Are You Really Ready to Retire?

Whether we realize it or not, as we age our bodies and psyches undergo subtle changes which by their nature bring all of us to a point where we need and want to modulate our lifestyle. That point when we begin to explore the possibility of retirement is reached at different times by different people, so how do you know if you are really ready to leave your working life behind?

You may be well on your way when you begin asking yourself: Why should I work so hard? Why should I fight traffic every day? Why do I put up with an insecure boss? Or bitchy customers?

Today, age is no longer the factor it once was when envisaging retirement. Of course there are some people who may subconsciously equate retirement with one of life’s tragedies, and therefore convince themselves that they must continue to work until they drop. However, the average person will reach a point of decision where changes will need to be acknowledged and retirement considered. And that point may be reached much earlier or later than the traditional retirement age of 65.

As a natural byproduct of decades of repeated tasks, boredom often sets in at some points as we age. Monotony may become more than we are now willing to bear. We search for a change.

At the turn of the last century, both genders could expect to live to age 50. Today, most men can expect to live to 84 and women to at least 87. People reaching retirement age today are in generally in better physical shape than their parents were, and they can look forward to decades of pursuing a dream, whatever it may be, or starting a new career.

          We all have dreams of one kind or another. Some people start planning their retirement so they can finally devote themselves to a new interest, whether it’s writing a novel, joining an orchestra or building a boat.

         If you have decided that retirement is for you, before exploring your options you should be well aware that you can’t leave behind a career that has spanned thirty or forty years without some sense of loss. This is especially true of those who traditionally have focused the bulk of their energy on getting ahead in their field. They must refocus their aims and perception if they want a successful and happy retirement.

In many ways, retirement can be generally easier on women who have had to juggle a career with the care of children and the management of the household over the years. For many of them, retirement is a welcome blessing.

         

           

         

Wise Ways for Life

Have you ever noticed how some people seem to have it all together? They are unstressed and peaceful, no matter what, no matter their age. Research shows that these people often have common traits or common habits.

            Here are some ideas to consider:

<    * Don’t do anything you will have to lie about later.

      * Practice preventive maintenance in every aspect of your life, i.e. your car, your health, your  teeth, your personal relationships.

<    * Do not procrastinate which is stressful. 
      * Hard work is often just the accumulation of easy things you didn’t do when you should have.

<    * Take 30-minute walks every day, an easy way to cure stress and a great way to think.

<    * Seek the friendship of non-worriers.

<    * Simplify all areas of your life.

<    * Before speaking your mind, ask yourself if it is true, necessary and kind.

<    * Every day, do at least one thing you enjoy.

<    * Laugh often. It’s good therapy.

<    * Don’t sweat the small stuff.

<    * Learn to live one day at a time.

<    * Focus on understanding and loving.

<    * Reflect on the fact that we are trinity: body, mind and spirit.

<    * Hardening of the heart ages people more than hardening of the arteries.

<     * Lack of interest wrinkles the mind and the spirit.

Have a great day!

Post-truth Era

To quote the Oxford Dictionaries, post-truth is a state “in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief.” That is certainly true of politics today when pure lies are seen as truth because some people believe whatever they see on social media.

            A Stanford University survey found that in this day and age most of the people who get their news from social media don’t know the difference between real and fake news. Truth is no longer as influential as it was when everyone read major newspapers and knew that opinions were based on facts, not emotions. They also knew that the news printed in newspapers and seen on major television networks had been confirmed by reliable sources. In our current post-truth era, whatever anyone posts online can be seen as being the truth, and the more followers the more believed the fake news is it seems.

            It is very sad to see so many people not taking the time to base their opinions on reliable sources, preferring instead to go the quick route of instant media. How does that affect the transmission of important and vital information so that the public will see and understand it as being the truth? I don’t have the answer, other than the fact that instant media is a reality which will not disappear tomorrow.

            Every age has its problems and concerns, of course. Reversing the post-truth era is certainly one we should all want in this day and age. How to do it is of course the question. Enticing people who use instant media to become more responsible could be an option, but I’m not holding my breath.

Positive View

As I was stepping out on a particularly cold morning a few days ago, so was my neighbor. I commented that that cold weather was far from over, however he had a more positive view. He pointed out that the days were already getting longer and that we would see the January thaw any day. And then, after a short February, March with its warming rays would appear. Interesting view given that we are all aware that time simply flies by after we reach a certain age.

            I thought that was a motivating way of looking at the two months of cold winter weather still in the offing in our part of the world. Rather than complaining about the less-than-welcome temperature, my neighbor is concentrating on the better days to come. And the more I think about it, the more it makes sense. Don’t let the bad of today get you down because the good of tomorrow is not far behind. It puts the This-Too-Shall-Pass adage into concrete action.

