I have been struggling everyday trying to get into a retirement mode... and any suggestions, ideas, etc. would be of great interest for me and perhaps to others, So far, my main hobby has been working in the flower garden and creating even more, with lots of help from my husband Bruce.. so it is a work in progress.

 

 

With much appreciation this is what I received from others.

Faye Lewis Raynard   Class of 1959

 

Has everyone heard about the “Basket List”?

The idea is to write on a slip of paper "One thing" you would like to do before you die and place it into the basket. Fill your basket with as many slips as you can.i.e. learn to golf, knit, create the perfect flower bed, cruise to Alaska. etc. Then when you retire start taking the slips out of the basket at random intervals and DO THEM…Or as many of them as physically, financially and reasonably possible to do, the planning, research etc. will bring the excitement and joy you crave in your   "GOLDEN YEARS"

Be sure you do them before either you, your mate or both are unable to fulfill as many of those "BASKET LIST" objectives.  (illness, disabilities, fixed incomes, caring for parents, etc.).

Keep in mind, the older we get the reality of the golden years seems to be

1. Everyone wants your gold

2. The other gold is the pee gets that golden hue

I have already started on emptying my basket.

Remember, live till you die- don't just exist waiting to die

Jane Dempsey Donnelly, GA Class 1960

Your question about retirement is interesting and I have been thinking about it. You know, in our society we are identified and categorized by what we do. Our occupation is our identity. So when we retire, suddenly it seems as though we have lost our identity, and perhaps even our purpose in life. It takes time to figure out what we are going to do next and what role we want to play on the stage of life.

Personally, without realizing it, I threw myself into a great number of volunteer activities. Some of them took on a life of their own and for a while became my whole life. Especially the one where a friend asked me to save her life and coordinate a fund raising project to raise thousands of dollars so that she could have a double lung transplant. We did it, she had the transplant and lived for 11 years before needing another one. She made medical history in many ways. Last year, after waiting over two years for her second transplant she did receive her second transplant, but sadly she was too far gone for it to be successful this time and she passed away at Christmas time.

As the years have passed, I am still quite active in volunteer activities but am more selective now. I don't need the identity thing any more and am quite happy to be retired and tell people that I am a retired person. That Old Age Pension cheque which arrives each month is such a treat. It seems like free money and one forgets that you worked all your life to earn it.

The thing I like best is being able to sleep in if I want and basically do what I want, when I want to do it. Or not. Aren't we lucky. Especially when my husband still brings me tea in bed in the morning. The funny thing is that now I do not have to get up early and rush out the door, I generally do get up early just to enjoy the sun get up and help Vance get off to work. Well, except on stormy days, or days I am just too tired and need a little extra snooze. My sense is that while you were working there were things you could not do due to time restrictions, deadlines, or simply not enough hours in the day. Now is the opportunity to get out a little notebook, or the back of an envelope and make a list of all the things you were going to do ... when you retired. Some of them may no longer be of interest to you, and perhaps some new desires and inspiration will suddenly pop into your mind. Have fun. Try everything once. That's my motto.

Do not worry, you have worked so hard for so long that it takes time to relax and realize that you have the whole rest of your life ahead of you to do exactly as you wish. Good luck and have fun.

Lots of love,

Michal Millar Crowe, GA Class of 1960

 

Interesting comments indeed.    For sure Faye and Bruce will be kept busy with both places to keep looking beautiful.  Looks great folks.

It has been to short a time for us to get adjusted .  Retired Feb 19 and left town that afternoon for Florida. Back home for 2 1/2 weeks , and now going to BC to visit gradkids there. It will sink in soon re retirement.

But Michal, I did not show your email to Rolla . I mean, that part where you get served tea in bed in the morning..  You are pretty lucky, fortunate. That Vance has to be a keeper.

Take care all ....   We are off to BC this evening.

Morley Smith, GA Class of 1959

 

Faye : Retirement can be a lot of fun. Firstly, we have to keep active (and I know you and Bruce do that also).

In the Spring and Summer gardening becomes an important task on our property. Sandie has her plants and flowers to look after and I have a big vegetable garden. We also go to the gym three times a week for a workout and a swim in the pool, and walk the remaining days.

Friends are also important and we go out every day to have a coffee with our friends. Last Saturday night we did something we haven't done in a long time. We went to the local pub to see a rock band which played 70's music and they were really good.

And here's a scoop. Go to reunions and meet again the kids you went to school with. You can restart a lot of old friendships. And always take into consideration, those folks are never the same as they were when you knew them a long time ago.

Joining online sites such as facebook can also be a way to reconnect with old friends and keep in touch.

So generally, keep active and do things you enjoy even if it seems you are reliving your childhood.

Don't be afraid to buy a big boy's toy such as a motorcycle, electric guitar and amp, fishing boat, etc., if that's what turns your crank.

Just some Bob's mutterings to consider.

