"Life begins at retirement."  -Author Unknown

 

   


Retired--Next Phase 

Retirement - the Best Phase of your life!   

 

 Ed and Gail
       Ed Topar and Gail Cassidy


May1, 2016
        
Issue #6, Volume 5       

 
Dear Gail,

We have frequently been asked why we write a monthly newsletter when we are not selling any products at this time? Good question!

We both retired a while ago and experienced numerous pluses and minuses to early retirement; and, overall, have had exciting experiences. As a result, we decided to share not only what we have learned about living the next "Best Phase" of our lives, but also to share what we have learned from the experiences of others.

A few of things that we do related to retirement include setting up Legacy Workshops in senior centers, helping people write their autobiographies in one of three formats: recorded, e-book, and/or soft-cover book, and training in a variety of areas related to our interests. And Ed has traveled to Lithuania each of the past ten summers to train school administrators in addition to working in various and sundry other areas that intrigue him.

Bottom line is, we both are unabashedly curious about this phase of our lives, interacting with others who are equally curious in some small way, and feeling as if we are making a difference in the lives of others.

You no doubt noticed some obvious differences in the appearance and format of our e-xine. We are flirting with a few new touches to improve the attractiveness and readability for you. Hope you like it!


Happy May!!
Ed and Gail
 
 
Making the Invisible Visible
  

At a recent panel discussion on race relations in our community, two points stood out that could as easily relate to retirees relations as they could to any situation.

You may be familiar with the poem by John Godfrey Saxe, "The Blind Men and the Elephant" about "six men of Indostan to learning much inclined, who went to see the elephant (though all of them were blind), that each by observation might satisfy his mind." One felt the knee and thought it was a tree; one felt his tusk and thought it was a spear, one felt its tail and thought it was a rope, and so on. The point being that each man knew the elephant from the perspective of his experience with it. "And so these men of Indostan disputed loud and long, each in his own opinion exceeding stiff and strong, though each was partly in the right, and all were in the wrong!"

How does that relate to retirement? What preconceived ideas do you have about this special time in your life? What is your experience-the tail, the tusk, the ear? Even more importantly, where did these ideas come from? We can't relate to our parents' experiences in retirement if only because 65 today is very different from 65 fifty years ago. Would it be fair to say that 65 today is the 45 of fifty years ago? We're healthier; we have more opportunities, and we have different mindsets than our elders had.

Being aware that you see your world through your experience as did the blind men, how can you broaden your perspective?

The answer to that comes from the second point that stood out in the panel discussion. Although there are no overt racial tensions in our quiet little town, there could exist problems of which people are unaware, i.e., lack of harmony or marginalization amongst a minority group but not felt by the majority or those in charge. One of the panelists brilliantly stated, "In order to address any real or potential problem, we have to make the invisible visible where what we see can be discussed."

If you are retired and your experiences in life limit what you can see, how can you make the invisible visible? That's the question that if you can answer it, you may be able to greatly enhance the enjoyment of this time of your life.

What niggling ideas do you have about what you'd love to do but never thought possible? During our interviews, we heard many, many ideas from people who retired and gravitated to activities they had always enjoyed but had never actually recognized as significant before.

There's the salesman, the greatest storyteller I've ever met, who still talks for a living. He maintains a list of old employees and clients whom he deals with on-line, i.e., chatting, yet finds great satisfaction visiting shut-ins, traveling bi-monthly with a friend to visit his hospitalized daughter in another state, being active in his church, having breakfast at a local eatery where he, along with his lovely wife, talks to almost everyone who comes in. He's doing what he loves. The invisible was selling; the visible is making people feel good through his stories and his attention.

One retired bank VIP now makes custom cabinets; another drives the Amish distances longer than their carriages can take them; a teacher who along with a friend piccolo player entertains people in veterans hospitals, an accountant moved to Florida to be near cruise lines which he and his wife take at least four times a year-they love it!  A retired civil engineer loves hiking and nature, found sticks in the forests and now makes custom-make, personally engraved walking sticks for hikers. What is your invisible that you can make visible?

From your proudest moments in life can you find an invisible to make visible? What made you so proud during your lifetime? Can you duplicate that?

What regrets have you had in life where a nugget of the visible hides? When you figure it out, just do it!

So much of what we have written over the past six years has related to discovering your passion. For most of us there is not one passion but many curiosities that can give us great satisfaction. We still look. We still investigate new curiosities, and we hope you do too!

If you haven't already done so, check out last month's issue that lists "120 Big Ideas for What to Do in Retirement."     
 
Wisdom




  QUOTE OF THE MONTH Article Headline

Today, I interviewed my grandmother for part of a research paper I'm working on for my Psychology class.  When I asked her to define success in her own words, she said,

"Success is when you look back at your life and
the memories make you smile."


CAN YOU NAME THE YEAR?
          
CAN YOU NAME THE YEAR?

- 8 track stereo tape player costs $44.50
- Average annual income = $12,900
- Roe v. Wade makes abortion a constitutional right
- All U.S. troops withdrawn from Vietnam
- World Trade Center becomes tallest building in the world
- Barcodes for retail pricing introduced
- "The Sting" wins Academy Award for Best Picture
- Elton John's "Crocodile Rock" tops the music charts
- The Bahamas gain independence from Britain
- Watergate hearings begin


         
SEE ANSWER IN NEXT BLOCK

WHAT TO LOOK FORWARD TO

Three old men were sitting on the porch of a retirement home when one of them says,"Guys, I've got a problem. I'm 70 yrs old and every morning at 7 a.m. I get up and try to urinate, but can't and it goes on all day long. They gave me medications, but they don't work."

The second guy says, "That's nothing. I'm 80 and every morning at 8 a.m. I get up and try to move my bowels, but nothing happens. They've given me all kinds of medications, but nothing helps."

Finally, the third guy says..." I'm 90 yrs old and every morning at 7 a.m. I urinate with no problem. At 8 a.m. I have a complete bowel movement and then at 9 a.m. sharp, I wake up."

 

   -----------------------------------------------------------------------             
The answer to "Can You Name the Year" is 1973.

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Gail Cassidy, [email protected]; (908) 654-5216
http://www.Retired-NextPhase.com

Ed Topar, [email protected] 

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