Information and Inspiration for the Solo Retirement Community
Fidelity UK
“Retirement creeps up on us before we know, as the so-called Baby Boomer generation, will testify. See how the generation born between the end of the second world war and the radical sixties are adjusting to the new realities of retirement.”
“The Search for Significance
We have found in our research that all individuals feel the most satisfied with their life when they are on a search for significance, whether they acknowledge it or not. Americans need to know that their lives have meaning and purpose: we are not just passing time and taking up space. The success of Pastor Rick Warren’s book, The Purpose Driven Life (it has sold 25 million copies and is the best-selling hardcover book in American history), speaks to our hunger for significance. The most mentally healthy retirees are those who have found ways to satisfy their search for significance.
In seeking to understand and flesh out this important concept, we developed a comparison we call adventure vs. quest. As adventure is an activity that benefits the person, such as playing tennis or traveling. Adventures are an important part of health living and are what most individuals look forward to when they think about retirement. However, an adventure has no sustainable significance.
In contrast, a quest involves one or more participants lending themselves to a greater cause. A quest transforms a poor or average retirement into a mind-blowing, all-fulfilling, energized retirement journey. The possibilities are endless and only limited by our unwillingness to expand our horizons. Examples of possible quests include:
“After C.S. Lewis became a Christian, he wrote about his experience in a book fittingly entitled Surprised by Joy. He once said, ‘Joy is the serious business of heaven.’ The Bible reminds us that Jesus ‘for the joy that was set before him endured the cross’ (Hebrews 12:2).
For the fullest possible happiness, give yourself completely to this Master of Joy. Trust your whole life to Him. Read His words, follow His ways, talk to Him, and He will irradiate your personality with “joy unspeakable and full of glory” (1 Peter 1:8).
To enjoy life to the fullest:
Peale, Norman Vincent and Donald T. Kauffman. Bible Power for Successful Living: Helping You Solve Everyday Problems, Peale Center for Christian Living, 1993.
What could be more beautiful than a dear old lady growing wise with age? Every age can be enchanting, provided you live within it. –Bridget Bardot, 82
Beloved Florence Henderson passed away last week at the age of 82. I grew up knowing her as Carol Brady, the mom, from The Brady Bunch. I don’t think I ever missed an episode! Recently, I saw her on Dancing with the Stars and she looked as if she had not aged much at all since playing the role of Carol in the 60’s and 70’s.
In light of her passing, I thought it might be interesting to see how old some of our other favorite celebrities are. Their words of wisdom came from either imdb.com or brainyquotes.com.
“At age 56, NASA Astronaut Peggy Whitson has spent more time in space than any woman in NASA history. Her career has a long list of accomplishments, but she’s about to add one more. On November 17, she’ll become the first woman to command the International Space Station twice! Follow her journey aboard the International Space Station here: http://go.nasa.gov/2fuZ7Pt“
Want to know more like I did then read on and watch the following video? Turns out Peggy and I both grew up in rural Iowa, we are close to the same age and we both love gardening! Who knew?
Astronaut Peggy Whitson: From Chicken Entrepreneur to Space Station Commander Video
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“The NASA astronaut has lived the American Dream, starting back when she was selling chickens to make enough money to pay for a pilot’s license. Now she is set to launch to the International Space Station for her 3rd tour of duty. Whitson explains five things you didn’t know about her in this video from NASA Johnson Space Center.”
credit : NASA Johnson Space Center
A new purpose: life after caregiving
by Joene Nelson Werner, Healthy Living Made Simple
September/October 2016
“With one last breath, my life changed. I had been a 24/7 caregiver to my husband of over 48 years, and in a moment, I became a person without a cause. While my days had been consumed, leaving no time for myself, suddenly there was no responsibility or accountability to anyone or anything. A gradual beginning, an abrupt end. What does one do with the freedom that comes from losing one’s purpose?
The Aftermath
He passed November 17 from complications due to Alzheimer’s disease; the last three weeks moved like a train wreck. It happened so quickly I was left trying to wrap my mind around it. The holidays were a blur. I felt so alone and misunderstood. After several months, my mind still spiraled–no longer a caregiver, no longer a wife.
A year earlier, I tearfully shared with my Alzheimer’s caregiver support group: I’d lost me. Would I ever find the real me again? I wasn’t sure who I was, where I was or if I’d reclaim my past life. The years of caregiving with Alzheimer’s were like an out-of-body experience and upon my husband’s death, I was jolted back to reality. Caregiving consumes your identity. Unconditionally putting another first, I had become programmed. Being able to put myself first was strange. It was difficult to accept that I had my ‘me time’ back.”
I stopped by Barnes and Noble (B&N) the other day. I wanted to see what new books they had on retirement or senior issues that I could read and then pass on to you.
Barnes and Noble has changed. I noticed that the usual rows of beautiful wooden shelves were nearly bare. Many of the books were facing cover out, as opposed to binding out, just to take up space. It appears that many shelves now hold home school curriculum and toys. Back in the late 80’s when I worked as a community business development manager at a B&N in Lewisville, TX, I loved going through the rows of shelves to see what just arrived. At that time, the shelves held so many books that there was little room to face a book cover out. I often went home with a stack of books I’d purchased because I couldn’t select just one or two.
These days most people buy books online or download them to their digital readers. Lately, with my income being on the low side, compared to when I worked full-time, I either buy them online or check out the book from the local library. However, I have already read all the local library’s books on retirement. So there I was, looking through rows of nearly empty shelves at B&N trying to find books on retirement.
As I was browsing, I was stopped by a book which was faced cover out right at my eye-level. It was called Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely by Lysa TerKeurst. I was familiar with Lysa from her daily uplifting message on K-LOVE radio and Proverbs 31 Ministry.