Bob McKinnon, SJ Class of 1961

 

I'm always busy here all winter.  I'm a nationally accredited Flower Show Judge and I was the General Chairman of a State Flower Show that was put on during the AFGC (Arizona Federation of Garden Clubs) Annual Convention.  I'm also the Recording Secretary for AFGC and usually have a Floral Design that I have to do for a Flower Show or Convention, etc. 

I entered a design in the Phoenix Art Museum's Arts and Flowers Event last year and won 3rd place for my interpretation of a painting called El Morro by William Hurley.  There were about 66 entrants and most of them were florists with access to flowers and the latest mechanics used in the floral design world.  The judges were well known and respected florists so the judging was done according to different standards than National garden Clubs Flower Show Judges use. 

I was flabbergasted that I placed. The delphiniums that I used to represent the sky were not of a good quality.  I changed them for fresh ones but couldn't do that until after the judging.  My design was the "People's Choice".  I'm sure that was because I chose to interpret a painting that had broad appeal and my design was simple in that non-florists, non-designers could readily see and understand the floral interpretation of the painting.  

A photographer from The Arizona Republic newspaper put out lots of pics which included all the winners on the internet via channel abc. I was given a plaque which is propped on a shelf in my office. I don't mean to sound as though I'm bragging.  I'm not a bad designer but there are lots of better than me.  It's my outlet that gets me out of the house and keeps me going.

Marcie Bursey Brooks, HMA Class of 1956

 

Oh... and Jane Dempsey Donnelly had this to add…

 

I retired (for the second time) 23rd Feb. Left for the Southern Carrib ,cruise, 11 days on NCL Dawn. Came home for a 1 1/2 weeks - then left for 2 weeks on Treasure Island, Lands End Florida withKay (Poirier) Williams, Kay & I have been buddies for over 46 years we worked together CNT -

We rented a condo on the beach Gulf of Mexico side and had NINE beautiful sunny days 72 - 82F. We also had three friends drop in and spend a few days with us at different times. It was a great “Girls” Holiday.

Ass in the sand, feet in the water & a drink in each hand!

Now I'm into the garden, rearranging some flower beds, planting vegs - so far greens, radish, onion and the garlic and rhubarb are up, started cantaloupe, butternut squash, and zucchini  - tomorrow peas and beans (waiting for Pat to put up the fence for them to climb as they grow) - finishing off some brick work we started last fall.  Put in all new windows, a brick front step, new walkway and a small brick patio out front, now have to complete the brick flower beds.

I have plans to go to Gander/Halifax in Sept - bring my Daughter, Krista, home from Victoria BC for 11 days July/Aug.

Who knows what other joys retirement will bring me this summer. (I was Kay's maid of honor, she was my maid of honor, we were married two weeks apart, Kay & Paul in June  Pat & I in July, she is also Krista's God Mother)

Good luck,

Jane Dempsey Donnelly, GA Class of 1960

 

Just had to answer your email on retirement.

Don't waste time if you have projects or trips or anything else you want to do. To those of you in good health, cherish it and do all you can to keep fit.

Rob and I had the rug pulled from under our feet when 4 years into retirement Rob was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease in 2000 and subsequently with dementia in 2007.  Our lives have changed, slowly at first, but now to the point where I can only leave him for about 3 hours at a time. This will decrease slowly and our lives will change again.

I am not sending this email for you to feel sorry for me but to give a different slant to your query and to encourage you all to make the most of what is a wonderful world.

Faye, your garden looks magnificent.  A lot of hard work.

Love to you both

Marg Hawkins Moore, GA Class of 1959

 

Your flowers are beautiful and it is easy to see what you've been up to since your recent retirement -  wish I had some of that purple phlox for my backyard. 

Your subject of retirement made me think of the 2007 movie “The Bucket List”.   It was a great movie about 2 terminally ill guys (Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman) who shared the same hospital room but they decided they had a lot of living left yet before they kicked the bucket.  They compiled a ‘bucket list’ of all the things they still wanted to do and then they hit the road doing everything on their list - and in the process healed themselves and found great joy in life.  Sounds like you and Bruce will need to sit down and do your ‘bucket list’ for retirement.

When I first retired I was a little worried that life might be boring, but it has been far from that - in fact after a couple of years I wondered when I had time to work.  I retired 3 years before my husband and I must admit that I enjoyed that time  - just hanging out with my girl friends and doing  ‘coffee’ and ‘lunch’, bridge, etc.   But once he retired we seriously thought about the future and we both sort of had a ‘bucket list’ of things we wanted to do but weren’t able to before -   e.g.  Travelling, golfing, curling, and for me, learning to play the piano, gardening, learning to play bridge and having  more time to read and spend with the grandkids.   Fortunately we were able to do most of these things.  

We’ve travelled quite a bit and visited the British Isles, including Gibraltar, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy, Canary Islands, Northern Africa, Switzerland, Mainland Greece and a number of Greek Islands,  Venezuela,   Barbados, Jamaica, Mexico, Dominican Republic and of course travelled across Canada and also visited a number of the States.  Still on our list are the Pyramids and the Great Wall of China - maybe one day.  

