"We are the sum of all the moments of our lives--all that is ours is in them."  -Thomas Wolfe

Life in retirement initially is different for many people--no routine, no co-workers, no bosses, no traveling, no sense of camaraderie, no meetings, no deadlines, no projects, no satisfaction from completing a job, and so many other things that were integral parts of our lives but no longer are.

Reactions to the new retirement routine, which includes so much less responsibility and so much more freedom, may initially consist of euphoria, happiness, and a sense of freedom. These good feelings may fade with time if the segments of our work life that brought us happiness are not replaced.

For example, "camaraderie"--if that meant a lot to us, it must be replaced in order to attain the level of retirement happiness that we desire.

Analyzing the concept of happiness requires a baseline definition of the word. Itʼs obviously emotionally based. Feelings related to happiness can range from "satisfaction" to "euphoria."

Further, happiness is like a bee that settles on each flower (segment) in our lives. We could be happy with our family, with our living conditions, with our financial condition, with our friends, with our hobbies, with our daily commitments, with our spiritual sides, and with any of the segments of our lives.

Were we to rate each one on a happiness scale from one (unhappy) to ten (euphoria), we could come up with an average and, as a result, become
aware of what we need to work on to attain an existence of a perfect ten (if that is possible).

Can we determine what number would determine our individual levels of happiness, a combined total of 50 (satisfaction) or perhaps 98 (serenity/euphoria)?

Can happiness occur as a result of work we are doing on a recognized low-scoring area of our lives? In other words, if we donʼt like our relationship with a family member who makes us unhappy, could we be happy by positively working on the relationship?

If we discover that there is nothing we can do to remedy the problem, can we accept that it is okay to accept the relationship as it is, thereby, achieving a higher happiness level? When dealing with other people, we can only change ourselves, not someone else--itʼs not a win-lose; it is just a "what is."

If we donʼt like how we behave or look, could we not find happiness in working on overcoming what we donʼt like?

And, donʼt our feelings about ourselves change from moment to moment
and day to day?

Can we say we "like" ourselves or "donʼt like" ourselves as an empirical
statement, or doesnʼt that, too, vary day to day?

Our goal is to have more "like" days than "dislike" days, and that can be done by identifying what it takes to move us into the positive state. With the exception of those who suffer from true medical depression, is it possible to make the generalization that we are happy or unhappy, or do we need to zero in on the specific areas that fall into the unhappy area and attain happiness by addressing what is bothering us?

The bottom line is, "happiness" is mercurial; it is segmented, and it can be attained by remedying the areas that cause a less-than-satisfied score.

In retirement, happiness may mean finding replacements for what has ceased to exist; namely, no routine, no co-workers, no bosses, no traveling, and so much more that were integral parts of our lives.

Again, some of these segments may have previously caused unhappiness; some may have automatically been eliminated with the cessation of our jobs. Now we need to find substitutions for some segments in order to "up" our happiness score.

Step one is zeroing in on what we love to do, because now is the time in our lives to take advantage of the opportunity to follow our passion and work on bringing all segments of our lives to the almost euphoric level. Thatʼs the level where I most love being!

"Satisfaction" isn't enough. "Euphoria" is, and I work on experiencing that feeling on a daily basis!

- Winston Churchill passes away in London
- L.A. riots begin in Watts section of Southeast Los Angeles
- N.Y. Jets sign Joe Namath as their No.1 pick in NFL draft
- First health warning labels appear on packs of cigarettes
- First official U.S. combat forces arrive in VietNam
- "My Fair Lady" wins Best Picture at Academy Awards
- President Johnson signs Medicare Bill to be effective in following year
- Rolling Stones release classic rock favorite "Satisfaction"
- The "Today Show" airs its first color TV broadcast
- Epcot Center at Disney World opens