Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

Many folks who retire feel a bit guilty about not having a job. Life can feel a bit empty and they cast about for meaningful activity. It is safe to say that guilt can sometimes become crippling. Sometimes we just need to rethink things.

Getting a second opinion concerning medical problems is highly recommended. My experience tells me that even that may not be enough. Sometimes a third or fourth opinion might be even better.

Retirement can complicate explaining our life activities. We exchange what was once a job description for a complexity of life experiences. Not easy to explain but wonderful to live.

"The husband is now underfoot all the time". I've heard that before about retirement. It doesn't have to be - nor should it be. Quite the contraire.

There is a way to relocate and stay in the same place after retirement. We accidentally discovered this alternative and practiced it for 14 years. It worked out better than we could have imagined.

Retiring allows us to seriously consider where we want to live. We may wish to stay where we are and then again we may wish to fulfill some lifelong dream of living somewhere else. What to do?

This episode is a continuation of 568. Here are a couple of examples of pursuing the Spinozian concept of happiness. They are not intended to be The ones to pursue. They are just examples. You must choose your own.

Retirement can seem like a dream for many of us. Then the day comes and the following Monday we feel lost. Now what? That feeling can not only happen but it can drag on. Where will we thought we would find happiness does not appear. Why not?

When the opportunity to retire first comes to our minds we are most likely to assume we could not live without income from our job. It is then that we have to take a hard look at our life and decide what we really want out of it. More money or more time. It is a choice only we can make. We are the experts on this one.

Since writing this podcast over 11 years ago I wanted to revisited it and see if my thoughts have evolved. It still stands but did need a little more consideration. (And the music is different) It never hurts to reconsider.

Isolation is one of retirements major threats. We lose contact with our work friends. Sometimes we move and loose our neighbors we have known for years. No one wants to live a life of complete isolation. That's where ROMEO comes into play.

Upkeep seems to be one of life's necessities. If it isn't our health it is our car or our house or our family and friends. The line from "Death of a Salesman" pops into my head, "Attention must be paid."

Steve is planning on retiring in two years. He wrote me a letter about his career and his thinking concerning retirement. He is giving it serious thought at age 82. He will retire at 84. Here is some of his thinking. It is worth consideration.

There is a good reason why so many retired people go south in the winter. It feels so good - so very, very good. Clear skies and warm sun for days, weeks or months have a way of relaxing and making life seem so comfortable. We might not want to wait to long to check it out.

I never imagined that I would ever be a Snowbird - but here I am. Cold, wet, dark winters drove my wife to request a reprieve from the Pacific Northwest winter. A road trip was planned and now we are in 70 degree weather. Here is our story thus far.

My friend just celebrated his ninety third birthday. How does one get to that point? Did he do something special? Does he and others like him have a secret that allows for such longevity?

A letter arrived recently from an active listener and and active retiree. Here is reading of her letter. She seems to have thought carefully about retirement and many of the listeners may find some of her ways of living a retired life to be invigorating.

It is always good to know what we are talking about and what someone else is talking about. We can often misinterpret what is being said. "Staying fit" caught me up short one day. Thinking about it made me feel much better about growing older and retirement.

Friends enrich our lives. No questions about that. Sometimes we find ourselves just a bit short of friends: they move, they die, we change, they change. There are endless reasons. Sometimes we need to make an effort to enrich our number of friends. Not much but a little. What to do?

I am not a list maker by nature. There is only one list that has really mattered to me over the long haul. I made it over 40 years ago. It has served me well right into retirement. It may give you something to consider.

Retired folks love to travel and they especially like to travel to see parents, children and grandchildren. These are sometimes called love trips. They are so revered and yet so damaging. What to do?

Elections can be a challenge. What can we do when things do not go our way. Sometimes the results of an election in a democracy send a shock wave to our very soul. We may need courage the following morning and the next few years.

"Taxes are the price we pay for civilization society" so said Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes. Of course this is the way it should work. Sometimes things go wrong and taxes are assessed unfairly or reduced so civilized society cannot function. I always look at his quote as being the way it should be. I want to believe it.

Some folks feel a tinge of guilt upon retirement. They feel like they should be doing something productive or meaningful with their lives. Perhaps we need to take a step back and consider what we are and have been doing with our lives all along. The guilt may turn to comfort or contentment.

As we get older more medical issues require attention. We have all heard of getting a second opinion for medical issues. I have had some experience with this throughout the years. Here is something to consider.