The Pickleball Epiphany

This week, I got to do something for the very first time. It's been a while since I last did that—the "first time" that is, not that "something," since that was the first time I did it. Sorry if that was confusing...

As we grow older, there are fewer and fewer things that we get to do "for the very first time."

As part of team-building (I think, since it was not explicitly mentioned), my boss brought the whole team (just four of us including the boss) to play pickleball, followed by a long lunch. So pickleball is like a cross between tennis and table tennis played on a badminton court. It was fairly easy to pick up but not as intense as tennis. I had fun playing it, despite only managing to eke out one precious win. Lunch was good as well—especially when it's paid by the company!

That evening, however, I began to feel something, which was full-blown the next morning—my glutes were sore and aching! This is something I haven't experienced for a while too. While I lamented about aging and how a simple game like pickleball and its lack of intensity could wreak havoc on my body (I thought I was quite fit generally), I soon found out that my VERY ACTIVE boss who is into triathlon was suffering the same fate, so was a colleague who is training for an upcoming marathon! That made me feel much better, I must say. (Don't judge me.)

But as I nursed my tender posterior over the weekend, three profound lessons emerged from this humble pickleball adventure—lessons that apply far beyond the court and straight into our retirement planning.

Lesson 1: Use It or Lose It

My sore glutes were a humbling reminder that fitness, like so many things in life, is incredibly specific. I may be able to handle my push ups, dead hangs and cycling, but introduce lateral movements, quick pivots, and the peculiar squat-and-lunge dance that is pickleball, and suddenly I'm discovering muscles I'd forgotten I had.

This "use it or lose it" principle extends far beyond physical fitness into every pillar of our L-Plate Retiree journey.

In our finances: That budgeting discipline you developed years ago but haven't practiced lately? Your spending awareness has probably gotten fuzzy. The habit of researching investments and comparing financial products? Stop practicing due diligence, and you lose the ability to spot good opportunities or avoid bad ones.

In our health: It's not just about staying generally active—it's about maintaining the full range of human movement. Balance, flexibility, coordination, and strength in multiple planes of motion. My pickleball humbling reminded me that "being fit" and "being functionally fit" are two different things.

In our relationships: How many friendships have we let atrophy simply because we stopped "using" them? How many social skills have we lost because we've settled into comfortable routines with the same small circle?

The solution isn't to panic and try everything at once. It's to regularly introduce novelty and challenge into our lives, keeping our physical, mental, and financial "muscles" engaged across a broader spectrum.

Lesson 2: Comparison Is the Thief of Joy

Here's the embarrassing truth: I felt genuinely better about my sore glutes when I discovered that my triathlete boss and marathon-training colleague were equally hobbled. Suddenly, my discomfort transformed from a sign of personal decline into evidence of a shared human experience.

This comparison trap is everywhere in retirement planning, and it's particularly insidious.

We compare our investment returns to our neighbour's hot stock tip (conveniently forgetting about their losses). We compare our energy levels to people twenty years younger, or our learning speed to our former selves.

I have a friend who brought her young daughter (3-4 maybe?) to a birthday party. One of the party games was hula hoop. The daughter excitedly took part—on the stage! My friend was concerned initially because she knew her daughter couldn't do the hula hoop. However, to the innocent daughter, the fun was in the trying!

That little girl had it right. She wasn't comparing her hula hoop skills to anyone else's. She wasn't worried about looking foolish. She was simply present in the joy of the attempt.

In investing: Instead of comparing your portfolio performance to the S&P 500 or your brother-in-law's crypto gains, compare your current financial position to where you were five years ago. Are you better prepared for retirement? Have you reduced financial stress? Are you making progress toward your goals?

In health and fitness: Instead of comparing your current abilities to your 25-year-old self, celebrate the fact that you're still moving, still trying new things, still capable of growth and adaptation.

In lifestyle: Instead of comparing your retirement plans to glossy magazine spreads of couples sailing around the world, focus on what would genuinely bring you fulfilment and meaning.

The goal isn't to be the best—it's to be better than you were yesterday, and to find joy in the process.

