70 Years and One

I woke up surprised to see it was 6:30. I slept so well and straight through, which does not happen often. I took on a relaxed position and started my meditation. Something new in me wants to be recognized. It brought joy.

Piano Collage.

I started to listen, and slowly it revealed itself. It is Me. I felt its joy, freedom, freshness, and exhilaration to come out of whatever box I hid it in all these years.

Somehow, I managed to craft a self that fits whatever my environment requires all these years. I did it so well that I eventually believed it was me.

Yes, I lived it well and fooled many but not myself. I felt the restlessness, the need to get away, and the anger when someone goes near the hidden one.

I was a success, so no one thought there was something wrong except for the more discerning of my friends, who sometimes brought it up.

My body tells me the truth. It cannot stand straight. I was tired most of the time, even when I did nothing. When I host a party, I always need a week of quiet after that.

Sometimes, I take time to meditate and go inside my quiet self, but I have hidden it so well that even I forgot where it was. I could not envision it because I have fully identified with my crafted self. I shared deep insights into myself with some friends after my meditation. Not only that, I took some courses to help me go deeper into myself, so I thought I was okay.

Wisdom seemed to flow from me that I thought there was nothing else I needed to do. A friend of mine finally agreed that I perhaps have nothing else to do with myself until my next reincarnation, but this proved not true.

Here I am in Spain. I had a vague feeling that this would be my second birth. I told my friend that I was here for “me time.” The schedule of life here allowed for this. It was now eight in the morning, and I could hardly hear a noise except the sound of my keyboard.

Another good thing about my trip here was my stay in a convent. My friend here is a nun and invited me to stay in the convent, where I rested when I arrived. It afforded me the quiet and solitude that I needed. The atmosphere of prayer somehow healed my soul and may have invited the real me to come out. There was not much interaction, so there was no one to please or entertain.

This atmosphere may have coaxed my true self to take the courage to show itself. It was the start of the advent season, and on the altar, there was a big picture of Mary pondering things in her heart. I carried this image with me as I went through my days of quiet and prayer.

Today was the fulfillment when I met for the first time my authentic self. I felt it. I rejoiced with it. Inside of me, something new and beautiful emerges, robust and confident not to be swayed by comments or expectations. I love it.

It took me seventy years, but this doesn’t matter. What matters is that I found it. My senior years will be one of the profound joy of being who I truly am, not perfect but beautiful, not whole but becoming, a being that lives its depth and keeps rooting itself in it.

Easy Ways to Create Relaxing Spaces in Your Condo

Cozy living room. Source: aesta1

No matter how small our places are, we can continually create some cozy corners where we can unwind and enjoy the things we love to do. Yes, creating spaces where we can make this relaxation happen needs to be a top priority for many seniors.

We stay much more in our places now because of the restrictions due to the pandemic. Even without the Covid pandemic, it is always a comforting experience to enter your home when calming and relaxing. Thus, it is crucial to our well-being that we make the places we live, no matter how tiny, very relaxing.

During the day, relaxing for even a short moment is crucial to our mental health. You’ll probably say that’s what I do every moment now. Maybe, but I will tell you my latest experience.

There was a time in one of my slouches on the sofa, a favorite position during the pandemic lockdown, my mind turned to quiet. It moved its focus on my body, and I started to listen. My body felt so tense even when all day, I watched Netflix. I thought I felt relaxed as I did not do anything stressful.

My body told me otherwise, so I continued listening. I started to listen to each part of my body where I felt the tension. At that moment, I realized how stressed my body parts were. I then decided to do something about it.

First, I cleaned out the clutter in my place. I have given up my house for a two-bedroom condo in the heart of the city. After three years, I quickly filled it up. The books alone that I got attached to already filled up so many spaces. So, I searched on the Condo website to see if someone was renting storage. I found one, contacted the owner, and rented it. I also have storage, but I filled that up fast. The amount is something I could take out of my entertainment budget, and for my mental health, the investment was worth it. The acquisition, I believed, was good for my mental balance.

Second, I gave away things I did not need. I gifted them to friends.
Third, I stopped buying. I continued to check out stores for new designs and products, which I enjoy doing, but I left these products at the store. Unless it is a hundred percent fit to what I was looking for, I did not get it. I often went home with only a few food items that I consumed immediately in my forays downtown. I felt lighter and happier.

