Are You Smiling?

Many years ago, I wrote an article about retirement and of all things news headlines. The topic of retirement had to deal with how retirement could be fun and not so serious – you know, for those workaholics that decide to or are told that they must retire (the word downsizing comes to mind). Too many people retire or are forced to retire today and then say to themselves – so what do I do now?

Retirement does not have to be boring. It’s just a matter of determining what today makes you smile and anxious to jump out of bed in the morning. You’ve spent your lifetime doing what was needed to keep a roof over you and your family’s head, food on the table, clothes on their backs, and hopefully a few bucks in the bank. The only thing that has changed and before I take this any further – I know everyone’s situation is different but go with me on this and look at this post as me trying to entertain those of you reading this.

Looking back at my own career, I recall that my days were often 10-to-12-hour days and working or studying on weekends too. I didn’t have time to develop hobbies or engage myself in something that I personally enjoyed doing. But, retirement, now that’s when the fun begins. Now all those hours you spent working can be devoted to things you love and look forward to doing be in gardening, painting, craft making, traveling, learning new languages, or what have you. Now is your time.

Okay, seeing that I do not intend for this to be a long post, here is the point I am trying to make and want you to walk away from – that is if you are thinking about retirement, just retired, or wondering what to do with this newfound time. Once you retire, that should be the time you are free to follow your dreams and utilize that time doing what pleases and makes you happy.

I’ve never truly taken up a hobby like others possibly do. Never had an interest in painting, did some crafts but nothing that made me jump out of bed in the morning chomping at the bit to go put that model airplane together. But after we had retired for a few years, worked part-time at a few jobs, and just knocked about a bit, I took to writing (seemed natural in that I used to write newsletters regarding the type of work I did when working). Some of those writing assignments were to prepare insurance curriculum designed to assist those individuals that were trying to attain certain Insurance Designations which would assist in their careers.

I guess one would say that I got the writing bug. But – isn’t it always the way – there must be a “BUT” in my ramblings. At first, I was writing small articles about one thing or another. Later I created a Blog but didn’t really put that much effort into it. However, the more I wrote, the more people commented on my newsletter column and eventually my blog.   Bottom line is that the writing bug took hold of me.

Over the years, I have written on various topics, but as more and more people read my writing, I noticed that it appeared that the topics that went over big were informative topics, useless information (trivia and such) and comical stuff.  Sooooo

Let me just say that there is not enough laughter in the world today. Let’s face it today, whether we like it or not, most of the news be it newspapers, radio news, and/or television news is most often bad news – see where I am coming from?  Remember the song by Ray Charles and Jimmy Lewis – “If it Wasn’t for Bad Luck….

Wouldn’t it be nice to drink our morning coffee reading or hearing a different more unique set of headlines as opposed to the rhetoric we seem to be being fed daily. How often do we have to hear that “so and so did what!”  Most headlines today are either tragic or downright negative. Where’s the fun in that? Don’t misunderstand me – I know the world is going through some scary times right now. But……

Wouldn’t it be neat to see funnier headlines than what we are seeing today? Headlines such as:

Ten people over age 80 spend the day together and never once bring up the subject of arthritis and back pain.

Seventy-five-year-old farmer collects and turns cow poo into bricks and builds new barn for cows.

Ninety-five-year-old man asks waitress at local coffee shop: “Do I come here often?”

An elderly couple (both over the age of 65) declared missing shortly after the children return to empty nest.

Bet you are smiling now, aren’t you? Laughter and smiling first thing in the morning while having our first cup of coffee, tea, or whatever can go a long way towards making our day better.

So, since I am at the end of this post, I ask again: “Are you smiling? What’s that, you said a resounding YES! Good then my work here is done.

Until next time!

“The best way to get something done is to begin.”

