Slow Aging Through Life-Long Learning

6 months before I retired, I purchased a DSLR camera for the purpose of shooting photos of all of the trips I was planning on taking in retirement as well as the grandkids I had hoped to have some day (good thing - I now have two).  My plan was to hone my skills by watching YouTube videos, reading online tips, and practicing with my camera.  Two years later, my camera is still set on auto and I am struggling with mastering the art of taking creative shots and really knowing how to use all of the features my camera has to offer.  

After acquiring a B.S., M.S., and beyond, I never thought I would be going “back to school” post-retirement.  But when my friend Vicki (also my son’s mother-in-law) suggested we enroll in a photography class at a local college, I quickly checked my calendar and decided to take the plunge and register.  We signed up for Photography I and dedicated the next 7 weeks to hands on instruction that would make us better photographers.  I gave my camera a full charge and showed up to the first 6:30-9:00 PM class eager to learn about aperture settings, shutter speeds, depth of field and other goodies.  So far, we have had two classes and my world of photography has grown to be much bigger.  (By the way, my camera is no longer on auto.)

This is one way baby boomers are reinventing retirement.  Post-retirement, we have more time on our hands and are searching for intellectual stimulation as well as developing new interests.  Fortunately, a growing number of colleges and universities are offering continuing educations courses that cater to anyone seeking to learn something new.   Check out the website of your local college and you will probably find a list of adult enrichment courses for lifelong learners.  Planning on traveling to a foreign country? Learn a new language.  Is gardening your new hobby?  There’s a class for that.  Want to become more comfortable with your computer?  Sign up for a computer class.  Starting a new business or maybe want to be able to invest wiser?  Take a class in business and finance.  Maybe you just want to learn a new hobby.  Mine is photography and I love my first class so much, I could see myself registering for Photography II.  

Sometimes retirement means a lot more than just being able to see a movie at 10:00 in the morning or having lunch with your retired friends whenever you want.  Sometimes retirement means reinventing yourself - starting a new business or a serious hobby.  A blog I was recently reading written by Matthew Sloan, Executive Editor of Harvard Men’s Health Watch, equates exercising your brain to exercising your muscles - especially in later life.  It talks about exposing your brain to new challenges to keep it healthy and slow aging.  Sloan’s article, “Back to School:  learning a new skill can slow cognitive aging” talks about enrolling in a structured class to acquire new information and experiences and the benefits it has to slowing cognitive aging.  

Of course, class attendance is not enough.  Practice makes perfect, and the “homework” is fun.  I just finished my homework on shutter speeds.  It began snowing outside and I grabbed an opportunity to shoot the snowflakes at various shutter speeds.  After I master photography, I’m taking piano lessons.