Fourth, I managed my “por si acaso” (just in case) attitude. This phrase means buying things just in case there is a need for them. I threw out the thought each time it came to me in the store.

Fifth, I transformed cozy corners in my condo into places of relaxation, and here are the pictures. The first picture is a reading corner, the second is a coffee corner, and the third is a lounging area. These three places give me options to do some of the things I enjoy.

Reading Corner. Source: aesta1
Coffee Corner. Source: aesta1
Lounging Area. Source: aesta1

Finally, I abandoned my sofa for a large part of the day with these relaxing places and instead found solace in these other areas. While the real work is within ourselves, these places promote a sense of well-being, enabling us to do more interior work. Indeed, creating relaxing corners in our home makes for a healthy being, and we must give it more attention. I wish you luck in your effort.

To Work or Not: The Seniors’ Dilemma

Seniors Dilemma
To Work or Not

When asked if she was still working, my 70-year old friend responded, I love being at work. It keeps my mind working. I’m still thinking of what to do when I retire rather than eat, watch tv, sleep, repeat.

But isn’t work a repetition as well of what we had been doing for years? Isn’t retirement an opportunity to explore something new? Isn’t this a unique chance to try out some of our dreams and desires and give them a reality?

Often a dilemma that seniors face, many opt to stay at work where they are engaged and have a network of friends to socialize within the work environment. Somehow, when you retire, you lose touch with these people. More than ever now, many Seniors decide to work because they need extra money to support their retirement. Work is not a choice but a necessity.

Many other Seniors couldn’t wait for that last day of work, and many of them have created a life they never dreamt of before. The impetus could be the big move to a place closer to their grandchildren. Or it could be to start that business they had wanted to do. Or give more time to hobbies they enjoy doing like going to the cinema, art shows, museums and traveling to different places to appreciate other people’s culture and ways of life. There are varied reasons for decisions we make, and none of these are wrong. 

Our decision is very personal, centered on many considerations that fill our lives. But, maybe, there’s more to just these considerations. Deep inside us are desires that, when listened to, may direct us to new paths we haven’t even thought of before.

Maybe, retirement is our specific moment to do this. Listen to that desire deep within us, that something for which we want to give our all, whatever it takes to make it happen. When we do this, I guarantee that success and joy will come. There might be a genius idea waiting for you to express, a desire so strong that nobody or nothing can stop you from making it happen. But whatever the reason, for many, this is the time to make a change. Today is your time.

But then, you ask yourself, what does it take to do this? Do I have what it takes to make this happen? There are more approaches than one to do the change. Whatever path you follow, there are some general steps you can start right now. 

First, keep our minds open. Because we hesitate to change, we view the opportunities and see only the barriers, dangers, and problems. We have our set ways, and we keep being in that even if our lives have changed and we have aged, we can hardly do those things anymore. We can’t give up and let go. We need to pass on the wisdom of our experience to the new generation, not the jobs they crave often.

Second, keep your ear to the ground for innovative businesses people are starting now. You might stumble into one of these, which will be the inspiration you need.

Third, read up on what other Seniors are engaged in or are starting and developing. Sometimes, our vision is limited, so we need to enrich it with what others are trying out.

Fourth, listen to what you truly desire. The demands of current work and responsibilities often silence the longings deep inside us, but they are there just waiting for us to lend them our ears. To truly hear, we need to be humble and listen to what our aging body tells us. At our age, the calls are different. They could not be the usual things we do, so listen.

Fifth, there are many courses we can take to pursue these desires. So, there is no reason to be discouraged from pursuing your new wish. YouTube alone and Podcasts can teach us new skills or knowledge we need to start. Listen to some of these and find out which has a strong resonance to your inner self.

Have courage and move on. You’ll never know. You might be the toast of the town a year after you say goodbye to that job.

Beyond the Edge

Recently, I visited New York, my first trip outside of the country after a long pandemic lockdown. While there, a friend and I went to its latest attraction, The Edge. We went up the elevator to the 100th Floor, and when we got out, a 360 view of the whole city greeted us. There’s a platform outside that makes you feel you’re indeed on edge.

