Old soldiers never die; they just go back to work
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland. Ron Edwards may not have nine lives, but he sure challenges the observation of Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who said before Congress in 1951 that "Old soldiers never die; they just fade away."...
A vigil is a good time to reflect on life’s transitions
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland. It began 12 days ago when we received a phone call from family friends who retired in Florida. They had stopped by to visit my mother, known to her friends as Ginny....
In business and life, you learn the ropes by untying the knots
Let's talk about relevance and entrepreneurship. First, relevance. When you reach your bonus years, you are at the top of your game — with lots of wisdom and many skills. But there's often a problem. In the words of Laurence J. Peter, author of "The...
In real life, like sports, much depends on finishing well
Back in 1997, I attended a daylong seminar on mentoring. The things I learned at this event had a big impact on my thinking and my life — and are among the key experiences that cultivated my interest in aging, especially in how we think...
It’s hard to beat a sailing vacation on the Chesapeake Bay
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland Somebody once said that retirement is like a permanent vacation. Whoever said that deserves the anonymity he enjoys today. Reason: The unknown author either had no experience with a real vacation or...
Public policy and aging: “Houston, we’ve got a problem here”
Unabridged from my Bonus Years column in the Lifestyle section of The Sunday Capital, Annapolis, Maryland In 1967, Israeli politician and diplomat, Abba Eban, said, “You can always count on the Americans to do the right thing — after they have tried everything else” — an observation frequently...