Okay, so I am behind once again. Looking at my stats recently, one would assume I have given up writing.  Not true – just lost my muse once again – I know, how often am I going to use “lost my muse” as an excuse. The truth of the matter is that I have been wrapped up with household projects that apparently require more attention than my blogging here on this site.

Although I must admit, apparently my non-writing has cost me several of the few readers that used to follow my blog. And while most of us write for ourselves, it is nice to have an audience even if only a few. Let’s face it my fancy does get tickled when others read my blogs and even better when they provide comments regarding same.

Part of the problem with retirement is that it is so easy to become complacent about a lot of things. Apparently in my case I have allowed myself to get out of the routine I used in the past and while some may say at our age, we should not need a schedule or routine, I find scheduled tasks keep me focused. I have followed schedules/routines all my adult life and they have served me well.

Apparently, what I need do is sit my butt in this chair and outline a plan that will serve as a guide to follow so that in addition to all the chores/other housekeeping functions one must follow, time is scheduled for writing. Let’s face it, I have no problem marking the calendar for doctor’s appointments, line dancing practice, coffee & donuts/homeowners meeting, and so forth. Why not also schedule time to sit down and write.

I’ve noticed that many of the bloggers I follow have a certain day of the week to post their work. To me, that means they have a schedule and apparently follow through. Which also means that they apparently write well in advance of the day they are going to post to their blog.

Do I have a schedule? Well, I do have certain days slated to stretch, walk, days to clean; weed; and other household duties. But not writing? In addition to the comment that my muse has left me, what has left me is material to write about. I have geared this post towards writing something funny with the goal that anyone reading it will end their reading with a smile on their face and perhaps a slight chuckle or two. But lately, even coming up with funny material seems to be a chore.

Did I write yesterday? No! Did I write today? Yes, the above is the result. What does this post tell me? Just this, I need to get my priorities right. True, certain household duties must be done, but at my age, so does my writing.

In the words of one Olin Miller: “If you want to make an easy job seem mighty hard, just keep putting off doing it.”

Solution: I must change. With that thought in mind allow me to share with you the following thought:

How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb? Only one, but the light bulb has really got to want to change! 

Until next time!

Are You a Glass is Half Full or a Glass is Half Empty Type of Guy?

Half Full or Half Empty?

I am a “the glass is half full” type of guy. However, that is not to say I have always been that way. Prior to retiring, and as a matter of fact, even up to a few years after that – well more than a few years after retiring, I looked at life as one where my glass was always “half empty.”  I am sure we all remember the expression “the glass is half full” or “the glass is half empty”.  Were I to say this in today’s age and in front of small children, I would expect to hear one of them say: “What’s that mean?”

Now that I am much older, I tend to look at my life as “half full!” This may seem a bit odd because depending on what group of people you associate with many people might feel that the glass is pretty much “half empty”.  Why? because we are senior citizens!

In my humble opinion, those individuals preparing to retire must ask themselves this question: Are our glasses half-full or half-empty? One of the best ways I know to look at our lives when we reach retirement age is to look at life as though we have a half-full glass as opposed to a glass that is half-empty.  Okay, for the skeptics out there, having reached retirement age, one might argue that our lives may be half-over. But that does not mean we should look at our lives as being half-empty.

True, I would have liked to know at age eighteen or even age twenty-five what I know now but one thing we all know is that we cannot turn back the clock. I am sure there are many facets of our life we wish we could relive and do it better but being realistic, the fact of the matter is there is no genie we can conjure up out of a bottle to ask for three wishes that might enable us to redo those days or years of our lives. So, what are our choices? Complain, scream, holler and say woe is me, woe is me! Nay, those are the words of an individual looking at life as if our glass is half-empty. Instead, we need to “man up” and accept our lot in life as it is and get on with it. Bottom line, we need to look at the rest of our life as if the glass is half-full.

Every morning I wake, I look forward to whatever life throws my way. Am I happy with some of the crap being thrown at me – No – but I stop and think to myself, posing the question: “Hey, will this matter five years from now or even better yet, next year?” Probably not – so why sweat the small stuff?

