| For our final Bold School lesson, we wrangled with the existential: finding a purpose. If you've found one, chances are you are happier and healthier in retirement than if you haven't. And if your purpose is service-oriented, better still. In fact, as Jamil Zaki points out in this piece about volunteering: "We flourish not by besting others, but by being part of something greater than ourselves." To that end, Patricia helps people in recovery, Mary teaches English to immigrants, and Elizabeth will always be involved in health care. Elaine finds purpose in a hobby from childhood, Susanne and her husband have too many purposes to count (but start each day the right way), and Bruce and Ann do what they love. In writing this newsletter, we hoped to educate — and be educated by — you, our readers. In honor of the end of this 12-week series, we've gone through hundreds of your comments and rounded up our favorite words of advice and wisdom. You'll find those parting words after this week's feedback on purpose. Thank you for signing up, reading, writing in and being part of this engaging community. If you've found as much value in it as we have, consider subscribing to The Washington Post. A Post subscription makes newsletters like this possible and unlocks every story we have to offer. Try one month for $1 and immediately access everything from groundbreaking investigations to recipes and book reviews. If you have feedback on this series or have more to say about your purpose, we want to hear from you. Send your thoughts our way. Comments, as always, are edited for length and clarity. The more, the merrier"My 73-year-old husband and I have developed a satisfying retirement life together. The best thing we have done for ourselves is taking yoga classes three times a week. We walk three miles five or six times a week and keep an eye out for interesting birds. My husband is a commercial fisherman in the summer and we grow a large vegetable garden. We are active Quakers and recently started an advocacy group under the care of the Friends National Committee on Legislation. As part of that group, we build relationships with our legislators. We visit our children and grandchildren as often as we can. I have been a member of a planning committee for a Quaker women's conference for the past three years. We start every day with a hug." — Susanne, 69 Caring for others, caring for you"I am a self-employed translator — a job I can take everywhere and do as jobs come up. I love it and have no intention or need to retire. My husband had a highly stressful but satisfying career as a teacher. After 'retirement,' he took over leadership and management of a preschool. After three years of that, we decided that he needed to quit and become the househusband for our three-generation family. He has taken up cooking and gardening. It keeps him busy and interested (he has to have a mission to be happy) and has provided me with a semi-retirement by cutting out a lot of the household duties. We both get quality time with our grandson. It's fun rather than work, because we take care of him after daycare hours together." — Deborah, 63 "My two purposes are taking care of my 88-year-old mom and doing chores around the house. (I was a stay-at-home mom, and now I'm a stay-at-home daughter.) Three years ago, I started a part-time job as an administrative assistant at a small, family-owned real estate brokerage. It certainly adds to my sense of purpose and self-esteem. My husband is on the verge of retirement but says he won't retire until he knows what he'll do the day after he retires." — Karen, 59 "Retirement will bring me more time! There is so much I enjoy, from hiking with my dogs to quilting to reading to cooking to enjoying live music and spending time with my family. As a nurse practitioner, my purpose has always been to care for others. I don't know what shape it will take but some form of medical volunteering is in the future. I'll always be a nurse!"— Elizabeth, 59 "I've become a volunteer medical first responder. My 'job' is to keep things under control and address any medical issues for which I'm trained until the ambulance arrives. This gives me a chance to help my neighbors, as well as strangers. I'm more proud of being a first responder than I am of almost anything else I've done in my life."— Anne, 63 Mini purpose, big reward "When I realized that my youngest child was going to go to college soon, I needed something to fill my evenings and weekends. I wasn't retired yet, but I decided to build dollhouses, like I had as a child. Thirty years later, I am still doing it. Because I wanted them to be historically accurate, I do research on the style and all the contents, and I learn new skills to build them. A miniature club is a great way to meet new people, as well as making friends online." — Elaine, 85 Making a difference"My purpose is to make a difference in the world. I am a life coach and author, and my ninth book contains a love letter to my Italian immigrant grandparents for helping to shape my values around philanthropy, caring for others and helping others. I donate 15 percent of my book sales to an immigrant welcome center in their memory. I have always felt a need to be a part of something bigger than myself, and my vocation is my avocation. By sustaining my career into my 70s, I feel energized, happy and fulfilled. I get to work with different kinds of people and engage in many community projects that teach me new things about the area where I live, the needs of others, and I get to bring fulfillment and joy. I like planting trees under which I will never sit!" — Elaine, 76 "After teaching children to read for 30 years, I retired. I continued to volunteer in my old school, managing a teacher's leveled-book library. This is a library that has books for students leveled from easy to difficult. I enjoyed doing this, and the teachers appreciated my efforts. Then I moved three hours away. I felt kind