Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

When retired we're allowed more time to choose different paths; to explore new roads. All we have to do is make up our mind as to which direction we want to go. We don't want to just sit in the middle of the highway and let life wiz on by.

"You never want to let the weather dictate what you do with your life". That is a line I used to recite to the kids whenever we wanted to go hiking, biking, or skiing.

It only seems reasonable that we should indeed do some preparation for a period of perhaps 30 or 40 years of living. We need to develop some expectations. I’m not sure they need to be "Great Expectations", but at least some might be wise.

"In my early 40s I decided to develop a spreadsheet of activities and interests I had (or was interested in learning) that would keep me physically fit, keep my brain active and provide me with the much needed social connections."

Sometimes we wish we could change. Change our life. Change our habits. But change just doesn't come easy for some of us. These stories illustrate the power of habits and any attempt to change them.

Our experiences in life can become a treasure chest from which we can share. We can keep alive the bond between Elders, wisdom and nature.

Ever had a breathing problem? I have. Now I find that a new cause of the problem may lie with electronic screens: phones, tablets, television, or gaming screens of any sort.

"As I lie idly drifting on Walden Pond I cease to think and begin to be". When does that happen? Trouble is; we wake up. We look at the front page of the paper, we talk to our kids or our grandchildren, we know that even though our days might be numbered for people we care about, life goes on.

"Who made the rule, anyway?" We retired folks need to ask that question about a lot of things. We have a lifetime of experiences to guide us in decision making.

Staying informed isn't easy. Our forefathers had to rely on word of mouth or the slim pamphlet that might circulate among the masses at the speed of a slow horse. Today it’s instantaneous. Electronics flash news across the screen as it is happening.

This podcast has tried to avoid the topic of politics. It has not been easy. Politics is a topic that retired people have plenty of time to discuss. From this time on politics will be fair game. It is a big part of retirement.

Modern societal demands have moved children far away from parents, cousins away from cousins, and sometimes, brothers and sisters away from each other. The nuclear family is not an exaggeration in any way. Family gatherings on holidays have been one of the casualties. What to do?

One question that people getting close to retirement always ask is, "How much money do I need? How much is enough?" There seems to be no hard and fast rule. What is a person to do?

Camping and biking. The memories and stories they produce are priceless. And they don't have to end with retirement.

"I just can't keep up" Ever heard someone say that. My parents used to say it when I was a kid seventy to eighty years ago. If they only knew how fast the pace of change was to accelerate they would have completely given up.

Downsizing seems to be a move that accompanies retirement or just getting older. Changes accumulate and we find ourselves for any combination of reasons looking to find a change in residence.

Time always seemed short and conversations rushed. There was no time to develop any sort of meaningful exchange. I would like to have had an hour or two with several of them in a one on one conversation. That would have made it worthwhile.

I think about all of the different roads one may choose to take in retirement and it is almost overwhelming. It is hard to make that choice. Perhaps that is why many of us don’t do much. We just can't choose.

According to Aristotle are good people because we have created good habits. We need to carefully consider what it is we are doing with our life, and then choosing the right actions we need to make them habitual.

I had a great talk with a guy one time while sitting around a fire on the Serengeti Plan about heroes. This guy, Don Hill, surprised me by confessing to his strong need to lead a heroic life.

Retirement should include some time for indulgence. Bertrand Russell the great British mathematician and philosopher once said; " The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time".

A road trip calls. Every fall season we get the urge to head out on the open road. I never want to go and talk badly about it but my wife knows enough to push ahead. As soon as I leave the house on the trip I won't want to come home.

842 Taking One's Own Life (Part 2) This is a follow up on episode 836 entitled "Taking One’s Own Life". I recently received the following letter from a listener concerning this topic which I feel had a great deal of merit and deserved to be shared with my listeners.

Our retirement has been marked by one project after the other. They have come to form a method for our approach to retirement. They give us direction and purpose. They also give us a way of moving that creates a sense of happiness.

Maybe our good luck with neighbors comes from the six foot high cedar fence that encircles the property. It was there when we bought the place. Maybe ‘good fences do make good neighbors’.