True, we all have issues as we get older but I have found that taking life one day at a time is the only way to move forward at this time in our life. One of the things I find helpful is writing a “To-Do” list every morning and by having a busy schedule. I’ve been retired now almost twenty-five years and the one thing I have learned is that we need to keep busy. I always thought I was a fairly healthy individual but believe me – when a sickness or health problem comes up at our age, the first thought to cross our mind, leastways my mind, is why did I let myself go. Actually neither my wife nor I have left ourselves deteriorate but we could have done more.

 Today we walk as much as we can and do morning stretches to keep our bodies limber and in fairly good shape. Years ago we line danced sometimes three days a week and some weeks five days a week. It is a lot of fun and does keep you in fairly healthy shape. Staying under the covers when that alarm goes off every morning is not a luxury to us – we look at it as an early start to something new and exciting.

Reminding ourselves that we aren’t twenty-five or even fifty anymore enables us to think of some of the comedic things that we might look forward to (or not) as we age. For instance, one thing that is consistent with regards aging is that our bladder tends to remind us that we do have unfinished business that needs to be taken care of once we wake. It is usually during my morning walk to the bathroom that I remember that I am no longer 25 or even 50. For some reason or another, once you pass the three-quarter of a century mark our bones and muscles tend to remind us that we are not as young as we used to be. Another hint is when we look at ourselves in the mirror and say to ourselves – who are you – when did you get so old? Good news though is the fact that looking back at me is an elderly gentleman smiling, saying “guess what – you don’t have to go to work today, you are retired”. 

While many of us succumb to many of the various ailments that come with the aging process, one has but to look at all the modern medicines available to us today that weren’t there yesterday. Modern medicine is being created and designed to enable us to cope with these ailments, enabling us to live  to a ripe old age of say 80 or 90.

It is true, however, that as with any change in say natures’ plan (leaves falling from trees, flowers dying and then watching both the trees and flowers come back to life when the seasons change), we could have repercussions as we live an extended life. What repercussions you ask? Repercussions such as quality of life issues. How do we cope with such issues? By keeping each other healthy by visiting the doctor regularly, eating the proper foods, exercise, and yes, take our medications as prescribed by our doctors.

Another thing I would recommend that will provide much benefit towards living to a ripe old age is staying socially active. Loneliness can be devastating. Stay active and surround yourself with friends and relatives. Even contact via the Internet, social media, phone calls, can be beneficial as we move forward at this point in our lives. While we have quite a few friends due to our dancing and social activities, and do stay in touch with our children and relatives even though they live thousands of miles away, I personally look forward to the exchange of thoughts with friends made via Social media sites such as Facebook; Retirement-Online.com, and Lakeland Musings by Irwin. Why, because our travel time has come to a standstill due to Covid-19 and since we cannot be there in person, keeping in touch via these mediums, remind us that we are not alone during this pandemic. By staying socially active via the Internet, I know that there will always be someone to talk to and share thoughts with.

Let me end this post with the following thought for the day:

Old age is like a car. Paint can conceal the exterior, but the lines reveal the age.

Look at the balance of our lives as merely another part of our story – one that we have to live, enjoy, and share with others.

Just Being Silly!

Welcome all of you “Lakeland Musings by Irwin” readers that follow my weirdness and craziness. Time slipped up on me this week, and today’s post, while short, and though not written by me, hopefully will bring a smile to your face, a chuckle or two, and in my small way, brighten your day.

I came across the following whilst trying to weed out boxes of paperwork we have been lugging around for years.

Tree of Life

Many many years ago

When I was twenty-three,

I got married to a widow

Who was as pretty as could be.

This widow had a grown-up daughter

Who had hair of red.

My father fell in love with her,

And soon the two were wed.

This made my dad my son-in-law

And changed my very life.

My daughter was my mother,

For she was my father’s wife.

