Monthly Archives: November 2010

Active Retirement – Healthy Aging Requires It

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You’ve got to get to the stage in life where going for it is more important than winning or losing. ~ Arthur Ashe

In my last blog, I shared some examples of retirees living incredibly active senior lives, their calendars packed with daily events and various adventures scheduled out into distant months. We all know how important it is to keep active mentally and physically, not only to fight against the effects of aging but also to give ourselves the kind of satisfying and fulfilling retirement that we all want.  Our retirement days should not be just about getting by – there are exciting things to do and amazing places to be visited with stories to be told and we want to be telling those stories, not merely listening to someone else tales.

Act as if what you do makes a difference. It does. ~ William James

It is not always easy for senior citizens to get out there and go for it like we did when we were younger, which is okay and I believe even desirable. We are different people at 70 than we were at 17 – if not, the world would be in serious straights. Imagine for one moment a world of 17-year-old running things and we quickly realize that there is a method to the madness of growing old. Still it would be nice to steal a little of that energy that is so present in teenagers and stick it in our back pocket for a little boost. Short of that, what traits do we need to remain active seniors, grabbing life instead of watching it pass by?

Action is the antidote to despair. ~ Joan Baez

Passion – passion knows no age. Older people are just as passionate – if not more – than their younger counterparts. As long as the heart beats, passion is present. When are you more alive than when you vigorously  defend your position or dive head first into something that you really love to do? Our passion can be as unique as our imaginations allow, discovered down the most unlikely alleys we may wander. Don’t fight it, FEED it.

Plans – having activities scheduled helps to keep us in the game. An empty calendar can cause feelings of loneliness and even worthlessness. “No one wants to have anything to do with me.” A busy calendar does not allow time for dark thoughts since you have places to go and people to see. Short term plans such as regular get togethers with friends for bridge, tennis, golf, or a walk keep you active and engaged. And longer term plans – like a trip to France or a week on the coast – keep you anticipating rather than dreading the future.

Persistence – I may not feel like getting out of bed today or I may not be into going on my scheduled walk with Bobby Joe or I may think that I prefer to sit in front of the tube instead of getting outside for some fresh air. But I am not going to give in. Life is meant to be lived not observed. I will persist and I will persevere. And I will live. If you give in, you lose.

Perspective – it is important to know yourself and understand your personal point of view. All of the  life you have lived to this point has created your unique perspective on life and living. However rarely is your point of view the same identical point of view shared by others. Knowing this, you may better understand why a friend behaves the way she does when you may have anticipated her behaving differently. Remember to see things as they really are not just as you perceive them to be. The best perspective from which to accurately view the world is no perspective at all.

Presence – looking too far into the future or dwelling on the past prevents you from living and experiencing this moment. If your mind is distracted by some distant situation, you are unaware of what is going on right now under your nose. It will be very challenging to get the most out of your active life with this separation of mind and body. So remember to be aware of your presence here and now.

Perfection – none of us are perfect so don’t struggle or worry or get down on yourself when you make a mistake. The important thing is that we are doing something. If we do nothing, the risk of making a mistake is zero. But our likelihood of experiencing anything worthwhile is also zero. Active seniors take a chance and accept imperfection gladly in exchange for the opportunity to feel, experience, enjoy and live.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are. ~ Theodore Roosevelt

The first step to living an active senior life is to take the first step.

Don’t forget to pick up a free copy of my Navigating the Retirement Jungle, available upon request by mailing to lovebeingretired@hotmail.com.


Keeping Busy in Retirement Life

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One fear that many retirees must face early in their retirement career is what to do each day to keep busy and avoid becoming bored. Having left the working world behind where daily activities were dictated by our job responsibilities, senior citizens are on their own when it comes to entertaining themselves and staying active. Once the initial retirement honeymoon period is over – usually after the first six to twelve months – there is a lot of vacant time in the day and a lot of days in the year. Retirees must stay active, engaged, and challenged to enjoy a healthy and satisfying retired life. Is there somewhere a recipe for keeping busy?

A Couple of Case Studies

My parents have been retired for twelve years now. Both are in good health and they have saved enough money to live comfortably and do the things they want to in retirement. And there is surely no moss gathering under their feet! They maintain a schedule that would quickly tire someone half their age. Looking at their calendar, I am amazed at how busy they are, month in and month out. What exactly is on the schedule for this 78 year old retired couple? I took a look and selected a month at random. Here is what their month of May looked like:

Bridge – ten times for the month, on more than one occasion twice in a day – Mom and Dad both play bridge and are a dynamic duo when playing as a team, but it is typically Mom whose schedule is packed with bridge games galore.

Golf – eight times – Dad is the golfer in the family and likes to make time to hit the greens. And it is not about the score (although obviously less is better) but rather about the beautiful surroundings and the people he is playing with. Just last week he shot 44 on the front nine and others in his party were rubbing him for luck. The back nine – I forget what the final total was…

Family visiting them – two times for the month.

Travel to visit family – three times in May.

Tennis – four times for the month.

Theater and symphony – three times including “Barefoot in the Park” at the local civic theater.

