You get up, walk into the kitchen, start the coffee and head to the computer. With a few clicks, you’re deep into learning something new and discovering more about the world than you every really knew existed.

One of the best things about retirement is the time you get. It’s time to rest, sure, but it’s time also to pursue what you want to pursue — and at your own pace. That’s such a luxurious feeling.

On one such occasion recently, I discovered inhabit.com, a website centered on design – in particular, the architecture section. I’m not quite certain how I found it. Must have been one of those things where one interesting thing led to another. Anyway, back to what I discovered:

Each December for the last 100 years, the little hamlet of Mitterfirmiansreut in Bavaria builds a church made entirely of snow and ice dubbed, not surprisingly, the Snow Church. The annual construction commemorates the 1911 snowstorm that left the town stranded and unable to travel to mass on Christmas Day. At the time, the townspeople burrowed into a large snow drift to create a large enough cavern for Mass to be said and so began the tradition.

For the 2011 rendition, architect Alfons Doeringer oversaw construction of the 85 x 36 foot building that can hold 200 people. The townspeople raised more than 130,000 euros to pay for it. It is an amazing structure and tradition.

And having the time to discover this sort of thing and learn about it is pretty amazing, too! In fact, learning is one of the things retirees do best and it can take many forms:

• Lifelong learning courses in subjects like history or science
• Classes or demonstrations for handicrafts or hobbies
• Travel to places of interest
• Events and festivals centered on historical periods, ethnic groups and traditions or hobbies
• Even sharing your expertise by giving a lecture or teaching a class!

Being so close to Purdue and having many Purdue alumni and retirees, the options for residents of Westminster Village are, well, pretty endless. Having the time to investigate, many find themselves deeply engrossed in learning something new or developing a new skill.

Time and retirement, here at Westminster Village, it’s golden.

Posted by Elaine W., WV Blog Team