It was quite an experience. At first, excitement gripped me as the elevator brought us up. I wondered what it would be like to be on the 100th Floor of a building. My breath quickened as we reached the top, and I couldn’t stop my heart racing expecting something spectacular.

I was not disappointed. My eyes riveted to the view that was unfolding in front of me. It draws me to move on and experience what it was to be right there on that promontory extending outside the perimeters of the building. Fear and excitement interspersed. It’s like falling in love for the first time, and one is drawn to the person but is also hesitant to get closer, not yet knowing who this man or woman is.

I walked towards the edge with hesitant steps. Every step is a decision to test the limits of my fear. The presence of so many people gave me courage. It was an assurance of safety. Safety in numbers, as they say.

Slowly, we walked around and quickly became quite comfortable looking out at the city spread under our gaze. My hesitant steps became hurried with excitement that we even went to the bar to buy a glass of champagne to commemorate our being there at The Edge.

Afterward, my thoughts focused on the experience of what it is to be on edge. Often, we fear even going near it. We seek safety, comfort, and stability. I thought of children, especially those who have newly learned to walk. They keep going to where something promises excitement, something attractive and of interest. They’ll move towards anything that catches their fancy with no sense of danger along the way.

We, adults, have long lost that pursue of anything that has caught our attention. We would think of all the possible risks and obstacles that we end up not doing at all.

Fear often engulfs us to go closer to the edge, so we hold off and stay where we are even though nothing in this place excites us. Life continues to be a bore but safe.

To be perched on the edge, we can see more. We can see clearly, but we hesitate to go there. Instead, we satisfy ourselves with seeing only a part of reality but feeling stable. As we grow, we aim for stability that often, we only see a tiny portion of reality. We satisfy ourselves with this narrow view, and we defend this audaciously when attacked. We have learned all kinds of defenses to make it more stable.

Is this how we want to live our lives? Or do we want to be more on edge?

The edge is the limit we have set ourselves, which we do all the time. I run away when I’ve reached my limit. I don’t understand why but I do it. So, I’m meditating on this to find out why I have been doing this all my life. This running away is serious as it has affected so many of my significant decisions. Is it because I lack the courage to face whatever it is that baffles me? I don’t know. I will share when it gets more evident to me.

Post-Pandemic Travel Tips for Seniors

Travel Tips for Seniors. Source: aesta1

Travel can be exceptionally challenging these days. Requirements to go to different countries change as often as the tick in a clock. If you want to travel these days, good preparation is a must if you want it to be a significant success. Little things go awry as always, but chances are you will have an enjoyable trip when you prepare well.

Recently, a friend and I (both Seniors) decided to go on a trip to Canada and the United States. My granddaughter decided to join us. My friend was immediately delighted because we will have someone to place our luggage in the bin which is sometimes too high. She was also a big help in carrying our bags, especially when we had to go up the steps as the elevator did not function. So, here’s our top tip for Seniors, it is a good idea to bring someone younger and stronger than you.

After a lengthy lockdown, we were determined to enjoy this trip, and despite the many hurdles we had to go through to cross the borders, we had so much fun. We cramped so many experiences in the two weeks that our craving for travel was truly satisfied.

There were times when we could not go to a restaurant because one of us had forgotten her proof of vaccination or a government-issued ID, but there were so many other options that we just forged on to enjoy whatever was possible.

Top 5 Benefits of Travel for Seniors

Here are some of the things you need to prepare:

  1. Read the entry requirements for the countries you want to visit. They can change any time so keep reading regularly just in case changes occur before your trip. 
  2. Prepare the requirements. They usually require proof of vaccination from the authorized agency in your country. Make sure you are doubly vaccinated. For those exempted from vaccination, get a certification from your doctor. For someone who has recovered from Covid, you also need a certificate from your doctor. 
  3. Covid Testing. Almost all airlines and countries now require everyone, including children, to present a negative Covid test. In some cases, this is a PCR test which you need to take 72 hours before your flight. In others, it is an antigen test which you can get 48 hours before your flight. 

There are testing facilities in many airports now, and all you need to do is go there early, and you get the results around fifteen minutes. These, however, are more expensive. You also need to call to set up your appointment. Your hotel can help you with this.

