Retired people rank health security among their highest priorities for a successful retirement. Last year, during the weeks and months following hip surgery, I struggled with limited mobility. I realized how much I had taken my good health for granted. I also realized what every Postworksavvy reader knows — good health is essential for a happy retirement. You […]
Models of Aging
Is your curiosity keeping you mentally sharp?
As I watch my cats explore any new package that enters the house, or inspect visitors before approaching them, I realize that curiosity and careful scrutiny is their method of analyzing new situations. Ever curious and hopeful for attention, novelty or food, they approach new situations by exploring. Eventually this natural inquisitiveness is rewarded — […]
Celebrating 66 years — every birthday counts
The Days are long — The Years are Short — Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project I celebrated another birthday a couple of days ago — my 66th. Where do the years go? Gretchen Rubin’s comment ‘The days are long — the years are short’ rings in my ears as I think of how quickly the years […]
Retirement Transitions — Stages of Retirement
Finding a post retirement identity is a process that involves transitions. I realize that I am slowly making these transitions during this wonderful third stage of life. Just over a year ago when I retired from work, I was gaga with all the new-found time and freedom that was suddenly available. Now I realize that […]
Aging 'Successfully'
Each of us is growing older. Sometimes aging feels like a gift — more wisdom, less striving, more acceptance. Sometimes aging is a drag — more aches, more stiff joints, some forgetfulness. Advice about how to stay youthful abounds in the media. It seems that society is afraid of getting old — even the word […]
Scoring your Retirement — How do you measure retirement well-being?
The secret of health for both body and mind is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly –Buddha Well-being most often refers to ideas such as happiness, fulfillment, quality of life or living a good, meaningful life. Spiritual leaders, psychologists and […]
What are your real retirement needs?
During this week I listened to a CBC radio program on aging in Canada. Part of the program featured telephone calls from retired people from across the country. Many comments were heart wrenching with stories of arbitrary reductions of company pensions, attempts to live on Old Age Security and Canada Pension Benefits, concerns about failing […]
How your face reflects your thinking
At a party last week, the stress that was evident on many faces in the room surprised me. Most of the people attending were my age (60 plus) and the faces looked unhappy despite the gaiety of the evening, the lovely food and the libations. It wasn’t the wrinkles or the smile lines around […]
Are you staying mentally sharp?
When I retired, I was given an excellent piece of advice from a psychiatrist friend who retired many years ago. He told me that retirement makes it easy to develop passive styles of relating to the world rather than active styles. He advised that above all, for success in retirement, I should seek ways to […]
A Centenarian to Emulate
During my recent hospital stay, I had a delightful lady of 102 years for a roommate. She was hospitalized due to a fractured hip which occurred when she was walking to her local mall for her weekly manicure. The fracture occurred when she was blown off her feet by a huge gust of wind. The […]
