Retirement Talk is a weekly podcast intended for seniors, boomers and retirees. We will examine all aspects of retirement: actions, ideas, memories, and plans. We will consider travel, life goals, family, community, exercise, relocating, housing, continuing education, friends, health, and end of life issues.
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In the younger phase we are always being asked what we are going to do in life. The question usually refers to a career plan. In the last half or so of life we are usually asked what we are going to do in retirement. Many of us never prepare. We just launched into it.By Del Lowery
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Health decisions seem to mount as we move towards and in retirement. We are faced with choosing between alternative treatments. What to do? Where do we turn for advice? Most of the time, we can readily agree with our doctor. Other times, it just doesn’t feel right. We want a second opinion.By Del Lowery
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It always amazes me that we can do all of our little errands and at the same time get terrific exercise. The papers and magazines are filled with articles that report about the effect of exercise on this or that disease. It seems like exercise is the only thing that is always recommended. I don’t think you can do too much.…
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We like to trust people. That is a good thing. However, sometimes we can be taken advantage of if we are not careful. As we grow older this can become a very serious problem.By Del Lowery
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I know some people who say they don’t know what they would do if they were retired. My experience tells me that you will, or can be, very busy. Busy, but busy doing exactly what you want to.By Del Lowery
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Freedom has all sorts of limitations. Retirement does open up new doors that were always closed. We now gain an advantage in life we have never experienced. But we must be aware of and willing to open those new doors.By Del Lowery
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Social isolation is a major problem for retired people. We can lose all emotional contact with others. We lose people to care about. Our phone never rings. We sit at home alone; perhaps get a dog, a cat or a bird. According to a recently published book it is our major problem in retirement.By Del Lowery
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Daily routines present themselves to us - like it or not. What's to be said concerning these daily tasks? Are they to be avoided; to let slide, to dread? Or are they jobs that can be done and even enjoyed?By Del Lowery
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How much money is enough? That’s a pretty good question. When people consider retirement, that is always first and foremost in their minds. They just don’t seem to know how much is enough. There seems to be no hard and fast rule.By Del Lowery
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How do we determine truth from fiction? We still have some people among us who are "Flat-Earthers". When it comes to politics, well, we have people telling us everything. Who are you supposed to believe?By Del Lowery
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I think of retired people I know who love to watch birds. They get outside; fair or foul. They travel around the world to see different species. They send money to organizations to help protect birds or bird habitat. Retirement would be well spent if one were to focus on birds.By Del Lowery
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Does music come to mean something else when one retires or moves into the later stages of life? Perhaps Nietzsche’s most acceptable aphorism was: "Without music, life would be a mistake."By Del Lowery
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This is the second part in a series concerning a trip to Puerto Vallarta and thoughts of moving south for retirement. Here are two examples of folks that did just that.By Del Lowery
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We tend to develop daily routines. Aristotle knew that and advised us to take care with the routines that we establish. We are habitual creatures, he said. He claimed that we are good people because we have developed good habits. I believe that. I know that I'm a creature of habit.By Del Lowery
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I know that whenever I talk of doing something in the future my daughter's advice rattles around in my mind, "Don't wait too long."By Del Lowery
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What wakes you on a daily basis? How do you get your news? Do you control it? It might be worth giving it a bit of consideration. Something to think about.By Del Lowery
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A week ago a vascular surgeon inserted a stent into my iliac artery and on up into the aorta. The aneurysm was big and could pop any time. The aorta was clear but just below that was trouble waiting to cut my time just a bit short at any moment. Symptoms?By Del Lowery
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39,000 feet and feeling miserable. My eyes burn; my butt is numb. I'm scrunched; trying to be thin. Is there a secret to flying that I haven’t figured out?By Del Lowery
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My education and culture have taught me very little about the benefits of sitting still. Many of us approach retirement with the idea that we must keep busy. We must continue to be "active" and for us that means moving or traveling.By Del Lowery
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"Individuals who have a strong sense of meaning and purpose generally have better health, recover quicker from illnesses, and typically live longer". This is a quote from one of the many health newsletters we receive. It is a publication from the Wellness Council of America.By Del Lowery
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That’s the thing about working with your hands. When you finish the job you can run your hand along a smooth surface, take a picture of it, sit on it or put things in the drawers. You can even show it to other people and bask in momentary praise. It’s real.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.…
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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"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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.…
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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.By Del Lowery
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"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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.…
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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.By Del Lowery
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"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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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"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."By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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"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.By Del Lowery
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"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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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.By Del Lowery
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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?By Del Lowery
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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?By Del Lowery
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Camping and biking. The memories and stories they produce are priceless. And they don't have to end with retirement.By Del Lowery
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"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.By Del Lowery
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