To complicate the matters worse,

Although it brought me joy,

I soon became the father

Of a bouncing baby boy.

My little baby then became

A brother-in-law to dad.

And so became my uncle,

Though it made me very sad.

For if he was my uncle,

Then that also made him brother

To the widow’s grown-up daughter

Who, of course, was my step-mother.

Father’s wife then had a son,

Who kept them on the run.

And he became my grandson,

For he was my daughter’s son.

My wife is now my mother’s mother

And it makes me blue.

Because, although she is my wife,

She is my grandma too.

If my wife is my grandmother,

Then I am her grandchild.

And every time I think of it,

It simply drives me wild.

For now I have become

The strangest case you ever saw,

As the husband of my grandmother,

I am my own grandpa.

Okay, y’all know me so well. Cannot go with such a short post and seeing that I am in a wild and crazy mood, I think I will add a few things that hopefully will make us laugh. With that, and being a twin myself, allow me to share a joke with you all about twins.

A woman has twins and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes to a family in Egypt and is named “Amal.” The other goes to a family in Spain. They name him “Juan.” Years later, Juan sends a picture of himself to his mom. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Amal. Her husband responds, “But they are twins – if you seen Juan, you’ve seen Amal.”

I know, I know, don’t give up my day job.

Okay, let’s change the pace and take a trip to a Mental Hospital.

Jim and Mary were both patients in a Mental Hospital. One day while they were walking past the hospital swimming pool. Jim suddenly jumped into the deep end. He sunk to the bottom and stayed there. Mary promptly jumped in to save him. She swam to the bottom and pulled Jim out. When the medical director became aware of Mary’s heroic act, he immediately ordered her to be discharged from the hospital, as he now considered her to be mentally stable. When he went to tell Mary the news he said, “Mary, I have good news and bad news. The good news is you are being discharged. Since you were able to jump in and save the life of another patient, I think you have regained your senses. The bad news is, Jim, the patient you saved, hung himself with his bathrobe belt in the bathroom. I am so sorry, but he is dead. Mary replied, “He didn’t hang himself, I put him there to dry.”

Need some more – Here are a few more things for you to consider in order to keep a healthy level of insanity:

Every time someone asks you to do something, ask if they want fries with that.

As often as possible, skip instead of walk.

Specify that your drive-through order is “to go.”

Call the psychic hot line and don’t say anything.

Well folks, that’s about it for this week’s post. Hopefully over the next seven days, my mind will come up with a wild and wacky story I can share with y’all. Anything to get us to smile and laugh a little. I can only hope that no one takes offense to any of the afore-mentioned silliness as I merely do it to bring a smile to not only my face but those of you reading this nonsense. Believe it or not, coming up with these wild and crazy posts is but one of the things that makes me anxious to get out of bed in the morning. In addition to the “To-Do” list I create each day to keep me busy, creating posts for Lakeland Musings is one of the highlights of my days (when I do sit down and attempt to be creative). So, with the hope that they won’t come and take me away, away, away, y’all take care now, ya’ hear, and stay safe.

Just being silly!

Until next time!

Life As I See It!

Life, one can only envision how it will be

We are born, develop, grow, mature, age, die

Along the way we love, marry, raise children, and make friends

In the short run while this may be true, nothing lasts forever

Some look upon life as a journey

Others see life as a constant challenge

A few have no idea what life is all about

Everyone looks upon life in different ways

Is the glass half empty or half-full

Are we the optimist or the pessimist

Do we wake up smiling and go to bed happy

Or are we always grouchy, sad, or depressed

Hurdles must be confronted head on

There is no hiding one’s head in the sand

They will not go away by themselves

The sooner this is understood, the better

Disasters take many forms

Financial, health, and tragedies come to mind

Families and friends show their true colors

Which shows that life is worth living

It is how we take the journey

Rise up to the challenges

Seek the meaning of life

That serves to identify who we are

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