What do I do all day? Retirement Pace of Life

Back in August US News and World Report files a story called What Do Retirees Do All Day?  A blog called Contemporary Retirement posted the link to the blog along with a comment I found very interesting.

What do retirees do all day?  According to this US News report, they linger slightly longer over food, sleep, shopping and household chores, and watch 4 hours of TV each day, compared to the 2 and a half hours that the rest of us watches.

Not exactly inspirational is it?  And will food, sleep, shopping, household chores and TV be enough to keep you feeling happy, engaged, enthused and productive?  

Ann Harrison from the UK writes the blog and bills hereself as a "retirement coach".   She works at helping people plan for and then enjoy a happy fullfilling retirement.  When I began to think about the idea of actually learning how to be retired I found it very interesting.  My one goal when I retired was to never get up in the dark again!  Not much of a plan really!  My husband and I just made it up as we went along. Thank heavens it has worked out for us.

My husband and I have been retired 13 years (I think).  Time flies and stuff happens.  We are very active seniors...at least that is the way I see it.  True we don't rush to shop or eat our meals.  We sleep late and have coffee in bed EVERY morning.  We also golf, travel, take care of grandchildren, read and work at learning more about those things that interest us.  I began blogging a few years ago and spend at least one hour a day writing, sometimes more.  I love the pace of our life.  Unlike Ann Harrison, I think lingering over a meal is healthy.   

But the point here is that we need to remain aware of what we are doing with our lives.  We could easily slip into a life dominated by TV, sleep and food.  While not everyone wants to volunteer or take up hobbies we all need to remain mentally and physically active.  We all need a "job" to be done or a "goal" to be achieved.  Linger over your meals, sleep late if you want too.  Just remember that you will enjoy that leisure a lot more if it is complimented by a task that leaves you feeling fulfilled!

Have a wonderful day.

b

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I don't believe in the GOOD OLD DAYS!!! I believe in the future!

Image via Wikipedia

Did the cave man bemoan children drawing pictures on the cave wall saying, "I remember back before we discovered fire and we actually talked to each other." 

People tell me that back in the "good old days" we did things a bit differently.  That is what they say.  It is not as clear to me as it is to some.  This morning we received an email from a friend lauding the wonders of the good old days.  The good old days it seems were perfect.  We went swimming in clear blue streams, there were no video games, we ate hamburger and lettuce prepared on the same surface with no ecoli illness and you received a good spanking when you hurt yourself goofing off at the neighbor's house.  It all sounds so appealing and simple.

SEX was whispered information and surviving the flu happened without pills and many times without a visit to the doctor.  At least that is the way people remember it.  The reality was we took long rides over slick roads to a doctor that dispensed huge penicillin shots plus narcotic pills to kills the pain. Those that did not have cars went to a local nurse that used the same dull needle over and over for shots that did no good.

The little stream we swam in bore the water the ran near the outhouse.  We got very sick.  Our mothers knew that bad water might make us sick.  when the outhouse tipped over in the river, we were not allowed to swim there anymore.

I just don't believe that the good old days were better.  I saw the neighbor man chased his children around the house with a belt so he could beat them.  Children died in fires and of the flu.  Pedaphiles scared us to death and the doors were locked at night.  "Drugs" were not a threat to our homes but alcoholism was a rampant problem.  Women were beaten by angry men. Infidelity lurked behind closed doors.  If you have ever read "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" written before WWII you will see that the more things change the more they stay the same.

It is pure bunk when we think things were so much better then!  Those old houses that we were so proud to own are home to people still.  The way I remember it people took care of those old houses but that might not be true.  I know that those houses are very rundown now.  I don't know why...maybe the people that live there now are sad or beaten.  I know that back when I was a child the people were.  It could be that they are not dissatisfied in those houses today.  Maybe they like where and how they live.  We certainly did.

Child abuse, disease, accidents and dependence on drugs/alcohol are still problems. The fact that we are more aware of these problems is all that has changed.  We live longer so memory's sharp edges are worn smooth...I have some doubts about the value of that.  But we don't throw our arms up in the air and ignore problems like we once did.  I like that a lot.  Humans should be repairing any damage they create and protecting the innocent...other wise they are no better than animals.

Incidentally, I was raised in a very small town in Eastern Oregon.  Everyone worked but many barely survived.  Children went to school without coats.  Many were not clean.  Most people worked in a local mine or for Union Pacific Railroad.  We thought we were very lucky and loved where we lived.  We were proud!  We did not live in the "good old days".   We just lived in an era marked by community pride.  We saw through eyes that ignored the bad and focused on the good!

