My Retirement Years

The Magic of Ordinary Days

It is the end of 2023.  Every year of this time, I like to reread an essay I wrote when I returned from the Peace Corps.  The experience of Peace Corps changed my life, my attitude towards life.  Here is what I wrote:

The time I spent in Azerbaijan, without a doubt has a greater impact on me than on the people whom I was trying to help. How much I have changed since I set foot in this “underdeveloped” country. I know I can tolerate a much higher degree of discomfort.  No regular running water, unreliable supply of gas and electricity, even a cold shower in the winter, it is not the end of the world. Having lived with people with so little material provisions, now I can go home and be happy to live simply. I don’t need a high paying job; I can survive with less income. I don’t have to live in a luxury two-bed room condo. I can be just happy to live in a cozy studio. I don’t have to drink Starbuck coffee, eat imported cheese, and indulge myself with expensive wine. I don’t need fancy jewels or designer clothing to look good. I don’t have to compete with colleagues and friends. I don’t have to rush going from point A to point B.

I will return to New York with a much lighter spirit. Three most valuable lessons I learned from my Peace Corps experience: be patient, be flexible, and always have a sense of humor. I have grown to love life with a different attitude, I become more sensible and understanding, learn to listen more, have less self-pity, care more about my community, friends and family, recognize there are many people in the world with real problems, be more supportive with their needs rather than constantly complain about my own problems. Life in Azerbaijan has made a profound difference in me. As my Peace Crops journey comes to an end, and soon there will be more new faces (the AZ9) coming to Azerbaijan in October. I wish them well and my advice to them is a quote from Paul Theroux:

“…don’t make a mistake in thinking that you will make an important difference in the lives of the people you are among. The profound difference will be in you”.

Now I have retired, my days are nothing but ordinary, but they have magic.  Be content, be kind to others, give more and expect nothing to return, stop complaining and start living.