Retirement Talk
WHAT to do with the rest of your life? |
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Episode 100 Retirement by
Projects
Happy anniversary – I heard
someone say. This is the one hundredth podcast for Retirement Talk. It was
almost three years ago that I became interested in podcasting and combined it
with my interest in radio broadcasting and writing. It also fit with my lifetime
interest in what we are doing with our lives on a daily basis. Thus the brief
general description of the program or project on my home page: "Retirement
Talk is an audio podcast (written script a click away) intended to help people
who are retired, or considering retirement, to examine their own lives. We will
consider retirement in all its facets - not just financial. We want to examine
our own lives and those of others, who seem to have looked closely, made choices,
and are pretty happy with the consequences. We want to encourage thought and
action." Here was an idea that seemed likely to provide something new to
learn and a challenge to create. I thought by meshing them all together I might
create an interesting project for myself and others. So far - so good.
This is Retirement Talk. I’m
Del Lowery.
There are probably as many
ideas and approaches to retirement as there are people retired. But we, my wife
and I, are project- oriented people. Thinking and planning in terms of projects
may not fit your style, but it works for us.
Our retirement has been
marked by a series of projects. 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. By that I mean moving from one
state of being to yet that of a greater state. That means feeling a little bit
better about your work skills, exercise routine, family relationships, writing,
painting or whatever. You can fill in the blank. It has to do with what Nietzsche
called that, “plus feeling of power” – sort of like when you hit a home run,
discover the key to a puzzle, figure out how to make the computer do what you
want it to. It just feels so---- good. You just want to jump up and do a little
shadow boxing. When there is movement; that's when we get that plus feeling.
That’s happiness to me. It
doesn’t have to be anything great. It just has to be better; just a little
better than before. That's where projects come in. When (Once) we conceive of a
project it’s then just one step at a time for many, many days; perhaps evolving into years. What
matters is the movement.
I try to draw out each
project as long as I can. My friends laugh, but it is true. I figure that once
one project is done another will pop up. I am in no hurry. When we – and I say
we because the projects are usually undertaken by both Brenda and I – approach
some special addition to our routine, our pace is measured. We work on these for
perhaps two hours a day. That’s all the time we have. Most of each day is taken
up with more long term projects such as classical guitar for me and watercolors
for her. Then there is the obligatory daily ritual of exercising, a leisurely
lunch, perhaps a nap and a late afternoon visit to a favorite coffee shop. In
between the rest and the coffee is time for a project - a special project. Of
course, sometimes evenings or weekend hours are added. Some flexibility has to
be allowed.
Throughout the years of retirement
these projects have included learning how to build an addition onto our house
and actually doing the construction, and learning how to build artistic
furniture from a friend who is a professional and then building our own dining
table and a few other pieces. There was the organizing and establishment of a
farmers’ market in our town. That was an intense one. For a couple of years we
studied Spanish and at another time Italian. For eight years I served on the
city’s Greenways Committee buying open spaces for the community and developing
trails. Today I still serve on the County Parks Board. These projects have
gotten me into the community and into the outdoors - both good places to
be. We also managed a political campaign
and then I ran for political office.
One of the most enjoyable projects
was our effort at ballroom dancing. How fun - moving to music, holding each
other and laughing our way through the lessons and dances. One of my favorite
projects was our gift to ourselves on our fortieth wedding anniversary. We made
a disc of flute and guitar music at a cabin high in the
Absaroka
Mountains
in
Montana
.
Hosting a weekly one hour
interview program on the local University radio station lasted four years. I
talked to lots of interesting people in the community and learned a little bit
about radio production. Trying to stay
up with changes in the technological world has consumed much of my time.
Creating this podcast has
certainly served as my special project over the last three years. I had to learn
about audio recording; how to set up a
studio, which computer programs to acquire, which software to purchase and use, and then how to
set up a website. I am not a technophile. I am not good at this sort of thing. Sometimes
I had to call in assistance from my son or son-in-law. And when pushed to the
wall in ignorance, I called in Joe, a computer/audio magician. Most of the time I seemed to
move forward learning just a little bit more each week. And of course, in my
scheme of what retirement is all about, that has been satisfying.
Projects have a way of
appearing, creating a challenge, and providing some direction for movement. Retirement Talk still serves my purpose. Perhaps
another hundred shows are yet to happen.
This is Retirement Talk.
A resource from a listener: Best Free Online Degrees for Seniors guide is designed to assist seniors who aspire to enhance their intellect or consider starting a new career path. It features an overview of the top online degrees for seniors, emphasizing their numerous advantages, and a broad range of subjects to choose from.
A friend's website: Terra Firma Designs: Fine Furniture, Stained Glass and woodworking workshops.
Copyright 2010 RetirementTalk.org
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