The “Queen of Crime”, Agatha Christie, would have celebrated her birthday on 15 September. Even though she’s no longer with us, her legacy endures thanks to her prolific portfolio of 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections.
Add to that the frequent adaptations for the big and small screen, and the stage versions of her plays and novels, and she remains one of the dominant figures in the crime fiction community.
One of her most famous creations was the Belgian detective Hercule Poirot – he of the big moustaches and the “little grey cells”. From him, we can learn an abundance of facts about human nature in all its glory and frailty.
Although his age was never specifically disclosed, Poirot was already a retired policeman when he appeared for the first time in The Mysterious Affair at Styles. And, over the course of the novels and short stories in which he appeared, Poirot made many references to retiring and getting older.
Here, we explore some of the detective’s words of wisdom on retirement and what we can learn from them.
Growing marrows, throwing marrows, and using his “little grey cells”
For M. Poirot, retirement is one of the few conundrums he can’t simply solve and explain in one of his famous denouements.
While the idea often seems to appeal to him, he found the reality somewhat removed from his expectations in scenes that add a little extra humanity and humility to the great detective.
There are three clear lessons we can learn from Hercule Poirot when it comes to retirement.
1. Have a realistic plan
Growing marrows features highly in Poirot’s retirement dream. At the end of The Big Four, he grandly announces: “The great case of my life is over. Anything else will seem tame after this. No, I shall retire. Possibly I shall grow vegetable marrows.”
Indeed, we see him doing just that in The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. His first appearance in the novel is when he is seen peering over the fence, having hurled a marrow in frustration, almost hitting his neighbour.
In his apology, he says: “A man may work towards a certain object, may labour and toil to attain a certain kind of leisure, and then find that, after all, he yearns for the old busy days and the old occupations that he thought himself so glad to leave.”
Setting out your goals and aspirations for retirement is a big feature of your financial strategy. This means considering what might keep you happy, occupied and fulfilled, such as:
- Hobbies and passions you’d like to pursue
- Places you plan to visit
- People you want to spend more time with
- Volunteer work.
These are highly personal, and if you want to grow marrows, go for it!
2. Set yourself objectives
In The Labours of Hercules, marrows make another appearance, when Poirot is visited by a friend who tells him: “It’s not a man’s working hours that are important, it’s his leisure hours. What are you going to do with your leisure hours?”
Poirot replies: “I am going to attend – seriously – to the cultivation of marrows.”
This surprises and disconcerts his friend, who suggests that instead, Poirot could cherry-pick some special cases. Poirot likes this idea and sets himself the task of only accepting cases that reflect the 12 labours of Hercules.
Cleaning the Augean Stables or capturing Cerberus the hellhound aren’t likely to be on your to-do list. But Poirot’s friend does have a point.
When you’re making your plan, as outlined in our earlier point, try to give yourself clear, manageable objectives. You might want to learn a language, but which one, and to what level? Are you going to go to a class or learn via an app?
Adding an action plan to your ideas will make them seem more real, and much more feasible. Taking up a musical instrument could feel impossibly daunting, but getting yourself to grade one level within a year, for example, might feel more achievable.
3. Keep your brain active
“If the little grey cells are not exercised, they grow the rust.” So says Poirot in The ABC Murders. Keeping your brain active and healthy is definitely important as you get older and enter retirement.
While your cognitive skills might not be needed to solve murders, you can try brain training exercises, crosswords, sudoku, or anything that stretches and sharpens your mental capacity.
In fact, research from the National Institute for Health and Care Research has shown that just three minutes a day of brain training could improve the brain health of older adults.
At the end of the study, participants had shown improvements in thinking and problem-solving, memory, and attention span.
Get in touch
Whether you’d like to grow marrows, travel on the Orient Express or just keep your “little grey cells” active, we’re here to help with all your retirement planning needs. If you’d like to find out more, please get in touch by emailing hello@fingerprintfp.co.uk or calling 03452 100 100.
Please note
This article is for general information only and does not constitute advice. The information is aimed at retail clients only.
All information is correct at the time of writing and is subject to change in the future.