Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

According to the cult of happiness the last phase to be practiced is reflection. We look back and consider what we have done or what has happened and hopefully enjoy the memories. We just completed a road trip and we have reached the stage of reflection.

We decided to get an early start so that we might take advantage of the daylight hours. We do not like nor plan to be driving after dark. We want to see where we are going. We aimed for 8 am and were on the road by 8:15. The first problem occurred 5 minutes from home when I discovered I had forgotten my phone.

I am not trying to talk you into one way of road tripping or another. I just want to stimulate thinking about various ways to go.

When we drive out we always feel like we have seen Wallace, Idaho; Tonopah, Nevada; Arcadia, California; or wherever we might be. After all, that is why we are traveling.

We always need to have something out in front of us to pursue. I don't want to argue with that but I do want to pause for a few minutes and think about it. That is what this podcast is all about: pausing to consider what it is we are doing with our life.

What would we do if we retired? Everyone told us we were too young to retire. We had to work – it was a given. But after doing the math we found we did not need to work at a job. Feeling guilty about retiring never entered the picture.

Health decisions seem to mount as we move towards and into retirement. What to do? Where do we turn for advice? Most of the time, we can readily agree with our doctor. Other times, it just doesn’t feel right. We want a second opinion.

I know some people who say they don’t know what they would do if they were retired. My experience tells me that you will, or can be, very busy. Busy, but busy doing exactly what you want to.

I remember deciding to retire and told my wife that I would always drop her a card from exotic destinations all over the world. She didn’t see the humor. She knew that there might be a chance that I would do that very thing. The day I retired - she retired.

My wife and I found that there is another choice; other than moving or staying. You can stay and move at the same time. No, it doesn’t seem to logically follow, but it is true. Here is what we did.

One of the early decisions one can make when retiring is where to live. You are no longer bound by your job to live in one particular place. For the first time in your life you can really choose where to live.

On the last podcast I set out Spinoza's thoughts concerning happiness as a possible rule to follow. Recall that Spinoza advised us to realize that happiness lies in the movement from a state of lesser perfection to yet that of a greater one.

This is a revisited performance of the second episode ever aired on this podcast entitled "What Now". I have made some changes that might better clarify and illustrate the topic. "What Now" of course relates to retiring and what comes after that. Some of us have big dreams.

This past week I came across an article about two folks - age 71 and 68 - who sold their house, sold their worldly possessions and bought a ticket to ride. They have decided to live house free during their retirement years.

When should I retire is a question we all consider if we are lucky. I wrote about this topic in the very first podcast of Retirement Talk. It seemed fitting. That was 15 years ago. I'm wondering If my thinking may have changed. I hope I've learned something during this period.

Of course we do eat to live but many of us find that living to eat certainly has attraction. We do this for no other reason than enjoyment. It is hard to find fault. We just have to remember to control the quantity.

We grandparents, we elders, pass on the responsibility of learning to another generation and hope for the best. We hope we have done our job in an effective fashion. One last challenge lies ahead. We have to let go.

When I stepped into the world of retirement I never thought I was leaving the real world. Now it seems like I see something, read something or hear of something of which I know nothing every day. I’m completely in the dark today about crypto-currancy. Also tick-tock, Instagram, snap-chat and all sorts of other stuff.

Sometimes we just get too busy doing things that we forget to think. Not that I am against doing things. I like to be busy. But not busy all the time and not busy without giving much thought as to why I am doing whatever I am doing.

There is something about ritual ceremonies that glue us all together. I had thought it was just a couple of hours to sit through and then present them with a gift and that would be it. But that wasn't the case.

For some reason the whole idea of becoming irresponsible is so very attractive to me. Now I just have to think of something that might fill the bill.

How many times a day does one have to be informed of the stock market report or the weather forecast? Seems like once a day might be plenty. It is hard to stay focused on enjoying the birds in the sky or the smell of the flowers when one's attention is constantly being jerked about.

Energy is a precious commodity. We want to put one step in front of the other. The tank will eventually run dry but if there is a way to get a refill or plug any leaks we want to take advantage.

Life continues to offer us new experiences. They come if we are willing to take a bit of a risk and accept them. It is much safer to just keep life on an even keel. New ventures require new efforts and thoughts. Reconnecting to old friends may be very well worth the effort.

I love our days in the city. You don't have to go far to feel like an explorer. There is more novelty and more surprises waiting just around the corner. It is this daily discovery that keeps me smiling.