What Happens to Life after Work?

Life after work could be an ideal playground. For many, it’s not.

What actually happens to a person when the thing that defined them for thirty years or so just... stops? Maybe you know someone like that - someone who was brilliant at their work, and now, in retirement, seems somehow less themselves than they used to be.

That question is at the heart of Vibrant Elderhood, a YouTube series I started in November. Over the last two weeks, with two filmmakers who came over from Scotland, we took it to a different level entirely.

We planned concepts, sketched outlines, then improvised in the field. Days of intensive shooting, while walking the olive groves, along countryside tracks, through the landscape and talking about things that don’t often get talked about.

Eight episodes. A tough process. I’m genuinely happy with what we made.

One video every Wednesday, all filmed here in central Italy, on the land and on the nearby walks. The first two are already live.

• Live now: Feeling stuck after work? Observe and interact

• 25 March (yesterday): Eating well, eating together (see below)

• 1 April: Life after a demanding career

• 8 April: How to keep your mind sharp

• 15 April: Structure and routine - the quiet art of designing your days

• 22 April: I dare you to learn to juggle

• 29 April: The best thing about death is that it hasn’t happened yet

• 6 May: Vegan and gluten-free lasagna

Here’s yesterday’s episode - healthy vegan cooking, filmed in the outside kitchen here on the land:

“I am absolutely floored at the quality of this video. It reminds me of the BBC Lifestyle cooking documentaries. Love the rustic setup, and I would love to see more recipes like this, with vegetables you can grow in your own backyard. Beautifully done.”- @lydimehndi, YouTube

That kind of response tells me we’re on the right track!

If this lands for you - or for someone you know - the most useful thing you can do is share it. YouTube takes channels seriously once they reach 1,000 subscribers and 4,000 watch hours. We’re at the beginning of that journey. Every share and comment counts more than you might think.

For the jugglers reading this - we also recorded something just for you. Myself reading the first chapter of Pearls of Juggling aloud. The one on drops. It’ll appear on the Pearls of Juggling YouTube channel in the not-too-distant future. Consider this your heads-up!

If any of this stirs something and you’d like to be on the land rather than watching it from a screen, we’re opening up for ten days at the end of August (20–30 August). Yoga, community, natural living. Good food, honest conversation, time to breathe and think. We will fully return to our vibrancy while having lots of fun.

We’re also considering a digital detox component - perhaps three days completely off screens, the rest of the time limited. In my experience, when you’re genuinely in community, screen time loses its appeal. This is an experiment, but one that feels needed.