Highlight of our trips were seeing the Mona Lisa, the volcanic Island of Lanzerote in the Canary Islands, the Sistine Chapel, the balcony of Romeo and Juliet in Verona and the fascinating ash-covered remnants of Pompeii near Naples.

I bought my piano and have been taking lessons for about 5 years - not quite ready for the Arts Center but play just for myself and thoroughly enjoy it.  We golf, curl and joined a fitness club and I learned to play bridge (not great but ok) and belong to two bridge groups - also find time to read, do some gardening and spend time with the grandkiddies, and also have the luxury of sleeping in when I feel like it. So our ‘bucket list’ is slowly being fulfilled.

To your question of what has been most meaningful during those retirement years.  We volunteer in a number of community events as well as serve(d) on a number of  Boards of Directors , e.g. curling club, condo association, hockey association.  And it is that feeling of satisfaction that comes with being involved and contributing, even if it’s in a minor way, that means a lot.  Above all, we cherish all the wonderful friends we have met over our retirement years - and that is probably the most meaningful.

You asked - and of course I enjoy dabbling on the computer - isn't it a wonder!!!     

Best wishes to you and Bruce in your retirement years,   

Gerri Fitzgerald Nimmo (and Tom), SJ Class of 1959

 

I do not have a PhD in philosophy nor do I really think that my thoughts on the subject of  ”Happiness after retirement” are of much interest or use to anyone else. I am sure that my thoughts are certainly not more profound than those of anybody else but since I have been asked, as others have, for my two cents worth, well then, here they are:

My first point would be, I suppose, is that retirement is in a sense irrelevant as far as happiness is concerned. Over the years I have pretty much come to the conclusion that that happiness is not a thing that “happens to you”.  Happiness - before or after retirement - is not a condition but rather a decision.

One has the choice of seeing things as good or bad.  If I have 20$ in my wallet, I have two choices. I can see myself as being close to broke or I can say that I’m richer than 97% of the population on Earth who are starving to death, live in hovels or working for a few cents a day.

As another example, though I spent time waiting in great pain in a hospital emergency department a short while ago, I also saw a dedicated staff, who are always are the butt of complaints and seldom thanked, doing a wonderful job as several ambulances arrived. I got the name of the dept head and sent him 2 letters, one about the great work of the doctors, cleaning staff, assistants, nurses, etc,( asking that it be posted on a bulletin board) and another concerning a nurse in particular who had done a great job (with copy of course to her).

I could have quite as easily sent a letter of complaints because I had to wait a while before my problem got fixed. But how I see it is my choice.

I could have found any number of things to criticize but I consider myself lucky because it is a modern hospital with excellent doctors rather than being in Haiti or the middle of Africa. And in Canada we probably have the best hospital system in world, with a cost to GDP ratio lower than in the US, with everybody covered.

I think in fact we can go farther than simply choosing to look at situations as good or bad.  We can go even further - the big question to ask, it seems to me, is “How can I profit from this situation, however bad it may look at first glance"?  

As a case in point, in 1991 I had to spend some 9 months off work, mostly in a wheel chair.  I always had wanted to try writing a book about management, so rather than ruminating about my problems, I wrote a 670-page book that a few people found quite good and has been used on occasion as a reference book in Quality Management.

Perhaps one thing in particular helped me. As a former officer in the Royal 22^nd Regiment, I was trained, as infantry officers are, to do “battle appreciations” and go as fast as possible into solution mode.   In military situations, one has little time to waste and no time at all for “wishful thinking”.  You simply have to do what has to be done with what you have, no if, and or buts.  Or maybe that attitude came from growing up in Gander where we learned to get along with what we had. I remember my father often saying when we were missing a tool or instrument, ”well, we’ll make up something”.

So much for general attitude. In normal activity, I find the days go best when I give myself an objective. It doesn't have to be anything grandiose and usually the simpler it is, the better it is.  It could be something simple such as writing to a person I haven't seen for ages, learning more about a given composer, cleaning up my painting room, spending the evening with my wife with the lights out listening to music, doing a painting for a charity, whatever.  Maybe because my military experience makes me

"objective-oriented" but I seem to be happiest when I look back on the day and see that I accomplish something.  It seems rather dull when one given day looks exactly as the day before!!

So, I suppose for me, looking at the world as a happy place (admittedly not always easy to do) is a choice one makes, whether retired or not.  Looking for the little bit of good that exist even in the worst situations and capitalizing on it is not innate and has to be practiced.  And accomplishing something during a day seems to make the days worthwhile.

Just a few simple thoughts from a poor boy from the Rock!

RG Pelley, GA Class of 1962

 

Thanks everyone the encouragement and examples of how to make the most of your retirement. Both Jane and Gerri shared Bucket List ideas and seem to know how to implement those plans. Thanks for those inspirations. Keep it up folks. It’s been fun delving into this topic.

Faye