Surely it is doing the things you love, being with the people you love – and who love you – and even doing the things you love with the people you love. I love all my grandchildren but only the youngest routinely spends an entire day with me each week. Today we walked all over town to find something he wanted and could afford with his "Christmas money" – a $2 bubble "sword" that produces huge bubbles, Then we went to the library and, on returning home, read both new library books plus 17 more from the shelves here – a perfect day for both of us.
If jumping out of aeroplanes is your first love and you can still do it, why not go ahead? If you love curling up on the sofa with a good book and a warm cat, do that. If you love entertaining the family but your budget or health prevents you from creating a lavish spread, you can still invite them for something simpler, such as a traditional tea with delicate little sandwiches and cake, or have a joint "bitsa" lunch. Absentdaughter and I quite often do this on family occasions, both contributing various bits of this and bits of that, some homemade and some shop-bought. As we are a fairly sizeable nuclear family – at least 11 people, comprising absentdaughter, her husband, her dad, her children, her step-father and me (plus the occasional friend), catering singly on a relatively limited budget can be costly and is time-consuming for both of us but works well when we do it together. Even if you can no longer do your most favourite thing, there is probably a close alternative. You love music or films, but can no longer travel to or no longer afford tickets. There are CDs, radio programmes, movies on television, Netflix.
I am a great believer that all problems have solutions – you just have to think about what they are.