Bonus Years Lifestyles
Despite bumps, potholes and detours, later life brings many delights
If you stop to think about it, life is filled with all kinds of contradictory proverbs, oxymorons and other confounding words of wisdom. Example: “Absence makes the heart grow fonder” v. “Out of sight, out of mind.” Which is it? Or is it both? When is it one and when is it the other? What…
Read MoreBonus years travel comes in many sizes, shapes and destinations
Remember the late 1980s film, “Trains, Planes and Automobiles” – the comedy in which Steve Martin and John Candy struggled with each other’s foibles, challenging weather and nearly every mode of transportation to make it home for Thanksgiving? I thought of this several times during the past two weeks as Mary Sue and I joined…
Read MoreRenaissance 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 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 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 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 MoreIn real life, finishing well comes in many flavors
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Like the Ravens’ Ray Lewis, one of the NFL’s all-time great linebackers, we all want to go out as a champion, to finish well. However, in real life finishing well comes in many flavors and not just a Super Bowl ring.…
Read MoreNew learning and giving commitments make a noble new year
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Last week I was sitting at a table in “my section” of the Double T Diner on West Street, one of my favorite hangouts. It’s a sort of “not-too-hot/not-too-cold” Goldilocks setting – not too fancy and yet many steps up from Burger…
Read MoreConsumables trump stuff when buying gifts for luminaries
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Gifts for friends and relatives in their bonus years – not “seniors” or “elders” or “oldsters” but what we call “luminaries” – can be a special challenge during a gift-giving holiday season like Christmas. Most luminaries are downsizing from a larger home…
Read MoreYou’re lucky if you still need a plan after you’ve lost your marbles
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Everyone who talks and writes about later life – from financial advisors to aging gurus – emphasizes the need for a later life plan. Even Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman in The Bucket List created a last-minute plan of things to see…
Read MoreDownsizing sounds like a good idea – until you have to do it
We did it! Practice what you preach, they say. So we did. We downsized – and haven’t looked back. It happened real fast. A “For Sale” sign appeared on an attractive but much smaller, single-story home down the street. The owners kept lowering the price, so we bought it; closed the next week and moved…
Read MoreWhatever your age, it’s never too late to make a new ending
‘It’s never too late to be what you might have been.” That’s the answer I give to people who are trying to figure out what they are going to be – or do – in the 20-30 bonus years they are likely to experience before they go to the “happy hunting ground.” Actually, the quote…
Read MoreStory-tellers and the tales they weave only get better with age
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Back in 1994, while standing in line to pay for Christmas decorations at Homestead Gardens in Davidsonville, a book called Christmas in My Heart: A Treasury of Old-Fashioned Christmas Stories caught my eye. The anthology was compiled and edited by Dr. Joe…
Read MoreFrom cotton fields to the top of federal law enforcement
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland My first introduction to classical music was Rossini’s “William Tell Overture.” It wasn’t because Rossini was a favorite on our living room “Victrola,” or because my parents had tickets to the Lafayette (Indiana) Symphony Orchestra. I came to appreciate Rossini and his…
Read MoreGrandparenting is a special blessing of the bonus years
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland There’s a new twig on the family tree. Her name is Adelyn – rhymes with Madelyn. I now understand why so many say the greatest joy of the bonus years is grandparenting. Adelyn arrived at Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington on October…
Read MoreEven an unexpected journey cannot detour a purpose-driven life
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Long-time friend, Andy Borland, the esteemed former athletic director of Severna Park High School, called one day, “You must talk to Brenda Schoener! She’s an amazing woman who has done so much for our community – and a wonderful…
Read MoreEven an unexpected journey cannot detour a purpose-driven life
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Long-time friend, Andy Borland, the esteemed former athletic director of Severna Park High School, called one day, “You must talk to Brenda Schoener! She’s an amazing woman who has done so much for our community – and a wonderful…
Read MoreHelping the elderly with in-home care is a family affair
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Last week I was driving west over the Chesapeake Bay Bridge – returning home after an afternoon’s conversation with three members of the Christensen family, the owners of the Visiting Angels in-home, elder-care franchise in Easton, Maryland. Along the way, I was…
Read MoreElderly popes selected by elderly clerics talk wisely about aging
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Pope Francis energized the nation last week with his six-day whirlwind visit to Washington, New York and Philadelphia. The 78-year old pontiff started early in the morning and ended late in the evening. He gave 20 speeches officiated at several masses, visited…
Read MoreYou don’t need a lot stuff or a lot of money to be happy
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Talk about downsizing, here’s one that takes the cake: How about trading a home of 3,000 square feet on 5 acres of land for a sailboat 28 feet long by 8.5 feet on the beam. By my calculations, that’s 238 square feet…
Read MoreOur best-laid plans often take us somewhere else
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland It happened one Sunday at a gathering of the Fishermen’s Table. Fishermen’s Table is an informal program, nearly 10 years old, initiated by the Protestant congregants of the Naval Academy Chapel. The purpose: to strengthen relationships among midshipmen and between midshipmen and…
Read MoreI may talk like a grand dad, but I know I’m only a relief pitcher
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland For those in their bonus years, there is nothing new under the sun, right? All that’s left is coasting home, right? No. Not even close. Nearly every day brings something new as growing older brings many new experiences. Example: grandchildren. Ever since…
Read MoreTending to the future of our community is a “worthwhile thing”
Eddie Sutton is 79 years old. Many in their bonus years will remember Sutton as the first basketball coach to lead four Division I schools to the NCAA finals, including two to the Final Four: Arkansas in 1978 and Oklahoma State, Sutton’s alma mater, in 1995 and 2004. Award-winning journalist and Sutton fan Roger Rosenblatt…
Read MoreFriendship is important foundation for successful aging
Friends matter – not the least in your bonus years and not the least for women. Back in 2010, Wall Street Journal columnist Jeffrey Zaslow published “The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship,” a New York Times bestseller. “The Girls…” is an inspiring tribute to female friendships, a true story of eleven girls…
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