In many cities, like New York, testing facilities abound in almost every city corner to make getting tested for Covid. You don’t need to have insurance in the United States to get this.

Here are some of the key points you must remember:

  1. Fill up online forms and upload documents to the sites of the countries you are visiting. The sites usually give you a receipt for your uploads which you need to bring with you. You can print it or get an electronic copy with you. My granddaughter sent me a copy on my phone, so there is another copy if her phone doesn’t work. It is not difficult to do, and you can always ask for help. 
  2. Masks. On all our travels (plane, train, and bus), we had to wear masks. Wearing a mask is a good practice as it helps mitigate the spread of viruses. It is better to use N95 masks even though this was not required.
  3. Bring sanitizers with you, which are readily available, so that you can use them anytime you deem necessary. It is better to take precautions than to be sorry afterward.

The more we try to go back to our everyday lives, the better it is for us. Travel, though not essential, makes our lives better. It is time to start doing it, depending on your degree of comfort. No use forcing yourself. You will not enjoy it if you’re not comfortable as you will worry all the time.

Do a search of the different countries and their requirements. Some countries don’t really require many things so go for those. There are lots of help in the airport. Go through the necessary preparation when you can and enjoy a trip soon.

Stevie, the Ice Goddess

Some call Stevie the Ice Queen, but I call her The Ice Goddess. A goddess is distant but knows what is happening around. She knows she is beautiful and loved, but she has a relative restraint that sets her apart from the other beautiful dogs around the cottage. She takes up a position where she has a good view of everyone and pretends not to notice anyone.

While all the other dogs in the neighborhood go to the dock where everyone congregates, Stevie distances herself.
She refuses to lap around for treats. She quietly and subtly comes around to look for crumbs, though never very eagerly.

Stevie’s best friend, our grandson, who wishes his dog would be more loving, picks her up for cuddle training which Stevie takes with alacrity. She doesn’t do anything nor change her facial expression. She remains who she is, distant and beyond any human enticement.

Stevie is a golden doodle, a mix between a poodle and a golden retriever. Our grandson’s wife, who brought Stevie into the family, named her after the pop singer, Stevie.

Stevie thinks she rules the cottage area, including our cottage and our neighbor’s who also has a dog named Millie. Stevie has no choice but to accept Millie, and she does but occasionally still growls at her. There are other dogs around, too. Luna is a new addition to the neighborhood after our neighbor’s dog Lily died. But there is one dog Stevie won’t ever let in, Mollie. She had been roaming the property for years before Stevie came to the picture. She lives in the area the whole year, so she thinks she lords it over every other dog.

Stevie won’t stop barking at Mollie, and the sheer mention of the name makes Stevie bark like hell. She doesn’t want her around, and she gets up from her perch when Mollie comes and blocks her entry. Mollie has no time for Stevie’s barks. She keeps going and does not even bother with it except baring her teeth at Stevie when she has had enough, to which Stevie, the city dog, cowers and takes distance.

Dogs had never piqued my interest before Stevie came into the picture. Although some dogs are regular visitors, we did not have dogs and loved to stay and have some peace in our place. There are no more little children in our cottage, and most of the time, only my husband and I were in residence. We always kept treats for these dogs, and they love to visit, even sharing our company with other dogs who have learned to come regularly.

Stevie came, and she was with us. She lived in our cottage when she arrived. As a puppy, Stevie wanted to play with the other dogs, who ignored her. Now that she is of a substantial size than all of them, she wants to be the top dog that the others would never allow, so Stevie started to take her distance. She became the Ice Goddess, a role she thought of occupying in the neighborhood dog world.

Inside the cottage, Stevie has her place, the only couch in the living area. She takes up position here and pretends not to hear anything nor see anyone until someone stays on the other side of the sofa, and when this happens, Stevie leaves and looks for another place on the floor. She can’t be bothered at all.

Because Stevie has grown much more significant, her old cottage bed has become smaller for her. Also, due to the late nights, we kept at the cottage when everyone was there, Stevie found more extensive beds. She would go down to the bedrooms downstairs and find a place big enough for herself. It could be beside someone already asleep or a new bed she allocated for herself, so when people came to find their beds, they would see they had company for the night. Often, as this is not encouraged, Stevie would be sent back to her bed in her owners’ room.
Sometimes, she was allowed the luxury.