Lesson 3: First Times Don't Expire with Age

Perhaps the most profound realization from my pickleball adventure was how rare "first times" have become in my life. It reminded me that despite having a bucket list full of things I want to learn and try, I don't always prioritize making those "first times" happen. Life gets busy, routines take over, and those exciting new experiences keep getting pushed to "someday."

Another thing we can learn from my friend’s daughter with the hula hoop is this: the magic isn't in mastering something immediately—it's in the pure joy of trying something new without the baggage of self-consciousness or fear of failure.

This lesson has profound implications for every aspect of retirement planning:

Financially: Maybe it's time to learn about that investment strategy you've been curious about. Perhaps it's finally opening that Roth IRA, trying out a new budgeting app, or attending a financial planning seminar. Like they always say: the best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago; the second-best time is now.

Health-wise: When was the last time you tried a new form of exercise? Learned a new recipe? Experimented with a different sleep routine? Our bodies and minds crave novelty—it's how we stay sharp and adaptable.

Socially: New friendships, new communities, new ways of contributing to the world around us. Retirement isn't just about maintaining what we have—it's about discovering what we might become.

Intellectually: Learning doesn't stop at 65, or 55, or any age. New languages, new skills, new hobbies, new perspectives on old problems. The brain that stays curious stays young. Even a simple changing of the route you take to go home rewires the brain a little, in a good way.

The Retirement Connection

These three lessons from my pickleball humbling offer a framework for approaching retirement planning—and retirement living—with both wisdom and wonder.

Use it or lose it reminds us to keep all our systems active and engaged. Don't let your financial knowledge stagnate, your body atrophy, or your social connections wither. Diversify not just your portfolio, but your entire approach to staying sharp and capable.

Comparison is the thief of joy frees us from the exhausting game of measuring our progress against everyone else's highlight reel. Your retirement journey is uniquely yours. Your timeline, your goals, your definition of success—they don't need to match anyone else's.

First times don't expire with age opens up infinite possibilities for growth, discovery, and joy. Whether it's trying a new investment strategy, taking up pickleball, or simply approaching familiar challenges with fresh eyes, we can choose to remain beginners in the best possible way.

***

As I write this, my glutes have recovered from their pickleball protest. Mostly. But the lessons remain, sore spots and all. Maybe that's the real gift of trying new things at any age—not just the immediate experience, but the unexpected wisdom that emerges when we're brave enough to be beginners again.

Your Turn:
So here's my challenge to the L-Plate Retiree community:
What's your pickleball?
What new experience are you avoiding because you might not be immediately good at it?
What first time are you postponing because you think you're too old, too set in your ways, or too likely to end up with sore glutes?

Remember, the 3-year-old with the hula hoop didn't care about looking foolish. She just cared about the joy of trying.

Maybe it's time we all got back on that stage.

What "first time" are you planning for this week?
Share your adventures (and your sore muscles) with the L-Plate Retiree community. We're all beginners at something.

The L-Plate Retiree Newsletter is published Monday through Friday, with Weekend Musings on weekends. Forward this to someone who needs permission to try something new.

Defining What You Actually Want (Investment Objectives That Make Sense)

Before you start throwing money at investments, take a step back and ask yourself: What am I actually trying to achieve? This isn't as obvious as it sounds. "Making money" isn't specific enough to guide good investment decisions.

Are you trying to preserve capital (keep what you have safe)? Generate income (create regular cash flow)? Achieve growth (build wealth over time)? Fund specific goals (education, retirement, house purchase)? Different objectives require different strategies, and trying to do everything at once often means doing nothing particularly well.

Goal-based investing is like having a GPS for your money—it tells you not just where you're going, but the best route to get there. Instead of chasing the latest hot investment tip, you're making decisions based on what you're actually trying to accomplish with your money.

L-Plate Takeaway: Investing without clear objectives is like going to the grocery store without a list—you'll probably buy stuff you don't need and forget the things you actually came for. Define your goals first, then choose investments that help you reach them. Your bucket list may be a good starting point.