Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

We point the car south and east to start an extended road trip. It is fall and it is beautiful all over the country. The Northwest is no different. We are off to a good start. And we find espresso everywhere. (We are presently on a similar trip but I forgot a tiny audio jack which prevents me from recording this week. Sorry.)

Our first week on the road: did our plans work? Problems? Experiences. Retirement offers many advantages to travel. We try to not just drive down the road. The goal is to enjoy - each day.

Taking a road trip offers us many options. We can choose bike, motorcycle, RV, car, SUV, pickup truck or whatever. The method chosen can determine much about the nature of the trip.

Planning a road trip is part the American Dream. We want to just leave everything behind and find some new adventure. What is around the bend and over the hill? Lets make a plan.

Keeping something out there to look forward to is always good. But we don't want the future, or the past, to cheat us out of the present.

By the time we retire we may know more than we are aware. Sometimes we just need to someone to approve our thoughts and actions.

Retirement can bring into sharp focus our beliefs concerning what we truly value in life. What gives our life meaning rises to the surface through our daily actions.

Being buried under a blanket of guilt doesn't lead to a happy retirement. Must we feel guilty for leaving the world of work? Is it okay to sit still?

Sometimes what our doctor says just doesn't make sense. Somewhere in our bones we just know that can't be. We want another opinion. We should never hesitate on this one.

What do you with your life now that you are retired? It is a commonly asked question. The answer is not so common or easily given. We do lots of things. A sound bite will not suffice.

"He is always underfoot" is a cliche that accompanies men into retirement. Is it true? Surely there is a way to make the situation less deserving of the slur.

It is comforting to stay in the same place a long time. You develop a sense of place. It is exciting to move somewhere else. It is exciting and challenging. Can we have both?

Retiring offers us the opportunity to move. We could live anywhere - in the world; different climate, new surroundings, change in life. Is it worth it?

What is it that will give us eternal happiness? How can we know that what we are pursuing will satisfy our needs. Do we know what happiness is? Seems like we should

Now that you have decided to retire decisions need to be made that will fulfill dreams or maintain a sense of happiness in your life. What should those decisions be based upon? Life is different after retirement.

How would it be to live in three months in Paris, then Thailand, then Prague, then Puerto Vallarta? That's your first year of living without owning anything. Sell the house, sell the car, sell your stuff. Retirement is the right time.

How do we know when it is time to retire? Will it be the same for us as it has been for others? Is this when we want to not rush life? Or is this time to bail?

Retirement gives us time to - fill in the blank. Food is one of the words that work well. We may want to grow it, cook it or just eat it. Does it give us pleasure? Is it worth the effort?

We want to help but we don't want to enable. Life challenges continually present themselves to our children and grandchildren. We have to be careful with our words and actions.

Sometimes the world feels like it is getting away from us. We find ourselves not knowing just exactly what people are referring to. Not even the words are known. What to do?

Do we take time enough to consider what we actually experience? Do we pause to consider what we are doing with our life? Perhaps we need to take a bit of time to let our life experiences gain meaning.

Just as retirement signifies a step into another phase of life so does high school graduation. Grandchildren bring this past experience back to life to those of us who experience it. This role of being an elder needs to be recognized and celebrated.

Some folks on retirement like to do something reckless, wild, or irresponsible. There is a lot to be said for this attitude. It is something many of us would never consider. Maybe we should. Then again...

We live in a demanding and seductive world. There is competition for our time and energy. Staying focused is not easy. It takes eternal vigilance.

Retirement and getting older can mean we run low on energy sometimes. Then again it may be some other reason for a lack of energy. We shouldn't be to quick to ascribe low energy to aging.