            Can this positive view be used in other aspects of our lives, I wondered. A gentleman who manages a small store in my neighborhood certainly thinks so. He broke his right arm when he fell on an icy patch a week of so ago. When I commented that he must feel frustrated at having to rely on others to do things he can’t manage with his arm in a sling, he replied that it had its benefits. He said that it gives him a chance to sit down more often, and that when he uses the computer he has to input with his left hand. “A little awkward at first, and slower, but I’m getting used to it. Besides, doing things using your non-dominant hand from time to time is good for the brain. So it’s not all bad.”

            He is right. Research is showing that making an effort to do some things with your left hand (if you are right handed – or vice versa) is proving to be helpful in the prevention of dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. It is something I try to do often.

            So that man is right. A positive view on whatever happens in life has its benefits. We only need to look for them.

Another Year

As 2016 came to an end, surreal was designated by Merriam-Webster as the word of the year.  Surreal (meaning strange, abnormal) was chosen because it was looked up significantly more in 2016 than in previous years. No doubt because people wanted to make certain they understood what it meant since it was used extensively in the coverage of events that took place in the last twelve months. It was chosen to qualify important happenings from terrorist attacks to the U.S. election.

         It’s also a good word to qualify what I feel as I contemplate that I will soon be one year older. And it is certainly surreal that by adding enough years, the number could become very impressive! But to counteract this feeling my resolution this year is that I will not waste time bemoaning my age. After all, as the saying goes: Do not regret growing old. It’s a privilege denied to many. 

          It is indeed a privilege to be able to enjoy our families while many are only memories to those they loved. And I have been especially blessed. You see, I am the only survivor of my high school graduating class. Of course it was a small class at a small all-girl school. There were only eight of us, but seven were not blessed with growing older. They all passed away in their prime years in a variety of ways. And here I am, unable to relive my youthful years with those who knew me then, but then again I can laugh with my grandchildren.

           So what if wrinkles become deeper with each passing year and my pace a little slower, I’m still the same person I was twenty years ago. Of course, then I didn’t give much thought to the reality that would be mine further down the road. I see that as a good thing because each decade has its own demands and opportunities.

           As we get older we only need to look around and expand our horizons to see the many blessings we have been granted and how much we can still give and enjoy no matter our circumstances.

            I plan to make 2017 a year where I forget my age to focus on my wisdom.

            Happy New Year to all my readers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A first-grade teacher gave each child in her class the first half of a saying and asked them to finish the sentence. This is the result.

 Strike while the ....... bug is close.

It's always darkest before ....... daylight savings time.

Never underestimate the power of ....... termites.

Don't bite the hand that ....... looks dirty.

No news is ....... impossible.

A miss is as good as a ....... Mr.

You can't teach an old dog new ....... math.

If you lie down with dogs, you'll ....... stink in the morning.

Love all, trust ....... me.

The pen is mightier than the ....... pigs.

An idle mind is ....... the best way to relax.

Where there's smoke, there's ....... pollution.

Happy the bride ....... who gets all the presents.

A penny saved is ....... not much.

Two's company, three's ....... the Musketeers.

Laugh and the whole world laughs with you. Cry and .......you have to blow your nose.

If at first you don't succeed ....... get new batteries.

You get out of something only what you ....... see in the picture on the box.

When the blind leadeth the blind ....... get out of the way.

Better late than ........ pregnant .

I’m taking a break from my blog for a few weeks; back

in January.  

Merry Christmas to all of you who follow my blog.

Size   is just a number

I don’t know about you, but in the past when I heard someone wore a size 0, I assumed it was a newborn. Not so today. Sizing has rebelled and the whole concept of numbers has been revamped.

          A woman no longer wears an average size 12. Today, the average size is more 8 it seems. And the “skinny bitches,” as Joy Behar calls models and Hollywood starlet types, now wear size 2 or size 0 depending on whether or not they’ve eaten in the last week.  This begs the question: Where are we headed? Will we soon find ourselves having to deal with minus sizes?

          Just like age is just a number, a dress size is after all just a number. Manufacturers have introduced what I consider ridiculous smaller sizes over the last couple of decades no doubt in an effort to make women believe they were slimmer than they really were so they would buy more outfits. A woman feels oh so good in a size 6 as opposed to a two-digit size, but it is after all just an illusion, isn’t it?

I’ve also noticed another sizing problem, somewhat the reverse. Looking for a new winter jacket, I visited several stores and tried on countless styles. Although I was trying on only those marked size large to make sure to have room for a bulky sweater. I found that many restricted the movement of my shoulders. When I pointed that out to a sales person, she simply said that the jacket I was trying on came from China. “Asian sizing” she called it.

Asian large is definitely not the large we’re used to. Many garments made in China come on the market with a smaller sizing (no matter what the label says) no doubt because manufacturers look at petite Chinese women for guidance.

 I ended up buying a jacket made in Italy where sizes appear to be more in line with what I consider normal.