Explore every episode of the podcast Retirement Talk for Boomers, Seniors, and Retirees

"What Now" of course relates to retiring and what comes after that. Some of us have big dreams. I knew a guy in Alaska who retired and set off to sail around the world. He had a new boat made in Norway. He flew there to pick it up and sailed south and east. He didn’t get far; the Caribbean. He got attacked by pirates.

And what did we do with our lives once we retired? Did we do what we thought we would? We did want to get involved in our community. This involvement took an expanded turn with the invention of the Internet and Podcasting. Perhaps your’s will also. I serve this podcast as a tale of retirement as it may progress.

Some folks I know have spent the last few years living home free. They go somewhere they have never been; rent an apartment or house and settle in for several months. Their last stop was in Ecuador for six months.

Long ago, my friend, Glen died at age 39: brain tumor. He never had to consider the question of when he should retire. That can happen to anyone. Death is an equal opportunity employer. It can come very unexpectedly.

One thing about retirement: the appreciation of food accelerates. We can enjoy the growing, the planning, the cooking, the colors, and the eating. We have eaten and wished we had more. I should guess that many people may go to their grave thinking of food they have grown or food they have enjoyed.

Parents want their kids to learn to think. We want them to think for themselves. We want them to become independent. It isn't something with which we humans are born. At the same time we try to encourage independent thinking and we try to teach our children to listen to our advice or directions.

Sometimes I feel so out of it. When I stepped into the world of retirement I never thought I was leaving the real world. Now it seems like I see something, read something or hear of something of which I know nothing every day.

Health decisions seem to mount as we move towards and into retirement. What to do? Where do we turn for advice? Most of the time, we can readily agree with our doctor. Other times, it just doesn’t feel right. We want a second opinion.

I know some people who say they don’t know what they would do if they were retired. My experience tells me that you will, or can be, very busy. Busy, but busy doing exactly what you want to.

I remember deciding to retire and told my wife that I would always drop her a card from exotic destinations all over the world. She didn’t see the humor. She knew that there might be a chance that I would do that very thing. The day I retired - she retired.

My wife and I found that there is another choice; other than moving or staying. You can stay and move at the same time. No, it doesn’t seem to logically follow, but it is true. Here is what we did.

One of the early decisions one can make when retiring is where to live. You are no longer bound by your job to live in one particular place. For the first time in your life you can really choose where to live.

On the last podcast I set out Spinoza's thoughts concerning happiness as a possible rule to follow. Recall that Spinoza advised us to realize that happiness lies in the movement from a state of lesser perfection to yet that of a greater one.

This is a revisited performance of the second episode ever aired on this podcast entitled "What Now". I have made some changes that might better clarify and illustrate the topic. "What Now" of course relates to retiring and what comes after that. Some of us have big dreams.

This past week I came across an article about two folks - age 71 and 68 - who sold their house, sold their worldly possessions and bought a ticket to ride. They have decided to live house free during their retirement years.

When should I retire is a question we all consider if we are lucky. I wrote about this topic in the very first podcast of Retirement Talk. It seemed fitting. That was 15 years ago. I'm wondering If my thinking may have changed. I hope I've learned something during this period.

Of course we do eat to live but many of us find that living to eat certainly has attraction. We do this for no other reason than enjoyment. It is hard to find fault. We just have to remember to control the quantity.

We grandparents, we elders, pass on the responsibility of learning to another generation and hope for the best. We hope we have done our job in an effective fashion. One last challenge lies ahead. We have to let go.

When I stepped into the world of retirement I never thought I was leaving the real world. Now it seems like I see something, read something or hear of something of which I know nothing every day. I’m completely in the dark today about crypto-currancy. Also tick-tock, Instagram, snap-chat and all sorts of other stuff.

Sometimes we just get too busy doing things that we forget to think. Not that I am against doing things. I like to be busy. But not busy all the time and not busy without giving much thought as to why I am doing whatever I am doing.

There is something about ritual ceremonies that glue us all together. I had thought it was just a couple of hours to sit through and then present them with a gift and that would be it. But that wasn't the case.

For some reason the whole idea of becoming irresponsible is so very attractive to me. Now I just have to think of something that might fill the bill.

How many times a day does one have to be informed of the stock market report or the weather forecast? Seems like once a day might be plenty. It is hard to stay focused on enjoying the birds in the sky or the smell of the flowers when one's attention is constantly being jerked about.

Energy is a precious commodity. We want to put one step in front of the other. The tank will eventually run dry but if there is a way to get a refill or plug any leaks we want to take advantage.