The good old days are being lived out by children today.  They too will talk about "back when I was a child...."   And so it goes.

Have a wonderful day!

 b

Simplicity...the best medicine of all!

Our senior life style keeps us busy with friends.  We travel to Arizona in the winter where we have founds friends from around the United States, Canada and even Ireland.  We are just in heaven!

I have many, many friends here.  Several are close friends, others dear to my heart.  I cannot separate the two.  Today I decided that I could not wait to give my gift to two of my walking, golfing, talking, girl friends.  Mary and Carole are just a miracle for me...late in life I actually have found women that could have been sisters.  My friend, Virginia is spending Christmas in Portland with her family.  Her apron is waiting on her.  I am an only child so I am sure you can understand how amazed I am.

My gifts were aprons I made this summer.  Now let me tell you, I am not a seamstress...my sewing is very imperfect but every stitch has a little bit of me in it...and there were lots of stitches put in, torn out and then put in again.  Mary and Carole were so thrilled it just made me want to cry...how could any two people make me feel so special?  It was wonderful.

My friend Carole is recovering from back surgery so we walked this morninng.  Her right hip had hurt all last winter.  Today, when we walked, it was her left hip that hurt!  The "walking wounded" is what we are now.  We laughed, shared stories and enjoyed the cool but sunny day.  Then, when we returned to my home, my husband made coffee, served pumpkin bread donated by Mary and we talked for a very long time.  Gosh, I love my life! 

If you are reading this and wondering where I am going, here is the bottom line...come on down and heal in the sunshine.  Bring a trailer or what ever you have, join in the fun.  I even told a friend to come and live like "trailer trash" for a while.  It is good for the soul!  For the "walking wounded" simplicity is the best medicine of all.

Have a great week.

b

Tucson, Arizona Day on the Golf Course

Sometimes the ghost of the moon peeks over the top of the Rincon Mountains during daylight hours.  When you click on the image and it appears in full scale, you will be able to see the moon in the middle just above the horizon.  Today it was just too beautiful not to photograph.  I would love to catch it at sunset when the mountains have that beautiful pink hue.  Erika Jean has one on her blog and I am very envious.

In Tucson the mountains that surround us are listed in alphabetical order going clockwise around beginning with the Catalinas in the north.  The list reads like this:  Catalina, Rincon, Santa Ritas and the Tucson Mountains.  The views are gorgeous as the sun goes down.  The mountains turn from pink to purple.  Even though it may be very warm in the afternoon, by the time the sunsets this time of year, it will be in the low 60s. 
Today we played golf at the Forty Niner Country Club on the east side of Tucson.  This course was once home to the Tucson Open. While not a pristine resort course like that found at Arizona National, it is still a wonderfully challenging course.  We have a Wildcat Card and the one we purchased gives us 7 rounds of golf plus one for my husband's birthday.  We can use the card at a number of courses in Tucson and in Green Valley during November through January and again later in the spring.

The pictures I have posted here today were taken on the golf course.   Houses that have been built on the course are for the most part in the Santa Fe style.  The one your see pictured above was  beautiful.

I hope you are having a wonderful holiday week...Happy Thanksgiving to all.

b

Happiness Paradox: When less makes us happier!

Nancy Gibbs over at Time.com asked the question:

So why is it that at least some aspects of the Great Recession of 2009 appear to have made people feel better.

Gibbs posted an article yesterday saying that people are feeling very positive about their lives!  It seems that bad time are not dampening the spirits of people.  Could it be that when the "expectation bubble" burst people were relieved?    Even though people might be spending less for gifts this Christmas, it may be they are ready to return to the true meaning of our holiday spirit .  In the past expectations for more and more "things" under the tree had put pressure on the pocket books of families and credit cards had become their only choice.  Now they may find that expectations are less and therefore the pressure to spend more than they have has decreased.  I loved what  Gibbs had to say at the end of her article on the Happiness Paradox and the American Dream:

It [happiness] gets bigger when we don't care if it [American Dream] gets smaller; we stopped buying all the stuff we didn't need that was supposed to make us happier, and we seem to be happier for it. And who would have expected that.

