Living Life Retired

Volunteering – the game has changed

February 23, 2021 by Sherry

I will find out when we are allowing volunteers into our schools as we would love to have you. 🙂
–School Principal, February 11, 2021

This is the response I received from a middle school principal after asking if I could help with reading development at her school recently. Children have been out of their traditional classroom setting for almost a year now. Has the volunteering game changed too? I can substitute at a school, but I cannot volunteer at one.

Years ago, before becoming a full time high school teacher, I volunteered at a middle school in Loveland two days a week. I worked exclusively with four students, identified by a teacher, who were behind in their reading development. I tested them on their ability to recognize sight words, brought in materials for them to make their own flash cards, and brought in fun reading materials, like Shel Silverstein poetry, to read out loud with me. We worked one-on-one and we saw results.

Literacy has always been a passion of mine. My thinking is that if you can read well you can do anything.

Head, Heart, Hands, and Health

February 3, 2021 by Sherry

In the late 60’s and early 70’s my Mom and Mrs. Olmstead lead a rural 4-H club for our family and others in the farming community. I joined at the age of eight, the earliest you could join.

4‑H Pledge

I pledge my head to clearer thinking,
My heart to greater loyalty,
My hands to larger service,
and my health to better living,
for my club, my community, my country, and my world.

While I was in 4-H for nearly 10 years, I held every office: historian, secretary, treasurer, vice-president and president. 4-H taught me how to refinish furniture, cook, bake, design, sew and garden. My favorites were interior design and gardening. I also learned how to give “talks,” speaking and presenting in public. I guess you could say we learned practical hands-on life skills as well as leadership and service.

making valentines — Valentines for Nursing Home Residents, Photo by slc

Recently the memory of making “tray favors” for nursing home residents came to mind. We assembled the little cups of mints, etc. at home and then took them to the facility where staff put them on the resident’s lunch trays. Since my Mom is now in a nursing home, I thought this Valentine’s Day I would replicate our favors by making valentines for my Mom and for the 30 residents she lives with. I plan to mail them and then Mom can hand them out. She was excited to hear about the plan and to see the ones I had made so far during our Zoom call last week. I think my former 4-H leader approved.

As I get older it is fun and exciting to remember some of the things I did in my youth. We tend to forget about these little memories like being in 4-H but they had such a profound impact on our lives.

Do you have a similar memory you now cherish? Please share.

Motivation for the new year

January 11, 2021 by Sherry

Have you ever wanted to do something you thought would be fun but didn’t do it because you couldn’t find someone to join you? Let’s agree to not let that happen again. There’s no reason that the lack of a companion should stop us from visiting someplace new.
Heidi Herman

Many times I would like to go to a concert or try out a new restaurant but I don’t because I don’t want to go alone. After reading Heidi Herman’s book On With the Butter! Spread More Living onto Everyday Life, I resolve to “not let that happen again” in 2021. Her book is full of motivation for the new year.

“This book was inspired by my mother, who lived her life to the fullest,” says Heidi Herman. After my mom’s recovery from a stroke in 2016 at the age of 92, my mom began promoting the message of living life with vitality no matter what your age. I helped her achieve and log 93 new activities between her 93rd and 94th birthdays, just to show you’re never too old to have fun.”

This delightful read is full of personal stories of Heidi and her inspirational Icelandic mother, who passed away in 2019 at the age of 94. One of my favorite stories was the depiction of her mom’s microwave hop. Her morning exercise routine was unique but easy to do. The challenges at the end of each chapter, with easy to use checklists, makes this a practical motivational approach. Some of the ideas in the book we have heard before, such as stay active. It doesn’t hurt to hear them again along with numerous new ideas.

Have a friend or relative retiring this year? Consider this small but mighty book as a gift. They will enjoy the inspirational quotes sprinkled throughout the book. I love this one by Hans Christian Anderson, the author of The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling:

Enjoy life. There’s plenty of time to be dead.
Hans Christian Anderson

The year of missed memories – 2020

January 5, 2021 by Sherry

Two thousand twenty was a year of missed memories, missed favorite products and missed special events. We may never get the memories back but hopefully some of our favorite products will be back and we can celebrate events again in-person.

