Retirees, what are you doing to keep your mind sharp?
 

Sudoku, crossword puzzles, play chess against a computer, discuss politics with your neighbor? Just looking for ideas. I wrench on my cars for mental exercise but sooner or later, I’ll grow tired of laying on concrete.

Keep sharp? Hell, I never was sharp...

I like crossword puzzles. I volunteer at my local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. Its not a daily gig, only when I want to or if I see there is a lack of coverage. I move stuff around, help unload trucks, and accept donations from individuals. It is easy work that keeps me thinking and interacting with others. The rest of the time I putter around doing odd jobs around the farm. I will hit the 2 year mark of retirement in 2 weeks. I am enjoying it very much. I just applied for Social Security yesterday, so my hourly rate for puttering has increased !

This month makes 5 years retired for me . I generally just stay busy with home/auto/RV projects . Plenty of yard work needed on our 2.5 acres . So far that has kept me mentally sharp .

It seems I take on projects. I posted a cabinet and shelves I had built for a friend. Last month I delivered a storage chest/ bench for her entry. Nothing fancy.
I also try to add a song to my repertoire each month, basic chords and lyrics.
Still, there are some days when I feel I could hide my own easter eggs.

Best
Les

Could you type a bit slower? I don't understand the question...

I live on the water so sailing my boat fills a lot of my time. Still race sailboats. Plat solitaire. Work on the car. At the present time I'm helping my son in law build a house. However today i will receive a new 6.5 creedmoor upper, later tonight I'll reload some rounds a spend a few hours at the range tomorrow.

I have written this here before: We have a nice informal group of retirees with backgrounds in commercial and DoD business. We will 1099 folks based on their schedule and desire for work and our workload.

We are using a former government contracting officer to help with a proposal to DARPA this week and next. He will be part of the Red Team and Final Review before submit.

25 hours and he is delighted...working from home with a VTC set-up.

There are a few firms in DC that specialize in this type of work. Plenty out there.

Doing projects is always a good thing but mental exercise requires just that. Learning something new is, IMHO essential.

I read Pelican Parts OT trying to come up with witty answers to some of the posts.
I'll admit, I'm not nearly as sharp as most here, but I get by.
Photography, model trains and enjoying my grandkids growing up are on my list of things I do.
After a quad bypass two years ago at the end of this month I appreciate my days up right.
Did you all see the moon this morning?

I watched Mars disappear behind the Moon last night.

Been around 5 years. You ask a good question.
I did a lot of tinkering in the earlier years. I still do some, but most of it is now involuntary (figured out how to fix a dying fridge last week, for example). And it’s not very brain challenging.
I spent almost a year researching and hunting down a vintage motorcycle (BMW R75/5).
I read a lot. A lot. I’m always learning.
But, I’d say for many or most of us early retirees, it’s impossible to keep our minds as sharp as they would have been if we kept working in our professions until old age.

Oh, and one thing I don’t do anymore is watch TV. I literally watch zero TV, of any kind. (I do watch movies fairly regularly).
I see what’s on network TV and most other stations, and sitting around consuming that for hours a day can’t be good for your brain.

The day you stop learning is the day you start dying

Short answer.......doing all the things I couldn't while I had my full time career.

And that is a LOT!

Just starting, winding down business. Finishing projects around the house.

Less alcohol, and more sex.

Podcasts are a great way to learn new things while also gettin' stuff done in the yard or in the garage or wherever.
I'm a big fan of getting my heartrate up many times a day through exercise, and along the same lines deliberately relaxing for a few minutes, take a few long, deep breaths to slow my heartrate down and try to let my mind access random thoughts.
It's also good to have friends who think the way I do and grew up in the era where I formed most of my values and opinions and can discuss events and ideas through the same filters but I'm also lucky enough to have a couple of good friends who are a little younger (and smarter) who bring a slightly different perspective to my thoughts and beliefs.

I retired in March. Originally, there were a lot of things on my plate that needed to be settled regarding my wife’s estate and her business that kept me occupied for a while. But, I knew that I eventually needed to find some activities to keep my mind fresh and functioning.

Towards the end of March, I was having a discussion with a friend of mine and she said that she really enjoyed the story I told at Andie’s 'Celebration of Life' gathering about how we met and our first date. My friend went on to say, “that would be a great story for The Moth”.

I had no idea what The Moth was. I discovered that The Moth is a non-profit group dedicated to the art and craft of storytelling. I was then pointed to their website, their weekly NPR radio show, their podcasts and their YouTube channel. I was fascinated and enjoyed what I heard. The stories told are all true and provide considerable insight to the world at large from the perspectives of individuals.

It wasn’t long before I determined that I would like to attend one of their live events. Now, StorySLAMs at The Moth are open mic nights. Storytellers put their names “in a hat” and 10 individuals are chosen randomly to come up on stage and tell their stories. There are no notes allowed. The first few slams that I attended I was just there as an audience member. I found it to be extremely enjoyable.

Eventually, I remember thinking that if I didn’t do it now I never would. So, I put my name in the hat at an event in Brooklyn. I remember sitting in the audience with my mind vacillating between “pick me” and “don’t pick me”. I wasn’t picked that night. Same thing happened the following month in Brooklyn. But, I was enjoying the stories and the congenial atmosphere of the events.

Later that month, I was heading down to the Philadelphia area to visit my daughter and spend time with the grandkids. I saw that there was a StorySLAM scheduled for Philly, so I stayed for another night and attended. My name was pulled from the hat and I went onstage and told the story about how I met Andie and our first date. It went well. However, I did exceed the six minute time limit but I blame that on all of the times I needed to pause for laughter or applause.

I now go to slams on a regular basis. Most of them to observe, not participate. But, I have found that the ability to take pieces of my life and craft them into a true story that can be told in under six minutes requires some mental acuity. I sit and write for about an hour every morning. One thing about The Moth is that you can never repeat a story that you have already told. So, if nothing else, I’m recording my memories for my children.

I have been on stage a few times. The latest was this past Tuesday in Philadelphia.

I have made a lot of new friends and acquaintances through The Moth. They keep me busy and intellectually challenged. I have received an invitation and a guaranteed spot on stage for a Christmas-themed storyslam on this Saturday. So, I guess I am not boring people.

^^^Side note: I am fascinated with storytelling. Thanks for writing this. It is something I need to delve into.

*disclaimer - I'm not retired yet!

No where in the Bible is the word or the concept to "retire" ever mentioned.