed an interest in the visual media components of YouTube and FB and Instagram. I have been spending time in video manipulation, adding music background etc, which, for a young millennial, who is probably most sufficient in these techniques would laugh at my boomer amateurish attempts. Prior to this, around ten years ago, I went to the university for IT and computer science. I studied basic computer programming languages which are probably obsolete now but their principles are still embedded in my brain. All computer programs have fundamental principles and these can help me navigate the latest computer programming trends with less difficulty compared to someone without my background. All I need is time, and for programming, it must be copious time because it takes 20 minutes to just warm up in the coding zone. I am sure there is much to learn in the latest technologies of AI and ChatGPT which are absolutely strange to me. I am hoping to study them once I retire, and I am hoping 2025 would be my best starting point.
I also carry my love of health management which has been the bread and butter of my 34 year career. I have worked with thousands of patients in their recoveries from anything that disturbed their range of motions, strength, functions. Physical Medicine and Rehab is simply regaining normalcy after a setback. This field isn’t something I would abandon completely. Physical Therapy isn’t like a construction job you leave behind once you are done. I still want to work in the field but on a different level. I am basically working as a consultant nowadays although I still encounter some very heavy duty workloads now that can cause some discomfort in my body. But I remain interested in health topics and reviewing articles about being healthy and comfortable and active and sharp as we age remains the top of my personal interests. Technology is so well-designed for the purpose of sharing what I know with anyone interested to listen to me (along the lines of ikigai) and that is a big tool that I can use.
Social media is definitely incorporated in all areas of health management these days. It can guide people to their good health through these channels, professionals can promote their health services through them, and you see them all over now. Personal trainers, PTs, massage therapists, MDs, nurses, Nutritionists - all of them are claiming their spaces and values in the universe of health social media. Obviously there are superstars in their field and, ah, there are people like me on the sidelines doing their little videos and articles which only a few stumble upon. And that is ok by me. One thing I love about being older and retired is I don’t care anymore what others think and how others react to me. In fact, I love being unnoticeable and non-existent to the eyes of many. It is very liberating when I say and do what I want without worrying about impressing or gaining admiration etc. “Take me for what I am and close the door behind you when you leave me” kind of thinking.
No expectations. That is what I want to say. Listen, you must have already proved your mettle at retirement. You have by now made an impression, climbed and descended your peak, managed people, maximized your skills and knowledge, became indispensable, oriented new workers, advised coworkers, handled multiple crises, became a boss at one point, respected and maybe honored (or not). In other words, you’ve been through the grind and through the mill. You have no reason to prove yourself to anyone already. There is no need to pick up battles.
I used to tell my patients whose temperaments are volatile and who get upset and angry at the slightest provocation - Really? In this state of agitation your blood pressure rises up, your heart rate beats fast, your cortisol increases thus increasing your blood sugar - while the person you are upset about is probably having a good time somewhere with the most normal vital signs.
Just like dealing with rain. The secret to happiness is the ability to adjust, alter, modify according to what Nature dictates and life throws at you . And for now, I just need to enjoy this rain. At least I can choose to drive to work later. I no longer have mandatory hours. I am free to move and work at my own pace and at my own time.
So what exactly is my advice to my own self at this age? Keep moving, keep learning, keep experiencing.
Besides working out in the gym or brisk walking outdoors, there are a few activities that will help you maintain good health throughout the day. Cleaning the yard, gardening, cleaning the house, removing clutter, rearranging your stuff like tools and keeping yourself busy with projects. These are a few of the things I could think of.