Bonus Years
To 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.…
Read MoreOur legacy helps convey the value and meaning of our life
Legacy. I’m not talking about the dictionary definition, which says, “a gift or a bequest, that is handed down, endowed or conveyed from one person to another … a possession that is transmitted, inherited or received from a predecessor.” Instead, I’m using the term legacy to refer to material as well as spiritual and other…
Read MoreFrom Harvard to Annapolis and A Cook’s Cafe
Have you ever been to a farm-to-table restaurant? You can answer “yes” if you have been to A Cook’s Cafe, located at 911 Commerce St. across Bestgate Road from Westfield Annapolis mall. If you have not, you should go there for lunch just to taste garden-fresh salads and kitchen-made sandwiches and soup — or the…
Read MoreMaking Later-Life Work
American culture continues to glamorize the retirement, “Golden Years” as a time for endless leisure and amusement. I have a different view of later-life for our nation’s Baby Boomers. That’s why I’ve written Reboot!, to make the case for returning to work, in some capacity, after you “retire” – whether your retirement age is 50 or…
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 MoreFor the fearless and curious, age and adventure go hand in hand
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Later-life improvisation. I’m not talking about Comedy Central type improv. I’m talking more generally about creative responses that people make when they have no script to follow – or don’t like the script they’ve been given. My introduction to senior improv came…
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
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 and do before they met their Maker. Or, in the case of “grumpy…
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…
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