One day, after Stevie spent a weekend at the cottage with a friend, she became reclusive. She only followed me as I was familiar with her. She did not go to her bed but placed herself on the floor between my bed and the wall. I coaxed her but to no avail, so I left her there and went to sleep. When I woke up the following morning, Stevie was on my bed. When I stirred, she came over and licked my face, then stretched and left the bed. That was all the affection the Ice Goddess could ever share.

Stevie doesn’t need much affection or pretends not to. I love it as Stevie is there but not in need of so much attention. She is quiet and allows us to work. Stevie knows the play times, which are in the morning and the evening. She goes to you bringing a toy but does not bark. When Stevie sees you are not in the mood to play, this Ice goddess plays on her own, too. She knows what toys she fancies at the moment and searches for them in her basket.

Stevie is an Ice Goddess, satisfied in herself. She gets involved when she wants to and engages whenever she knows you have the time for her. Otherwise, Stevie is content to perch at a distance to see everyone who matters and observes everything that happens. In that small area of the occupied part of the cottage, she is omnipresent. She keeps her distance as if she only seeks worship and not companionship.

Her distance is annoying to some members of the family who want to engage with her. However, it is her most endearing feature for some of us who often have to work and do not care much for engagement.

So now, if you’ll excuse me, I must end this article and feed the Ice Goddess.

Focus on the Positive

The other day, I got a call from a friend. She asked me how my summer was, to which I replied, we had so much fun with the family together, but it was tiring with so many late nights, drinking, eating, dock time in the sun, and hanging out.

Summer Experience

Immediately, my friend reacted. You had so much fun, but….why the but? I got a bit defensive, but I fully understood her question and her reaction. She waited for my answer, which was a stumbling explanation of something I needed to face within me. I wanted to evade the question, but my friend did not want to let go. 

My friend and I talked about the way our minds work. The judgments we often heard had largely conditioned us and had allowed this conditioning to influence our thinking. We had not freed ourselves from it. We had been unaware of such a way of thinking that we went through life doing exactly that.

This conversation with my friend triggered a reckoning on my part of how my mind worked. Why couldn’t I savour the positive experiences? Why was my mind prone to thinking about the negative?

There were so many positive events that happened in my life which I hadn’t turned into positive experiences. I had experienced these positively but had judged it afterward, and they had become so-so with the negative judgments weighing upon them. When asked about it, that negative judgment was the first thing that came up.

Why was this so? 

Because we never savoured our positive experiences for fear that it would make us less good, it never stayed with us as much as the negative judgments did. We never revisited these joyous moments, so what stayed with us were only the negative comments we made about the experience. Thus, we grew up full of negative judgments.

Even around us, we listen to the news, and we often hear these comments, “too little, too late.”

There is so much focus on the negative as if these negative sell more than the positive. The focus is mainly on the negative.

It’s time we turn this around. My friend and I discussed what we could do about this propensity for negative thoughts. These are some of the things we decided to do.

First, understand better how the brain functions and rewire it for happiness. There are many articles and videos on the brain as people start understanding how the brain works. This development is a significant plus to our collective consciousness.

Second, clean up little by little the traces of negative thoughts we have accumulated. These traces of negativity require a thorough cleaning but not to worry. Face them as they come. I have many of these, and when they manifest themselves, I revisit them and savor the positive experiences sans the negative judgments. Then, I say goodbye to them and never again revisit them. I leave them to the past where they belong.

Third, savor positive experiences. Many of our experiences are fun. However, we remember the negative judgments people around us made or our negative judgments of aspects of that experience because of how our minds worked.

Fourth, build gratitude. Every moment you think about your life, think of the many things you are happy about it. We will always find many things. As we practice doing this every day, gratitude becomes the pervading feeling in our lives.

Fifth, surround ourselves with positive influences and tune out the negative. Some people make you feel happy. Be with them and limit your interaction with people who tend to be negative in their judgments. Enjoy life. There is so much positive around us when we focus on them.

Finally, forgive. Let go of the hurts that we have harbored for years. They have affected us adversely for so long, and that’s enough. We now leave them where they belong. We are new beings now, and these things no longer have any influence on us.