Band practice – three times which is actually one less than normal – Dad plays the trumpet and a typical month includes rehearsals every Monday evening. Practice makes perfect as he is a fixture in the Christmas, Fourth of July, Veterans Day, and other concerts each year.

Lunch and dinner dates – eight events including a museum reception, a senior luncheon, and a dinner dance.

Miscellaneous appointments for the month (termite inspection, some I could not decipher, etc.)  – eleven for the month of May.

WHEW! And you can bet that June and July and each subsequent month is just as packed. With this kind of a schedule plus the time they take to walk the neighborhood, read their favorite tomes, enjoy a Netflix moment viewing favorite old movies,  and debate their political point of view with all comers, they do not have to be concerned about what to do to stay sharp, active, and with it. They are already doing it big time!

A second retired member of the family who refuses to sit still for very long is my Aunt. She has always been adventurous with regular house swaps that allowed her to travel the world and experience numerous cultures and exotic locations that the rest of us only read about in National Geographic. For example, her honeymoon was spent in Egypt where her husband x-rayed the pyramids in search of hidden chambers – not likely to be offered anytime soon as one of Rick Steve’s package deals. Retired now for a handful of years and living in an upscale retirement community, she is still that favorite Aunt that you have to schedule time with FAR in advance since available days are at a premium. But she is well worth the effort.

Here is a partial list of some of her retirement activities:

-      Publicizing concerts by professionally trained musicians who actually chose medicine, computer science, teaching, etc. to earn a living but still like to perform for the public.

-      Member of numerous clubs in the community including Computer Club, the Nature Club, and the Wine Tasting Club.

-      Regular workout and exercise at the local facilities.

-      Avid Folk Dancer who travels widely to participate in events.

-      Traveler of the globe whose wanderings this year included New England and Maine for the colors, plus Atlanta to visit and walk among the plantations. Plans for 2011 so far include a 10-day-driving journey through Montreal and Quebec, a return visit to Maine, and a walking tour of Eastern Europe!

It is not enough to be busy; so are the ants. The question is: what are we busy about? ~ Henry David Thoreau

What can you do to avoid boredom in retirement? Get out there and experience the world. Don’t wait for a knock on the door or a bolt of sudden inspiration – just do it. Find those with common interests and share those interests. Step outside of your comfort zone and you will be surprised just what you are capable of doing. And plan on enjoying yourself along the way. There is so much out there waiting for us. But our waiting will not get it done and patience in this case is no virtue. Fill your calendar, fill your spare time, fill your experiences, and live that full life that retired people not only deserve, but finally have the time to live.

Is Youth Wasted on the Young?

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If we’re lucky, we can hang on to a piece of our childhood forever. The soft feel of a favorite blanket or teddy bear; the look on the face of your first puppy; the sound of the music played by the ice-cream truck driver. If we are lucky, these are the kinds of memories that keep us from growing old too fast.” – Cleopatra Highbourne from A Salty Piece of Land

 

Where is the justice? When we are young and full of energy, the many incredible blessings that fill our lives are often taken for granted, overlooked as a given, just part of our daily routine. Fleet of foot, quick-thinking, strong, smart, beautiful, energetic, and with a memory like a steel trap, little stands in our way. We make the most of life and enjoy our fill with little thought of the passing time. How easy it is to take for granted that which we have never been without.

But time has a way of catching up with us as we continue down our path to senior citizen status. Everyday things become more challenging. Good old days mutate into good-to-be-alive days. Youth slowly but inevitably slips through our fingers. What a waste!

It seems like just yesterday when…

  • Jumping out of bed was the way we started each day
  • Reading highway signs on the distant horizon was a snap as was reading a novel in our hands
  • “Spicy food” was an enticement not a warning
  • Sleep was as easy as laying your head on your pillow
  • Car trips did not require creating a map with the lay of the nearest restrooms
  • An extra glass of wine did not lead to middle-of-the-night vows of future abstinence
  • We heard and understood everything going on around us without needing to turn our “good ear” toward the source
  • Picking up a dropped item did not require a hand hold for support
  • Falling down resulted in a skinned knee not a potentially life altering injury

I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger – Ooh La La by Faces

Ah the good old days have come and gone and we are here and now in whatever shape we may remain.  Although today we may be a well-worn-version of our former selves, life still holds surprises, adventures, and wonderful moments to be experienced. Over the years we have learned the true value of our friends and family, that money is not all there is, to appreciate beauty wherever we find it, to be thankful, to smile, to slow down and smell the roses. As long as we have learned from our experiences, as long as we are a more complete person today as compared to when we were younger, as long as we remain young at heart, it has been a worthwhile journey.

It may sometimes feel to us aging baby boomers that youth is wasted on the young. But what prior generation has ever fought the aging battle with more vigor? Who else would have thought of such creative ways to find excitement and risk our lives from bungee jumping to parachuting to bicycling across the Alps ever in search of that adrenaline rush to provide an exclamation mark in our lives? Baby boomers are not afraid to live life to the max and the smart ones waste no time doing so.

Youth is not merely about a young body but also a state of mind. Although we may have unknowingly squandered some of our youth, our heart is still ticking and our mind is still clicking. Don’t let your youth be but a memory that you treasure as an older person. Show the world what you are made of and hit the streets!