Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

It is important to share information from one generation to the other. Just today the New York Times had an article about the importance of sharing family stories from one generation to the next. It claimed that this history gives stability and a sense of identity to children.

It is no fun being stuck. Retirement can have this effect on us. We can feel strapped to our past or our present. We can't seem to conceive of a reason to do anything.

Retirement introduces a special element to our reading life. We can feast over the entire reading realm. There are no limitations; sort of like our earliest experiences. We can read for pleasure alone.

One worn out piece of advice that seems to hold true all of our life is that we need to "pick our battles". Retirement has its limits. We are older. Our bodies do not move like they once did.

Finding meaning in our lives was the topic of the previous podcast. I wanted to continue that train of thought. We know having meaning in our lives is important but sometimes we have trouble finding it. Many times It may be more of a problem of recognizing it.

Musicians fall in love with their instruments. Artists fall in love with their creations. Kids fall down and skin their knees. Football players fall down and break their necks. We need to be a bit more careful about falling as we grow older.

What brings us happiness is so very relative. If we have just finished eating food we don't like or aren't satisfied we can go crazy over something familiar and filling. If our hands are cold a good pair of gloves can seem like a god send. Happiness is all about improving our condition.

Sometimes we just want to do nothing or at least whatever it is that we are supposed to be doing. We have no energy and no impulse to try to find some. We just want to lay low. Is there something wrong with that?

Sixteen months ago my primary care doctor told me I had developed Mild Cognitive Impairment(MCI). In lay terms that means I am losing my mind. It could happen slowly over the next few years or it could happen more quickly. That seems like a life changer.

Age has a way with all of us. Time is a universal leveler. We have our day in the sun and then it is over. We learn as children that we had best prepare for the future.

Milestones are like mountain peaks - they give us a sense of where we are. We locate ourselves in relationship to them. That is what birthdays, graduations, marriages, moves from place to place, job changes, and deaths are all about. Retirement has to be one of the more significant milestones we can experience in life.

Graphs and charts: One dealt with the average life span. I still have 17 years left according to statistical data. Another dealt with how much time we have left after arriving at age 65 to enjoy good health.