Missed Memories

We all gave up memory making in 2020. Many people lost the vacations they booked months before. State and national parks were closed to picnickers, hikers and campers. Sports facilities were closed so we were unable to watch our children and grandchildren play their favorite games. Weddings and even funerals were postponed or held for a limited amount of people. Many Fourth of July BBQs were cancelled as were family firework displays. High school and college seniors gave up proms and the traditional graduation ceremony full of pomp and circumstance. Drive-bys instead of in-person birthday parties became standard. Children were not allowed to attend school or be with their friends. Adults were laid off from jobs or began working remotely while possibly becoming their child’s homeschool teacher.

Missed Favorite Products

Stores were out of our favorite toilet paper for weeks, if not months, during 2020. For awhile this past summer I could not get lettuce on my burger at Wendy’s. McDonalds stopped serving root beer but worse yet, they didn’t have eggnog shakes during the holidays. Since Celestial Seasonings in Boulder was closed most of the year, I could not get my favorite tea Nutcracker Sweet. Normally, I drink it everyday of the year. I think I had my last cup of Nutcracker Sweet some time in March. Did we ever really know why there was a coin shortage?

Missed Special Events

Many special events were postponed or cancelled this year as mentioned above. Other special events we missed included in-person Sunrise Service at church on Easter, Thanksgiving get togethers as well as Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations. Even giving up in-person weekly Bible study and monthly book club was hard. How many people had concert tickets they didn’t get to use? State and county fairs were modified or cancelled. Online auctions took the place of a thrilling live in-person event.

What’s Ahead in 2021?

While we can’t get the time and memories back we lost in 2020, we can make up for lost time in 2021. With the new vaccines rolling out in December, I believe we can begin to plan for vacations, sporting events, weddings, funerals, BBQs, Bible study, book clubs, proms, graduations, in-person schooling and birthday parties. We have a lot to look forward to. We will once again be able to hold our loved ones close.

For me, I am looking forward to visiting my Mom (87) in person and give her a hug in 2021. She never contracted COVID-19, thank the Lord, even though it was rampant in her nursing home last summer. The isolation was difficult for her but she is a survivor.

We may have lost a lot in 2020 but I think we also gained a lot. We gained the knowledge of what is really important: the memories we make with those we love. What memories will you be making in 2021?

Happy New Year!

Here are your top five most read posts of 2020:

Nursing Home Phones Keep Families Connected, 2019

Legacybox and Mom’s “First Films”, 2018

Worry is Like a Rocking Chair, 2020

Retirement Adjustment Stages, 2016

Listening to God and Heidi, 2020 tied with Rabbit Rabbit, 2020

Thank you again for visiting LivingLifeRetired.com this past year. I look forward to 2021 with hope for new adventures and memory making for my readers. If you have enjoyed reading posts on this site, please click on the like button below.

Ghost of Christmas past – depression

December 24, 2020 by Sherry

Growing up in an Iowa farm house with a family of nine made Christmas an event. My ghost of Christmas past would first show me events full of fun with lots of family and friends while celebrating the birth of Jesus. But my ghost would also show me many Christmases with an undertone of depression which I wrestle with to a lesser degree today.

Weeks before Christmas when I was quite young, my siblings and I would go to Christmas practice at church. I loved being at church as I had many friends there. We sang and played different roles while reenacting the Christmas story about Jesus’ birth. The actual performance following these practices was usually on Christmas Eve.

I remember receiving a new dress to wear for the special Christmas Eve church service. This dress was very special as it was one of the only new pieces of clothing I had all year. This gift of a new dress added to my Christmas Eve anticipation.

Keep a positive outlook during the pandemic

December 27, 2020December 21, 2020 by Sherry

From Kootenai Health, Winter 2020

You’ve been wearing a face mask and doing your best to stay 6 feet away from others when out in public. You’re still cleaning frequently touched surfaces like kitchen countertops and doorknobs daily.

In other words, you’re taking care of your physical health. But what are you doing for your mental outlook during the coronavirus pandemic? Where are you finding joy in your life?

It’s not a frivolous question. Science tells us that our emotional health can have a big impact on how we feel physically. It’s called the mind-body connection. According to the American Heart Association, people who are happier tend to have better heart health. They manage stress better. And, being more positive may contribute to a longer lifespan.

So now that we are about nine months into the pandemic and heading into winter months, how can you build more positivity in your life? Here are a few ideas.

Click here to read ideas about keeping a positive outlook during the pandemic.

Volunteering – the game has changed

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Head, Heart, Hands, and Health

4‑H Pledge

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Motivation for the new year

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