Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

878 What Now

April 21, 2024 15:40 - 7 minutes - 4.09 MB

Years ago I came across some happiness advice that has never failed me. I liked it because it worked for me and I loved the name of the originator, Baruch de Espinosa: or, Spinoza. "Spinoza knowza", I used to tell my philosophy students.

877 Look Around

April 14, 2024 14:48 - 8 minutes - 5.68 MB

I knew that if I stayed there just a bit longer I would become the evening meal of some carnivore. Considering the absurdity of life I thought about it. Then I moved on. Hope is something else that is in our genes. All of our ancestors possessed that gene as well as the one that told them to look around.

876 As We Age

April 07, 2024 15:06 - 6 minutes - 4.34 MB

Health issues become more and more personal as we move into and through retirement. Our interest and attention become very relevant individually. They have a way of grabbing our attention.

875 The List

March 31, 2024 14:23 - 8 minutes - 3.74 MB

Retirement is a time when a list might be as important as ever. As we enter the latter stages of life our time becomes more important. That is why we have a tendency to slow down. We don't want to rush life.

874 Continue Dreaming

March 24, 2024 17:38 - 7 minutes - 6.71 MB

Maybe retirement is the time to become a magician. Or whatever else you dreamed of when you were a child. Or whatever you dream about now that you are retired. I'll bet with just a few years of practice most of us could learn to pull rabbits out of hats.

873 Pick A Fight

March 17, 2024 13:59 - 8 minutes - 5.71 MB

"Picking a Fight" is not something our parents told us was a good thing to do. Perhaps we need to rethink this advice. Retirement might be the perfect time to look around and pick a fight with some bully.

872 Vacations

March 10, 2024 15:34 - 7 minutes - 3.56 MB

A good thing about vacations is that it shines a new light on the life we now live and the life we may want to lead. We can lay out plans, read travel logs, browse book stores and magazine racks, and have something to dream about when we take our afternoon nap.

871 How Much Is Enough

March 03, 2024 16:10 - 8 minutes - 3.82 MB

The bottom line remains firm. You just have to spend a bit less than you earn. You might be surprised by how much pleasure can come from a walk in the woods compared to a cruise in the Aegean.

870 When Should I Retire

February 25, 2024 15:39 - 8 minutes - 5.23 MB

How great are your needs? Do they expand with every paycheck or salary raise? Were we kidding ourselves about how much we loved our job and really were working for the money? I mean if we quit working and receiving a check do you suppose we would still go in every day and help out for free? We needed to answer all of those questions.

869 Winter Road Trip

February 18, 2024 16:04 - 9 minutes - 6.12 MB

I feel like I must relate a few lessons learned on this winter trip. They might help you think about ramifications if you may someday consider taking off during the cold season.

868 Deciding to be Happy

February 11, 2024 15:48 - 7 minutes - 5.08 MB

"I Like Being Old", is the title of a book I recently came across. It is written by k. Eileen Allen. She is a 90 year old woman who is blind. She says she likes being old and I believe her.

867 FOMO

February 04, 2024 15:16 - 5 minutes - 4.02 MB

Some of us want to know what is around the bend. We want to move on. Perhaps it is just a simple case of the grass always being greener; the longing for that which we don’t have. It might pertain to our geographical location or our tasks or work at hand.

866 Take a Risk

January 28, 2024 15:32 - 6 minutes - 5.25 MB

Nietzsche advised us to step out on the edge and take a chance. He urged us to do something different with our lives. "We need to break ourselves in two," he said. And then create an even greater self.

865 No One Listens

January 21, 2024 15:55 - 7 minutes - 6.37 MB

I recently read of a Barbie Doll who is connected to the Internet via wi-fi. It hears your voice and responds similar to Seri but it remembers everything and can thus personalize each response instantly. Imagine something similar to this in the hands of an isolated senior? A new best friend and listener may be as near as Best Buy.

864 Looking Forward - Looking Backward

January 14, 2024 16:32 - 6 minutes - 4.33 MB

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.

863 Weather

January 07, 2024 15:50 - 8 minutes - 5.58 MB

"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.

862 Aging & Expectations

December 31, 2023 16:02 - 8 minutes - 5.66 MB

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.

861 Keeping Busy Plan (KBP)

December 24, 2023 15:41 - 8 minutes - 3.39 MB

"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."

860 Changing Our Ways

December 17, 2023 15:44 - 9 minutes - 4.91 MB

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.

859 Elders & Environment

December 10, 2023 15:35 - 6 minutes - 4.98 MB

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.

858 Screen Apnea

December 03, 2023 16:18 - 8 minutes - 6.04 MB

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.

857 Chop Wood, Carry Water

November 26, 2023 15:25 - 7 minutes - 6.28 MB

"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.

856 Who Made That Rule

November 19, 2023 15:49 - 8 minutes - 4.32 MB

"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.

855 Flat Earthers

November 12, 2023 15:52 - 7 minutes - 4.7 MB

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.

854 Venturing Into Politics

November 04, 2023 15:44 - 6 minutes - 4.32 MB

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.

853 Holidays

October 29, 2023 15:03 - 8 minutes - 6.05 MB

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?

852 How Much Is Enough?

October 22, 2023 15:18 - 8 minutes - 5.9 MB

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?

851 Retired, Camping, Biking

October 15, 2023 13:00 - 9 minutes - 4.52 MB

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

850 Technology - Keeping Up

October 08, 2023 15:03 - 7 minutes - 3.99 MB

"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.

849 Downsizing

October 02, 2023 03:22 - 8 minutes - 6.94 MB

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.

848 Reunions & Attitude

September 24, 2023 15:10 - 8 minutes - 5.38 MB

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.

847 Retirements Many Roads

September 17, 2023 15:27 - 8 minutes - 4.2 MB

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.

846 Beauty of Routine

September 10, 2023 15:01 - 8 minutes - 6.27 MB

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.

845 Heroes

September 03, 2023 14:42 - 8 minutes - 6.1 MB

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.

844 The Coffee Shop

August 27, 2023 15:09 - 9 minutes - 4.82 MB

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".

843 Fall Road Trip

August 20, 2023 14:29 - 7 minutes - 4.98 MB

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)

August 13, 2023 14:26 - 7 minutes - 5.71 MB

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.

841 Retirement by Projects

August 06, 2023 14:15 - 9 minutes - 6.48 MB

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.

840 Retirement & Neighbors

July 30, 2023 14:47 - 7 minutes - 4.98 MB

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’.

839 "Here To Help"

July 23, 2023 14:44 - 7 minutes - 6.29 MB

The most terrifying words we could hear would be, “There is no government. You’re on your own.” Just close your eyes and try to imagine that for a minute. It won't be a pretty picture.

838 Exercise for the Brain

July 13, 2023 22:20 - 7 minutes - 5.07 MB

I find that if I really want to do something good for my brain I will lace up my running shoes. No kidding. Exercise. Exercise like big body movements are what really perk up the old brain.

837 Retirement and a Work of Love

July 09, 2023 15:35 - 7 minutes - 5.11 MB

I recently made contact with an old friend of mine. He retired and then did exactly what he wanted to do. Then lo and behold. Society did value it. And he does get paid. This is his story. I never had such luck.

836 Taking One's Own Life

July 06, 2023 23:07 - 7 minutes - 6.73 MB

A friend asked if we knew; What group of people in the US commit the most suicides? The correct answer: white males over eighty. "Why do people think that is a negative thing"? Responded another friend a white male, over eighty. "It only makes sense that many people when they get that old, and perhaps have severe health problems take their own life".

Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

Episodes

Books