Posts by Phil Burgess
Renaissance woman finds new calling in her bonus years
The American author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, told us that “Vitality exists not only in the ability to persist, but in the ability to start over.” For a living example of “Fitzgerald’s Law,” journey down to Annapolis Maritime Antiques on Severn Ave. in Eastport. There, every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday afternoon beginning at 2:00, you…
Read MoreRetirement, for some, is an opportunity to keep on serving
(Dick Libby, of Annapolis, officiated at the Kirkin’ o’ the Tartan at Washington National Cathedral in 2010, 50 years after he had been ordained there as an Episcopal priest. [Capital Gazette]) Poet Robert Browning talked to us about “…the last of life for which the first was made.” For some, the link between the first…
Read MoreAging gives us new eyes to see people, issues and events
Our first Bonus Years column appeared on June 3, 2012. That was six years and 200 columns ago. Our aim was to write a column a week. That should add to 312. What happened to the other 112? Answer: We do our storytelling as a labor of love, so it competes with other affections –…
Read MoreRemembering the ‘old days’ of party lines and collect calls
Unabridged from the Life section of the Annapolis Capital, Sunday, July 15, 2018 All that’s going on in our community these past few weeks – from the tragedy of lives cut short to the hope symbolized by Independence Day celebrations – has caused me to think more about life’s many blessings. One of those is…
Read MoreA local newspaper is important to a community – and especially to those in their bonus years
The aftermath of the heartbreaking event of June 28, when five staffers at The Capital tragically lost their lives at the hands of a lone gunman, has been a time of mourning, especially for the families, friends and colleagues of those who were lost. But also for all of us. Indeed, as 17th century poet…
Read MoreDownsizing to a condo does not require downsizing memories
This past week I crossed paths with one of the most interesting women I’ve met in a long time. Her name is Anne-Marie Baikauskas (pronounced by-KAWS-kiss). She lives in Heritage Harbour, an active 55+ community in Annapolis which includes a community center with many community amenities and social events. Baikauskas lives in a mid-rise condo.…
Read MoreOnly a genealogist thinks a step backward is progress
The Maryland State Archives, located on Rowe Blvd. just west of College Creek, is the central repository for what the law calls “state government records of permanent value….” including birth and death, marriage and divorce records, last wills and testaments and records of the history of Maryland – from the earliest times of Lord Baltimore…
Read MoreRetirement can be an experience with many chapters
(Photo Credit: In 2017, Craig Sewell, longtime chef and owner of A Cook’s Cafe in Annapolis, announced his retirement after 15 years. [Joshua McKerrow / Capital Gazette file]) Annapolitan Craig Sewell is, to my way of thinking, a poster boy for the way many of us will spend our bonus years: in serial retirements that…
Read MoreGood literature tells truest truths about death and dying
Last December, just before Christmas, I read a retirement story in the Capital about Michael Parker, a US Naval Academy English professor, due to step aside after 38 years on the Yard. A notice that someone is about to retire always catches my attention. However, buried in the Parker story was an added attraction: It…
Read MoreNavigating the map of elder care providers often requires assistance
Want to make your head explode? Try to figure out all the different kinds of senior housing and elder care services that are available and which one has the best fit with your needs and your pocketbook – or, in the case of adult children, those you are caring for. Enter Cindy Jahr Evans and…
Read MoreTo live is to engage in the action and passion of your time
Someone once said that “Stories are only stories at the end. In the middle, it’s just chaos.” I thought of that last week as I was talking to Marvin Smith, who has a way to go before he’s at the end of his story. Though Smith is now 61, he still looks every bit the…
Read MoreSenior leadership, know-how can be a big asset for non-profits
(Image: Peter Cooper, left, and Dale Moeller, members of the 2015 class of the Watershed Stewards Academy, completed this rain garden to handle runoff from the parking lot of their church, Woods Memorial Presbyterian in Severna Park. [Pat Furguson / Baltimore Sun Media Group]) It was 7:30 on a Thursday morning a few weeks ago…
Read MoreAnnapolis woodworkers prove hobbies for the young are satisfying at every age
(Image: Members of the Annapolis Woodworkers’ Guild in their workshop in 2015, from left, Barry Frankel of Crofton, Jim Jordan of Cape St. Claire, Bill Carbin, Andy Borland, both of Severna Park, Paul Dodson of Glen Burnie, Will Hottle of Edgewater. [Kenneth K. Lam / Baltimore Sun file]) Personal agency. It’s not a common phrase,…
Read MoreAnnapolitans turn a lifelong calling into a later-life mission
(Image: Annapolis residents Jim and Karen Wilder, pictured in 2014, aim to launch a new enterprise that reflects not only their culinary calling but also their commitment to creating opportunities for people with disabilities, translating a lifelong calling into a bonus years mission. [Joshua McKerrow / Capital Gazette file]) Last week, while attending the annual…
Read MoreLife is a series of transitions and retirement is just another
(Photo: “I can’t see myself retiring. I love the work I do. I’ve worked my whole life and throughout my life I’ve always invested in my education so I can do more,” Jonathon Church said. [Courtesy photo from the Capital Gazette]) “I’m a retired police officer,” he said as the men around the table introduced…
