Some people slide into retirement like a well-worn shoe, but for others it means a major adjustment, replacing their work identity with the new identity of being retired. It also often involves moving to a new location, away from friends and the familiar. For some, such changes offer new discovery and opportunity, for others, a sense of loss. But whether you find retirement embraceable or difficult, one thing is certain: It’s a transition, a process of moving from one life phase to the next, and it’s big.

It’s the rare person who has it all mapped out and follows a well-oiled plan without a hitch or two. Retirement is like the rest of life – full of surprises. Of course, there are those who are content to simply enjoy their leisure time and the pastimes and hobbies they favor. Then there are those who need more stimulation.

If you’re one of the latter type, retirement needs to be filled with positive activity: learning, helping and continued discovery and challenge. With those goals in mind, here are some places to turn that can make your retirement more fulfilling, and if you will, less retiring. If you are the kind of person who wants to keep on trucking until that final truck stop, keep on reading.

Volunteering

Volunteering is an obvious option, but one very worthy of note because it offers a world of possibilities, from using well-honed skills from your previous work or learning new skills. In addition, there’s the satisfaction of helping others and your community.

One place to look that can often be overlooked is that bunch you may have cussed one or two times in your life – the government. Well, here’s your chance to make them better. Governments of all types offer a chance to volunteer your time and make your community a better place to live, and along the way help shore up agencies that lack the necessary funding to be fully staffed. The possibilities range from cleaning up your favorite street or park with an adopt-a-street or -park program to sitting on advisory committees dealing with issues ranging from land planning to the board of property appeals, to reserve law enforcement.

Local animal shelters are always in need of help. Verna Vetter, a retired volunteer at the South Pacific County Humane Society Shelter finds it the perfect solution to remaining active and vital. “I was never able to do it while I was still working and rising six kids. Being retired gives me the freedom to do it on my own schedule, to do something I enjoy, and animals have always been my second love after my kids. Volunteering definitely keeps you going, gives you purpose.”

If you are able and outdoor work suits you best, there are countless opportunities to do field work in parks, wildlands and nature reserves, and often it can be more like a vacation than work. Take whale watching: People come from all over the United States to whale watching sites during Whale Watch Weeks to learn about the gray whales that migrate past the Oregon and Washington coasts each year. You can teach others about whales while you watch them right along with everybody else.

Mentoring

Adult mentors are always in demand for children with disabilities, those who are at risk of failing or dropping out of school, and myriad of other causes. According to a 2004 mentoring report, there are 240,000 kids in Washington state alone who are in need of mentoring and only 8 percent are getting help. One can bet Oregon has an equal need.

Mentoring cuts both ways. The child gets your efforts on their behalf to improve their lives and you build a simple yet powerful relationship that can be very rewarding. Retiree Donna Sunell of Gearhart has been mentoring at-risk kids for five years. “You build relationships. Most of the kids I’ve mentored I’m still in contact with and it keeps you young because you’re around kids. You’re active, you have things to look forward to, and you do make a difference in their lives and you feel that.”

Kids need adult guidance whether they know it or not. A strong connection between an adult and a young person can encourage young people to seek and build connections elsewhere – like school, work or family. These connections are vital to a young person’s development and success. Mentoring can focus on literacy, history, mathematics or any number of vital educational subjects, but as often as not, it helps develop important life skills like good boundaries, time management, strong communication, positive peer relationships and the like.

If kids are your thing, mentoring will bring a lot of positive and fulfilling moments into your un-retired life.

Start a new career

You’ve probably spent a lifetime at one or more occupations or professions. Even if you found it rewarding, it’s easy to wind up burnt out, or simply feeling unchallenged at career’s end. Try taking the “retire” out of retirement by making it a time to start anew. While some people may have a bias about age, many do not and respect the experience and wisdom of older workers. Your age doesn’t have to hold you back from learning new skills and developing a new career. There are a number of career programs out there to investigate and help you get started. Maybe it’s even an opportune time to begin that new career as a single entrepreneur or open that small business you’ve had on your mind for a long time.

This article is a case in point. I had a lifetime of building writing skills as part of my former profession, but I never wrote for a newspaper. It took some adjustments and the development of some new skills, but all that past experience in writing is now put to work writing articles like this one. Even though I’m using old skills, it’s in a fresh new way and the challenges inherent in that keep me on my toes.

Release the inner artist

Is there an artist inside you? Now is the time to let it out. If you have the desire, you now have the time to explore your creative side either seriously, or just for the sheer joy in creating and exercising your creative muscle. With the power of the Internet, it’s easy to become a self-taught artist. Go online and search to your heart’s content. There are always community classes and college classes available as well.

Ever wanted to try acting? Check out your local community theaters. Even if your acting isn’t up to muster, they can always use help backstage and out front. The main thing is to give it a go. It isn’t about how good you are; releasing the creative spirit within is about discovery and pleasing yourself.

That’s how retired contractor Jack Guyot, now a painter, sees it, “I always wanted to be an artist. I don’t make a living at it, but I’m retired and I don’t have to. There is a bit of artist in everyone. You’d be surprised at what lies inside untapped. Each of us has our own way of expressing the world and art … is a wonderful way to express yourself.”

I can personally attest to that: I, too, took that plunge. I decided to start making metal sculptures. Didn’t know a thing about it, but one college class and a lot of Internet videos later and I’m filling my yard with welded metal art. My wife always wanted to play guitar. She bought a guitar, a DVD lesson set, and now she’s plucking away every day.

My sculptures are still more metal than art and her plucking is still labored, but we’re both improving over time. However, what is more important is we doing something we always wanted to try and expressing ourselves creatively.

Retirement can be a rich and fulfilling time, a second go at life. Whether you use your skills from a lifetime of experience or learn new skills that challenge you, it’s a time to grow, to do those things you always wanted to do, or even to continue doing what you’ve always enjoyed. Retirement is not the end. It’s the beginning.