So what makes for a successful, fulfilling, enjoyable retirement?

An essential element has to be finding pleasure in life that is equal to if not greater than the pleasure one had when working. The book - "The Joy of Not Working, A book for the retired, unemployed, and overworked", by Ernie J. Zelinski is the best book that I have found on the subject. It does a convincing job telling how one can learn to live "The Life of Riley" without guilt, anxiety or boredom. But it doesn't assume that for everyone this will be an easy task.

People who have worked all their lives have learned to live under the structure, purpose and community connected to the workplace. It has been their life, along with family, friends and activities. Now, under retirement, Zelinski says, people need to continue to have a structure, purpose and sense of community despite the loss of work.

For many people, taking it easy is difficult to handle, he says, citing boredom with oneself and others, having a hard time deciding what to do, and feeling guilty about having fun and enjoying oneself as some of the common problems recently retired people have with their leisure time.

In my class, "The Art of Retirement," which is offered three times a year by the Lifelong Learning department of the Mt. Diablo Adult Education program and as an adult education course at the Walnut Creek Seniors' Club, we look at who retires or doesn't retire, when, why and where people retire, plus a host of related topics. The typical profile for people taking the course are people with one or two years of retirement, either before or after actual retirement. But there also are people who have been retired for a decade or more who simply want to get more ideas on how to "get it right."

What we are able to do in the first session or two is to identify the "squirmers" and the "non-squirmers" in relation to the transition to retirement. As was said earlier, some people find it a joyous task ahead; others find it scary, with all kinds of worries about finances, activities, obligations, and other areas.

But make no doubt about it. There are plenty of retirees who are getting it right every day and really enjoying themselves in retirement. And they are the ones that we need to learn from. They are the ones who appear to have mastered the "art" of retirement as it applies to themselves.

In some ways, the class can been seen as a retirement support group, with those getting close to retirement getting support from those who are mastering it in ways that meets their own needs. And in that sense, the goal of retirement becomes developing one's activities within a structure that can be defined as "the best job I have ever had." That, in short, is the essence of the Art of Retirement.

Well, here's hoping that you'll plan on visiting this column regularly and that you'll enjoy and appreciate what you read. Along the way, your feedback will keep me on my toes and will give me more ideas and stories to pass on to others.