I was glad that my friend brought this negativity to my awareness when telling her about my summer experience. I then revisited my summer experience and savoured the fun we had as a family, the sharing be it of books, music, or movies we’ve watched recently.

I focused on the positive and the fun and enjoyment we’ve had. I realized how rich and satisfying the experience was and appreciated every moment of it.

Being One With You

Being One With Yourself

These four words recently struck me as I spent time during the pandemic watching self-help videos. I have ignored these videos for some time, but I got into it during the lockdown. Some were not helpful, but others opened me to what I needed to do in my life. Because I was devoid of many engagements during the lockdown and was engaged entirely only with myself, I got to know it better.

The value of being one with my inner being became very compelling to me.

The dark side of my inner self revealed itself to me.

I talked to myself. I began to be more aware of what is happening in myself. I started to know it, explored its inner realities and what a surprise it was. I got to know myself better and learned so much about my inner being. This inner world had been waiting for me to know it better, and as I started exploring it, I delved into its dark side.

This dark side greatly influenced my actions and decisions, and I didn’t even know how much it affected me.

I felt its fears, insecurities, deficiencies, sorrows, anxieties, and secrets. It astounded me that I connected to it, got to know it and brought it to light. As I dug deeper, I found my inner self beneath these, a self full of light, beauty and capable of creating a life. I started connecting to this creative self, and my life changed.

Could this be real?

My life became magical as, each day, I welcome the daily unfolding, the unknown getting known. A different pattern unfolded before me, something I created but not with the usual effort of the previous self but with the ease of connecting to power within one’s self.

Now, I love these moments of being with myself, getting to connect to its power to its depth, to its unending capacity. I realize I am not seeking my mission in life which for years I agonize over. I strive for myself, the self that is my gift to the world. It’s my self as it continues in its creative unfolding.

Here I am, universe. I am the gift, the mission, the calling. I am as I become and connect to the universe.

I had for years felt the longing for home, not the physical home.

I was restless wherever I was as the longing got even more intense. I moved from country to country, and this longing kept nagging at me. I did not understand it, so I ignored it, but it stayed on. Recently, with time for myself, alone with myself, I have come home. To a world right there inside of me and yet connected to all.

I have come home.

I now realize I have one call, one mission, and that is “to be.” To be the fully developed being that I am. As I do this, I become more connected to the world because I become one with the world as I become one with myself. Oneness. No more division. Wholeness.

What Is Your Best Idea for Retirement?

There are so many ways people engage during retirement. They may spend time with their grandchildren, work on another job, join clubs or organizations, volunteer, travel, or engage in a new hobby. What ideas do you think about now to make your retirement a meaningful experience?

Retirement.

What is your idea of retirement?

My husband is a few years older than I am, so we first contemplated retirement when he could already retire based on the magic 30, which in Canada means that you have worked in total for 30 years. He was only 53 then, but he had accumulated two years of a sabbatical from his job, so at 53, he could retire. Before this happened, we would have long walks in Siesta Key beach each time we bring his mother for her annual trip there and then pick her up again. Add to that the Christmas visit.

On those walks, we tried to visualize how we picture retirement to be.

My husband and I came from two different backgrounds.

His parents emigrated from Europe with their experience of depression but reached higher levels in their chosen profession. My parents were entrepreneurs and started their business after WWII. Not one of my parents earned regular pay. They made their own money by engaging in various business ventures until they found one they could grow. However, I came from a life in the convents where we gave everything, thinking nothing of pay. On the other hand, my husband worked in jobs to earn money for his organization.

We worked out what we’re comfortable with from these backgrounds.

We settled on retiring but still working as we were still young.

My husband, who felt it was his responsibility to provide for our family, negotiated a two-year consultancy with his organization. I registered a consulting company as I had already worked as a consultant, but given that there are now the two of us, it was better to form a company. So, in 1997, we started. I haven’t created a company before. I know which office to bring the forms which I downloaded online. I brought with me a book thinking that I have to wait forever to get my papers back. To my surprise, it only took five minutes that I haven’t opened my book at all.

What am I trying to get at?

Here it is.

