| 912 Making the Most of It |
Eileen examines life closely. There are things to worry about in life. There are setbacks, but seeds of a new beginning always seem to be present. There are people out there who have mastered the art of living, including retirement. |
911 Ready to Learn
Text |
Life is filled with examples of people who could not learn something and then at a different time they seem to master whatever it is. Retirement brings time into our lives when we are allowed to explore some of these areas where we might learn something that has escaped us thus far. |
910 Free At Last
Text |
“I don’t own a thing”, said Diane Athill, a British editor and writer. She has just recently moved into an assisted living facility. “And I love it”, She added, “For the first time in my life I feel free. |
909 Rich and Poor
Text |
Poverty isn’t good for anyone. When the least fortunate suffer we all suffer. Who would want to live in a mansion that is surrounded by squallier? |
908 The Pacific Northwest
Text
|
For us it was: a temperate climate – not hot and not cold. We wanted a university in the town and we wanted it on the west coast, close to mountains and salt water, close to a big city (Seattle and Vancouver in this case), not so small that we would know everyone and not so big that we couldn’t feel like part of the community. |
907 Finding Meaning in Retirement
Text |
Retirement is like that. Life is like that. It isn’t that you grow Dahlias, write the great American novel, or build a better boat. The questions to answer are: Does it work for you? Are you committed? Do you understand what you're doing with your life and why? |
906 Meaning and Purpose
Text |
Giving meaning to life is important for all of us. We need to feel that we have something for which life is worth living. If ancient religion doesn’t provide it then something else must. |
904 Vegetarian at 67
Text |
One thing about retirement: it gives us time to slow down and try different ways of living than those that have dominated our life through custom, convenience and habit. "Thanksgiving without turkey?" How could that be? |
903 Denial & Truth
Text |
“The worst thing you can do is lie about something. Don’t deny something that is true. If people can’t trust you to tell the truth then we lose all trust. That would be the very worst thing. Do you understand." |
902 Friend Turnover
Text |
A friend gave me a bottle of wine maybe 50 years ago. “It is really good wine,” he said. And then added, “If you open it when you have a good friend over it will be all the better”. How true. |
901 Aging & Expectations
Text |
In the younger phase we are always being asked what we are going to do in life. The question usually refers to a career plan. In the last half or so of life we are usually asked what we are going to do in retirement. Many of us never prepare. We just launched into it. |
900 A Second Opinion
Text |
Health decisions seem to mount as we move towards and in retirement. We are faced with choosing between alternative treatments. 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. |
899 Bicycling & Retirement
Text |
It always amazes me that we can do all of our little errands and at the same time get terrific exercise. The papers and magazines are filled with articles that report about the effect of exercise on this or that disease. It seems like exercise is the only thing that is always recommended. I don’t think you can do too much. |
898 (105) Being Taken Advantage Of
Text |
We like to trust people. That is a good thing. However, sometimes we can be taken advantage of if we are not careful. As we grow older this can become a very serious problem. |
897 What Do You Do
Text |
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. |