Those if us that are senior citizens feel the same pressure to keep grandchildren happy and live up to the expectations of our family.  While the seniors I know are less likely to spend more than they have, they are more likely to sacrifice in order to give gifts to family members.  In today's climate of lessening expectations they will feel more comfortable with what they are able to give.  Hopefully, this year of reality check will bring about more appreciation for personal contact and less emphasis on financial rewards.

We can only hope.

b

This blog was posted on Right Health.com

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Lifestyle Lift ....my thoughts!

I am interested in seeing what might be good stuff for those of us that sag, wrinkle and leak from over use.  As we grow older we tend to find that more maintenance is required to keep us working.  Beauty treatments take up our time and beauty products and treatment promise miracles.   Sigh!

I for one am only a beginner at eyebrow waxes and pedicures.  Both of these procedure spa treatments have become necessary because my glasses don't work like they should.  The need for a pedicure may also have something to do with my need to check and see if there is anything else I need to do while I am bent over to tie my shoes.  It is hard to bend over anymore.  These are both pretty harmless and inexpensive luxuries considering what "miracles" doctors are claiming to perform these days.  If you have enough money the sky is the limit.

So when I saw a website with a review on a "Lifestyle Lift" I was very interested.  A very old, wrinkled and used up woman looked like an absolutely new woman...and only after one hour!!!  Doesn't that sound just too good to be true?  Cathy Walden at Beauty Reports had some thoughts on whether it was a good product. When I looked further, I found several blogs with more information on  the cost and results.  One post in particular from a woman in Illinois voiced a Lifestyle Lift customer's dissatisfies. Words like "pain" and "don't do it" just jumped out at me from the page.  You can find her review at RealSelf.com.  

The official website for Lifestyle Lifts claims to have been mentioned on every major TV channel.  I still am very skeptical but you can judge for yourself.  Lifestyle Lift-Home Page has a phone number you can call.  If you decided this is for you or have already had the lift done, we would love to hear from you.  

My mother always said that getting old was hard work and I am seeing how very wise she was.  However,  it seems to me that taking care of ourselves and aging with grace is far better than looking 15 year younger.  In the Elizabeth Strout's book Olive Kitteridge one of the character meets an old friend that has had "her eyes done".  All  Strout's character could think was how scary an old woman looks with 16 year old eyes.  We are what we are...there is no changing somethings.  Even a Lifestyle Lift can't roll back the calendar! As for me, I don't want to look scary!

b

Arizona Thanksgiving Week...Senior Life Style + Buddhist Metta

(for me)

May you be at peace.
May your heart remain open.
May you awaken to the light of your own... true nature.
May you be healed.

May you be a source of healing for all beings.

I just love November!  It is without a doubt the best month of the year.  Birthdays and Anniversaries and Thanksgiving and Christmas shopping....  Then there are golden leaves and chilly nights and snuggle up sweaters under the evening stars. 

Actually June and December are not bad but November is my favorite.  My birthday is in  November.   Our anniversary is in November. 

We celebrate in our family....a lot.  There are celebrations before, after, during and sometimes we celebrate one festivity on top of the other.  We love to celebrate.  We love to even THINK about celebrating. 

This will be a busy week for us.  Tomorrow there will be golf on the Robert Trent Jones, Sr. designed course at the Rio Rico Country Club.  This course is located in Rio Rico just north of Nogales, AZ.  Espendor Resort (video above) located across Highway 19 boast a hotel, restaurant with facilities for weddings and retreats.   After golf we will drive a short distance north toward Tucson to a restaurant called Wisdoms.  Wisdoms is located near the Tumacacori Mission National Historic Park  and the Santa Cruz Chili and Spice Company factory.   Before dinner we will visit the spice company and pick up a few things. 

Today we shopped for Thankgiving dinner.  Our celebration takes place with a whole banquet room full of people but we sit at a table with 16 of our closet friends!  Living in a 55+ RV Resort allows us to do that sort of thing.  Then later in the afternoon, between football games, a group of us will go to see a movie.  Men Who Stare at Goats is at the top of our list.

Friends arrive back on Saturday so we will all have our evening meal outside on the patio.   I think you will have to agree this week has to be the epitome of the senior life style in Arizona.

Have a wonderful week!

b

(for you)

May you be at peace.
May your heart remain open.
May you awaken to the light of your own... true nature.
May you be healed.

May you be a source of healing for all beings.

(for someone someone you hold in judgement)

May you be at peace.
May your heart remain open.
May you awaken to the light of your own... true nature.
May you be healed.

May you be a source of healing for all beings.

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