After joining the ranks of the retirees, my brother-in-law has experienced a bout of depression, heaving sighs, humming and hawing from time to time. His wife, i.e. my sister, was worried that the poor old guy might have a screw loose.

When weaned from the care of, and sustaining link to, an institution to which one once belonged, one is likely to be overwhelmed by a surge of helplessness and resentment typical of a jilted lover. It usually takes months for the wound caused by the sudden about-turn to heal over.

But if we have an adaptable mindset and appreciate the positive aspects of retirement, we might be able to paint a brighter, if not rosy, picture of the years that lie ahead.

Suppose we are to live to a great age, say, 80 years, we shall have 20 years at our disposal, which means a quarter of our lifespan will be free from the frenetic-paced lifestyle and we shall be bidding farewell to the days when we had to plod away slavishly whether we were interested or not.

Of course, there's no denying the fact that infirmity coupled with sickness will always stalk the retirees and seize every opportunity to pounce on us. To guard against the surprise attack, working out a plan to keep up our physique and designing a balanced diet seem more important than when we were young. It requires great perseverance though, to carry out the golden rules through to the end.

A peaceful frame of mind is also a necessity to keep us as fit as a fiddle. There are many ways to cultivate this state of mind. Keeping up our hobbies, for example, is just one of them.

I have often seen elderly people sitting around in a circle playing cards, with clothes pegs clamping onto their earlobes. Though it's a way of killing time, it does little to add to the enlightenment of the mind. What if we expand such hobbies to include painting, calligraphy, philately, flower planting, reading literary works and making occasional contributions to periodicals?

A retiree was reported to have copied the classical novel "A Romance of Three Kingdoms" in a regular script of ultra small characters in three years or so, making an outstanding contribution to the development of calligraphy. The man must have grasped the essence of being a retiree and played his role to the full.

Besides, we can also elicit much fun from lending a hand with cooking. In addition to enriching our knowledge of the culinary art, we shall be doing our share of gratifying our gustatory lusts.

If we find few to communicate with, maybe we shall be pleased to find in our grandchildren a docile generation willing to lend an ear to our prattle. They would most likely make it possible for us unleash our pent-up emotions. Bank on it! Treasure your relationship with the third generation.

Taking a trip abroad? Yes, that's a good idea. We have seen hordes of elderly foreign tourists in resplendent clothing taking pictures of scenic spots. But for now I am afraid we have to stop short of venturing on this undertaking. It's because most of us are strapped for cash, given the retirement pension we receive monthly from our work unit.

Refrain from keeping up with the Joneses. There's still plenty of room for us to stretch our limbs and flex our muscles. We ourselves alone, and nobody else, will be responsible for making our remaining years more colourful and creative.

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