of rudderless. I had no ikigai. After settling into my new community, I became a volunteer at my local town library. I have made new friends, perform a service to the community and feel a sense of purpose again." — Ann, 67 "I foster puppies for our local animal shelter. I have had as many as 23 at a time (which seriously, was about 10 too many, but the alternative was them being euthanized, so I don't regret it, but I am not sure my wood floors will ever truly recover). I will continue to do that, plus there is a lot of travel I want to do. I'm retiring in a month and a half. There will finally be time to work on my house and yard, exercise more often, declutter, sew, paint and write. I am really excited!" — Jodie, 63 "I'm a teacher. I've turned my hobbies into workshops to share my experiences: raising chickens, traveling alone, playing the ukulele. But the best of all is that I have become, at 75, a certified fitness instructor. I teach exercise classes for women recovering from addiction. It's a win-win. I stay fit and I help them return to health and sobriety."— Patricia, 75 "For years I've been volunteering two mornings a week at an adult learning center, teaching English to immigrants and refugees. I love working with these students! I help them learn a new language and the ins and outs of life in America. I'm inspired by their enthusiasm and determination to make a life in a new country." — Mary, 66 "I have always been involved in politics, but since I retired in 2014, I have taken on a larger role. Last year I took a political leadership class, and this year I am managing a campaign for my New York State Assembly district. I am active on my county committee, as well as my local town committee. It has given me a positive role to play and has introduced me to so many wonderful people. I also take care of my young grandson twice a week, so my life is very full and fulfilled!" — Martha, 67 "When I reduced my work to half time, I started volunteering as a docent at our local zoo/sanctuary and teaching responsibility toward wild animals and the environment. Since I retired, I became a member of my local Assistance League, volunteer in the 'Friends of the Library' program at my local branch, and am active in my church. I sing in the choir, perform usher duties, maintain the church library, maintain the clothes closet for those in need, sew for the sewing group and help in the monthly food pantry. These activities keep me engaged in my community and help others less fortunate than me."— Emily, 70 The best of Bold School Lesson 1: What to do when your "empty nest" is actually full — of stuff"I ask myself five questions when considering deaccessioning something: 1. Is it regularly useful? 2. Is it beautiful? 3. Do I have a sentimental attachment to it — and, if so, is it easy to display or store? 4. Can it be easily (and inexpensively) replaced if I decide I want it later? 5. Can someone else make better use of the item?" — Elizabeth, 64 Lesson 2: When the boss is young enough to be your kidIf you go into your situation with an open mind, work like you are working for your customer, be sensitive to those around you, you will succeed no matter who your boss is." — Robin, 61 Lesson 3: Two habits that are like medicine and therapy, but free"One of the best parts for me is getting to know the community of walkers that we encounter. We 'see' each other in defiance of the way older people frequently become invisible to others." — Sherrod, 68 Lesson 4: It's time to scam-proof yourself"Check the email sender's address. It will always have some telling appendage that informs you where it originated. And never click on an embedded link … always call the company directly on a known phone number." — Charles, 71 Lesson 5: When your vision gets weaker, strengthen your sense of style"I love to have multiple pair of readers and change my look. Variety is the spice of life. My husband has just as much fun buying glasses as I do." — Lynn, 55 Lesson 6: Breaking up (with booze) is hard to do"My husband and I switched to smaller wine glasses. It fools us into thinking we are still drinking the same as before, but we are drinking half of what we used to, or even less." — Ann, 63 Lesson 7: It's time to trash the myth of the grumpy old person"Every night before I go to sleep, I think about someone for whom I was grateful that day. I think it has helped me sleep better at night!" — Jane, 67 Lesson 8: Get the skin-ny on your spots"I love that my body still works for me. It's not as quick as it used to be, but I am still able to do much of what I've always done, and I can still get stronger when I make the effort." — Kathy, 63 Lesson 9: Some say we broke the Earth. Let's help fix it."Keep a bucket on the kitchen counter by the sink. All clear water goes into the bucket and not down the drain. You will be amazed at how much you'll have for plants, wetting a cloth for first-swipe clean-ups, even rinsing the sink." — Pamela, 74 Lesson 10: Learning how to accept the unacceptable"I learned the importance of saying something, anything, even when the situation feels awkward. My advice is: Step out of your own discomfort, because it is not about you. Simply saying, 'I don't know what to say' is enough. 'I'm sorry' is enough."— Barbara, 68 Lesson 11: The soundtrack of your life"Sixty years ago, I was a nonverbal autistic kid in rural Alabama and rock-and-roll gave me a voice. Thirty years later, I was singing rock-and-roll lullabies to my own sons." — Dennis, 64 Lesson 12: The purpose of having a purpose"I started volunteering at the Richmond Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals when I retired two years ago. I get much more out of it than I give. I have never felt so useful and fulfilled." — Bruce, 67 Thanks again for signing up for Bold School and spending your last 12 weeks with us. We hope you've learned a little something from us. We've sure learned a lot from you. Here's to living boldly! | 
Email 