Life continues to offer us new experiences. They come if we are willing to take a bit of a risk and accept them. It is much safer to just keep life on an even keel. New ventures require new efforts and thoughts. Reconnecting to old friends may be very well worth the effort.

I love our days in the city. You don't have to go far to feel like an explorer. There is more novelty and more surprises waiting just around the corner. It is this daily discovery that keeps me smiling.

It has been the basic premise of these podcasts that there is more to life than money. Thinking carefully about what we are doing with our limited time seems much more important.

Why,you might ask, am I going into such detail for you. It is our response to your recent podcast topic. In January you spoke of "Finding Meaning in Retirement". Here is the story of one podcast listener.

It is important to share information from one generation to the other. History gives stability and a sense of identity to children. This stability and sense of self control helps establish a positive psychological grounding that enables children to face realities of life.

Considering the end of one's life is not a pleasant subject. But considering the little known information that is in direct opposition to reality is even more unpleasant. This is one place where it might pay off to plan ahead and be very proactive.

I have always believed that I did take the road less traveled by - and that it did make all the difference. But maybe I have been deluding myself. And you?

We know when we are spinning our wheels. We know when nothing is happening in our lives. We know we need a change. Perhaps the problem isn't our being stuck, The problem is getting unstuck. Deciding what to do? Which way to turn?

Canada is on to something with making Family Day a national holiday. It seems so appropriate and filled with meaning. Hopefully it will prompt many phone calls, trips or letters.

Retirement introduces a special element to our reading life. We can feast over the entire reading realm. There are no limitations; sort of like our earliest experiences. We can read for pleasure alone.

Dealing with regrets is a topic that was suggested to me by a loyal listener. I thought I could deal with it but it is proving more difficult than I could imagine. I like to look at the present and the future. Dreams seem to be about the only time mistakes of the past surface.

We got an email from a friend a few years ago when he was celebrating his 88th birthday in Sarasota, Florida. "Going to dinner with my granddaughter and her Dad. Got myself a massage and just got home from my playwriting class. Busy day for an 88 year old."

We know having meaning in our lives is important but sometimes we have trouble finding it. Many times It may be more of a problem of recognizing it. We may already have found meaning in our life and just not recognize it as such.

Yes, we retire. The parents, teachers, bosses and our own children no longer control us and they no longer give meaning to our lives. We are on our own. Now we must give meaning to our own lives.

Kids fall down and skin their knees. Football players fall down and bounce up - usually. My mother fell down at age 89 and never regained her health. Her fall led to surgery and then the nursing home and then the grave. We need to be a bit more careful about falling as we grow older.

Detail has never been my forte. Not in anything. As a member of the retirement community I find it most challenging and interesting to try to change this age old habit. Old habits become part and parcel of who we are but that doesn't mean that they have to stay.

What brings us happiness is so very relative. If we have just finished eating food we don't like or aren't satisfied we can go crazy over something familiar and filling. If our hands are cold a good pair of gloves can seem like a god send. Happiness is all about improving our condition.

Retirement offers a different challenge for us when looking ahead. We have never been down this road. We have our own little idiosyncrasies that may make our decisions different from anyone else. We need to prepare for an adventure.

One thing we all learn as we grow up is that sometimes we win and sometimes we lose. It is the nature of a contest. It is the nature of life. It is a hard lesson to accept. Perhaps some people never learn. Either that or they never grow up.

A fellow colleague used to get up at 5:30 every morning so that she could meditate before work. She claimed it was better than sleep and that she, "Couldn't live without it". That might not be a bad idea.

What we do with ourselves or with our family or friends when death comes is important to some. I don't think it is important to the ones who die but it is to those that are left behind. We need to be comfortable with the decision.

Do we remember what has happened in our life? Or do we remember just parts of what happened in our life? The parts we like. Or do we remember what we wish had happened?

Some of us make aging difficult by refusing to accept it. It is just as silly as when we are on the other end and irritate people by refusing to "grow up".

Sometimes I think we should start a new political party entitled "We". It would be based on the premise that we should help and care for one another. That we all have rights and responsibilities to everyone else. That would be different.

Retirement has to be one of the more significant milestones we can experience in life. They give us a sense of where we are. They give us something to see, something to point towards or something on which to reflect .

Grit has always been one of my favorite words. It means business; nothing fancy here. But the word has reappeared lately relating to child rearing and educational philosophy. There is no doubt in my mind that grit is needed in all phases of life including retirement.