When you have decided on a course of action, act on it. Don’t procrastinate or learn everything there is before starting. You will learn in the process. The actual doing of it is more of a learning experience. Just do it. So, for Seniors who are thinking of a second career, there is so much you can do. Identify the expertise you have and get to work. How can you use this expertise once you retire? Do you want to get a new job? Or, do you want to do something else? Perhaps, a hobby you have always wanted to do given the time. Or something you plan to learn once you have the time to do it. This is why you retired in the first place.

You want to move on.

Retirement is the time to create a different life for yourself.

For 30 years or more, your identity has been your job. How do you see yourself now? An avid golfer or tennis player? A comedian? A gardener? A speaker? A teacher? A writer? A painter? What will it be for you?

Exciting, isn’t it?

Give yourself time.

Listen to your inner desires. We have friends who couldn’t wait to retire so they could play golf all day. After a year of that, they started looking for something more meaningful. In their words, they said, “how many golf games can you really play?”

So, listen to yourself.

Listening to one’s self is not difficult. Sit and listen more to your heart as most of us lived in our minds when we worked. Think of the time you enjoyed yourself very much. What was the event? What was in the activity that made you happy?

Retirement is a time to try out and engage in activities you have enjoyed in your life and the new things you want to do. As things unfold, you will discover what it is that truly makes you happy. You have time to do this now, and there is nothing much to lose. Make your retirement a fascinating experience.

Idea of Retirement

What Would 2021 Be Like for Seniors?

Seniors are at the forefront of today’s discussion, given the issue of vaccination. Most of these discussions highlight the vulnerability of Seniors.

A Beautiful Day

While we accept that Seniors are more vulnerable to this Covid virus, let’s take this as a challenge. We can improve our immune system and our health so we can be more potent against the virus. Vaccination helps, but we should not depend on it.

There will be more variants to come and more viruses, so the best way for us to improve our health and our immune system. Improving our health gives us stronger immunity and enhances our life. How do we go about this?

  1. Stay close to your doctor. Have your regular check-up and review the results with your doctor even if you go online.
  2. Read up and learn about your issues. Just don’t accept everything your doctor says. Help him out. If you are borderline diabetic, read up on this. You can use so much information online or even offline (library) and discuss the information with your doctor or a medical practitioner who knows about these things. 
  3. Food Intake. When we eat, it is not to satisfy our cravings. It is to feed ourselves so that this self can function well. Eat a variety of food, so you get all the nutrients your body needs. Value yourself and provide it well. Again, you can read about the food that will make your issues better.  
  4. Exercise. For heaven’s sake, stop giving reasons that the gyms are closed, the weather is horrible, or there is nowhere, and no one to do it with, and your type wants to do it in a group. Really? Recently, I decided to do my exercise in the morning. I accept that walking is a bit hard because of the snow, but you can learn other exercise forms on Youtube. I do the Joints exercises I knew before, and after a week, I feel my body more alive. I have more energy and balance. To do a bit more, I put on music and danced to it. I do it in my living room. Each time I stand up from the couch, I try to do a bit of exercise.
  5. Sleep. The exercises help me get better sleep. It could be something else for some of you, but I know that going to bed regularly helps. So, even if the series I am watching on television is exciting and I want to see what happens next, I tell myself that this would be exciting to know tomorrow and help me look forward to another viewing. If you have a severe problem, it could be something you need to discuss with your doctor. He could recommend other measures to help you.
  6. Engagement. To have something meaningful to do is essential. Have a hobby. Learn a new language. Learn a new skill. Learn to dance the salsa. Join a cause or a group. Whatever takes your fancy, please do it. 
  7. Build and maintain your network. Call people in your family regularly. Or, your friends and laugh with them. Be in touch. Community is so important to being alive. Being in touch helps stimulate your mind and expand your mind from the things that occupy you in your world. Laugh with them.
  8. Share. Brag about the new cake you baked. Share this with your friends or family. Tell them about the books you enjoyed reading. When you make people happy, you become fulfilled, too. 
  9. Dream. There is so much to look forward to once we contain this virus. Visualize the places you want to visit, the food you want to taste, the clothes and fashion accessories you want to try, the people you want to see, and the other things you want to do that you can’t do now. Create the future you love.
  10. Focus on these nine things. These things you can easily do can help get you away from boredom and loneliness, improve your health and strengthen your immunity from any other virus. 

Before you go, here’s a video that will help you create the life you want: