There has been a lot of research about the implications of what people do or don’t do in retirement. Froese finds that identifying these types of activities or interests is vital because they will likely be fulfilling and meaningful for the rest of a person’s life. It’s about asking yourself questions like what do you want to do as a lifelong learner, what are your passions, what gets you out of bed in the morning, and what is it you do that makes you lose all track of time. “When that changes there are gaping holes in all the other roles that they’re supposed to be playing.” “For farmers, the role they pay attention to most is the farm,” says Froese. Unfortunately, the initial flush of excitement about all the possibilities often doesn’t last past the first trip to the travel agent for brochures, and for farmers in particular, it’s too easy to sink into their old ways, despite their shortcomings.Īlthough most will have plans that deal with the financial aspect of their senior years and retirement, they are all too often unprepared for the psychological void it can create in a life that so far has been defined by work.įarm family coach Elaine Froese avoids the “R-word” in her conversations with farmers and their families, instead talking about how they will reinvent their roles as she introduces them to the concept of a role map.įroese trained in the Hudson coaching program, which teaches there are six key roles in people’s lives: selfcare and personal development, marriage, family, work, friends and community. They can finally say yes to some of those community volunteer requests, sit on a few more boards, help with the pancake breakfast at the summer fair, maybe even go overseas and do ministry work. It felt like the day would never come when they would actually retire from the farm, or want to look anywhere else for quality of life, but now they realize it’s here.įinally, they can travel, maybe become a snowbird for a few months, play more golf, learn to paint, knit, kayak, take up photography, train for a half-marathon, play senior baseball, garden, become absorbed in DIY projects, make birdhouses, restore a tractor you drove in your youth, or help revive an endangered livestock breed. The question gets more urgent for farmers as they age.
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