“Our life is frittered away by detail. Simplify, simplify, simplify!” —Thoreau Over time, many of us have accumulated things we rarely, if ever, use. When we finally wise up, we come to see that all that stuff—along with the house in which it’s been collecting dust—no longer makes sense. Many
If retirement is throwing you for a loop, you’re definitely not alone. Coleman Barks, a poet and translator, writes this about his last day of teaching at the University of Georgia: “I missed giving my final final exam. I slept through it. The alarm didn’t sound, or I turned it
“Happiness is only real when shared.” —Chris McCandless, from Into the Wild According to the Social Security Administration, nearly 80 million people are retiring at a rate of about 10,000 per day. Meanwhile, since 1990, divorces among the 65+ population have tripled. Coincidence? Probably not. Sociologist Stephanie Coontz, director of
Tess Simonetti, a retired elementary teacher in Massillon, Ohio, has seen it firsthand. “When I began teaching, there was little to no involvement by grandparents with the students,” she says. “By the end of my career, many more grandparents played a large role.” Grandparents today are more involved in their
While they make great pets, Border Collies are, first and foremost, workers. They’ll look for jobs to do around the house. Bred to herd sheep, they’ll herd children and other pets. They love solving problems. In other words, they’re happiest when they have a purpose. Sound like someone you know?
When it comes to longevity, genetics, diet and exercise are the factors we usually think of. But according to a recent study by Boston University School of Medicine and the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, our attitude about all of that—and life in general—can have an even greater
Three years ago, Dahti Blanchard retired from teaching at Swan School in Port Townsend, WA. Today, at 67, she’s the oldest resident Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) with East Jefferson Fire Rescue. It all started when she saw a sign calling for volunteer EMTs and acted on a dream she’d had
We all know that exercise and diet are important contributors to a long and healthy life. But there’s another factor, as or more important: the quality of our relationships. “Good, close relationships appear to buffer us from the problems of getting old,” says Dr. Robert Waldinger, a psychiatrist at Massachusetts
What if we spent all of our days Improving our minds, learning new ways to be lazy —Mary Chapin Carpenter, “What If We Went to Italy” Retirees are often advised to stay busy. We’re expected to volunteer, take classes or travel. And, for the most part, it is a good
Anna Mary Robertson Moses didn’t pick up a brush until she was well into her 70s. While she’s known as the quintessential late bloomer, fame and fortune isn’t the point. Here are a few quotes from her and how they relate to a fulfilling retirement, regardless of whether you end