Read MoreVietnam-era immigrant continues to serve at Anne Arundel Community College
(Image: Dung Dinh Do is a police officer at Anne Anne Arundel Community College. He graduated from the police academy at age 64, the oldest person to ever go through the academy. [Paul W. Gillespie / Capital Gazette]) It shouldn’t be surprising that immigration is all over the news. After all, global migration is one…
Read MoreMove over, Mitch Miller, we’ve got some singin’ to do
I have more than a few friends at Ginger Cove, an Annapolis-area continuing care retirement community. Several are in a men’s group I attend on Saturday mornings. Others I see when I’m out and about. But I’ve been traveling a lot this year — to Israel, Australia and elsewhere — so there are some I’ve…
Read MoreHelping the young to a legacy of trains, planes and automobiles
(Image: Ted Levitt, who ran Chick and Ruth’s Delly in Annapolis after his parents died, talks about retiring and selling the business to new owner Keith Jones late last year. (Joshua McKerrow / Capital Gazette)) Way back in 1993, Mary Sue and I decided to move to Annapolis from Denver. It was a move shaped…
Read MoreCivic innovations target needs of growing senior population
Though it’s a national sport to complain about our culture, much of what we “know” is fed to us by national media that are fixated on what is nasty, brutish, scandalous or weird – all of which is amplified in the 24×7 national “news” cycle. But if we stand back and look at things, especially…
Read MoreYou are never too old to dream or resolve to improve your life
As we celebrate New Year’s Eve, we should remember that “Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365-page book” and our calling to “Write a good one.” Those are the words of modern American philosopher Brad Paisley — also a Grammy-award-winning country music singer-songwriter, the vocation of some of our most insightful contemporary philosophers.…
Read MoreBoth religious and secular traditions define Christmas
Monday is Christmas, the big day most of us have anticipated — and prepared for — since Thanksgiving. Christmas has long played a large role in lives of most Americans. According to a new survey by the Pew Research Center, 90 percent of Americans — and 95 percent of Christians — say they celebrate Christmas,…
Read MoreDecide first where you want to live and then make a life there
Some years ago, when I was in my 40s and trying to decide what to do next, I sought the opinion of a longtime mentor. I lived in Denver and he lived in Santa Fe, New Mexico, so he invited me down for a dinner conversation. “This is going to be good,” I thought to…
Read MoreAmerica’s 1968 Marine of the Year still fights for his brothers
It is important these days to draw a distinction between “celebrities” and “heroes.” Celebrities are people who are known for being known. They are products of the mass media and pop culture. Think Kim Kardashian or most People magazine cover stories. Celebrity is about “me” — just as post-modern man is “me-centered.” Heroes, by contrast, are people…
Read More‘Three Guys’ come up with great ideas for successful aging
Most everyone has heard of Five Guys, the American fast-food chain focused on hamburgers, hot dogs and french fries. Many know Two Men and a Truck, a nationwide franchise that provides local and interstate moving and storage services. But few know about Three Guys with Ideas. That’s why we are writing about them today. The…
Read MoreYour own backyard is a good place to begin repairing the world
Having just returned from my second visit to Israel, I came home to a stack of books and articles I had accumulated over the past two months in preparation for the trip. The stack included a lot of history — such as Bernard Lewis’ “The Middle East: A Brief History of the Last 2000 Years”…
Read MoreLearning from purpose-driven travel can enrich later life
Hopes and dreams are the stuff of life. Occasionally, we share our dreams — sometimes with family members and sometimes with close friends. It was during these sharing times that many I have known over the years would say, “I am really looking forward to retirement as a time to travel — to see new…
Read MoreShowstoppers use gifts of music and dance to engage, entertain
I had an amazing experience last week when I showed up at the South County Senior Activity Center in Edgewater for the weekly rehearsal of Showstoppers, a senior performing arts group with ages ranging from 60 to 94. I was there because Sharon Poet, who retired as director of the center in 2010 and now…
Read MoreWho needs Uber when there are kayaks to get around
It began last Sunday as Mary Sue and I were walking into the 8:15 a.m. service at the Naval Academy Chapel. That’s where we go to church each Sunday, and that’s where Mary Sue sings in the choir at the 11 a.m. service. In addition to midshipmen, townies are found in both services. However, the…
Read MoreCultural preservation also includes saving baby boomers’ pop culture
In order to write a Bonus Years column each week, I have to be on the lookout for interesting people using their gifts in interesting ways in their later life. One of the benefits is that many of those I interview become new friends. One “new” friend is Roland Leone. I wrote about Leone back in…
Read MoreAging boomers may have new ways to keep on sailing
Last week I devoted part of an afternoon for my annual sprint through the U.S. Sailboat Show in Annapolis. Little boats (but not many), big boats (mostly) and floating condos (a.k.a. catamarans) were in abundance — plus all kinds of gizmos and assorted stuff for sale to enhance the boating experience. I wouldn’t miss it.…
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