IS THIS ALL THERE IS TO MY LIFE?

I know someone who was feeling frustrated with his life.  He seem unable to find meaning and purpose in his life.  I guess this came about because his partner, who is a few years younger asked him if "this is it for them".  

She may be referring to their uneventful day to day lives with no hope to better it.  Apparently he is disturbed that his partner feels unhappy  and he feels helpless that he can't do anything about it.  I can understand his concern; don't they always say that "happy wife, happy life"?

This is a testament that in life's  passages,  no matter what stage we are in; retired or otherwise, we at one point in our lives may feel lost or get stuck.  For those of us who had a career and retired, we feel this way when the euphoria of freedom from the corporate world and  the "on vacation" mode wears out.  

Retirement experts call this the stage of disillusionment.  It is when we realize that we did not make it big in our career, that we did not become rich or popular; that we can't have the life we have been dreaming of, and now it's too late because we ran out of time. 

It is also the time when we are no longer happy with what's happening or what's not happening to our lives;  we feel dissatisfied, unfulfilled and yes, disillusioned. 

I recall a time in our lives when at some point, we too may have experienced this stage in a subtle way.  Early on Jim, my husband was gainfully employed in one of the leading oil companys.  After twenty years he resigned and developed a business with a partner.   After a few years this business folded up leaving him with nothing to do. 

I wasn't retired then so he was left on his own devices at home.  Well, to be fair, he wasn't moping or complaining but I knew he was bored.  Apparently, watching tv, reading books, playing golf and trading in the stock market was not enough. 

During that time, my office bought a sizable piece of land they wanted to develop as a model farm-hotel school.  They want to train students to grow veggies, learn to cook their produce and serve them in a hotel setting. 

I suggested he take the post, though it was something totally different from the career he knew.  The land was located about an hour from the metro in a tourist vacation city.  The climate is cool and invigorating, ideal to be outdoors, taking in fresh air and sunshine while directing workers.  In short, he applied and got the job as Farm and Business Development Manager. 

Notice how Jim was able to reinvent his life, though it was a bit easy because the opportunity presented itself; still it was not along his line of expertise.  Jim is a Chemical Engineer and his career has always been in marketing, nevertheless he took it as a challenge and turned it into an adventure. 

Retirement is an entirely new life and we should understand that our life will change, one way or the other. The key here is adaptability and openness to embrace what's new. 

We cannot avoid change, in life the only permanent thing is change so this should not surprise us.  Retirement planners often ask:  "what do you plan to do when you retire?". 

At that point before retirement, we are very optimistic, eager to unburden ourselves with our job responsibilities. But I'll say it again, that the feeling of freedom and the thrill of being on vacation will wear out sooner than we expect.  

Others may not be as lucky as Jim in this regard.  And so we need to work on ourselves.  Shall we look deep in our hearts and try to find new purpose to our existence, a new significance, a new opportunity, or a cause to defend or fight for? 

Let us ask ourselves where or how do we find  contentment. Are we looking for a chance to earn so we can add to our retirement money?  What will define the purpose of our day? Maybe it is good to change gears, look outside the box in order to discover our new adventure. 

WHY AM I CLUMSY TODAY?

Why is it that there are days when I couldn't get it together?  I drop almost everything that I am holding.  I can't understand why.  Am I just having bad days?  

I was sautéing veggies when the pan slid off a bit, I tried to put it back in the right position but it fell out of my grip.  There went our dinner!

Another time, when I was frying something, I used one hand to hold the pan in place while the other was holding the turner.  Again the pan slid off and I couldn't hold the heavy cast iron pan tight enough that it fell off.  Though I was quick to get out of the way when it fell on the floor, off the sputtering hot oil, the handle broke off and I couldn't use the pan again. 

In recent years, I feel my grip is not as strong as it used to be. I cannot open a bottle of jam that has been opened and closed many times.  I am bothered that the last person who covered it must have tightened it so much.  This irritates me. 

Whenever I turn the knob of our bedroom door, it takes me twice or three tries before I can open it with great effort. When I tie fancy string on gift tags, it takes me awhile to do it.  I used to have good dexterity.  What's happening to me?  Am I too old to do such things?  Or am I just so clumsy? 

I also observed that making a tight fist requires such an effort in recent months unless I hold a stress ball. 

Because of the above incidents, I always maintained a conscious effort to grasp things tightly so they won't fall off my grip.  I do this while pouring hot water to my tea and when pouring ice water to my glass or moving a vase from one place to another.  

When putting big serving dishes of food on the table, I now use both hands while holding the edges tightly.  Same goes when I put in or remove baking dishes from the oven. 

But it came to a point that wondering about this dropping incidents is no longer enough.  I had to get an answer.  After some research, I learned that it is common for older people to lose part of their sense of grip.  As we grow older, the fingers lose some of their sensitivity, some say it may be due to the decrease in blood flow to the nerve endings and it takes time for the brain to transmit. 

Furthermore, medical experts say that there is nothing serious to worry about if our grip is loose and we  keep dropping things.  However when this happens progressively, medical experts say that there maybe underlying conditions.  It is best then to have it checked especially when we experience additional symptoms.  

Other reasons presented by experts that may cause hand weakness is arthritis since  pain and swelling makes it difficult to grasp things.  Or tendonitis when part of the muscles tear, and we experience pain and swelling as well.  Doing repetitive motions like typing or using a tennis racquet may also cause pain when we grasp objects. 

Now I understand that I'm not the only one who drop things occasionally.   All things said, it is always good for us to get a good grip on things literally or otherwise. 

RETIREMENT FACTS TO CONTEND WITH FOR A HAPPY LIFE

Many retirees say that they had the most trying times on their first year of retirement.  Well, I can believe that, after all this is a big transition, just like our first few days in kindergarten when we don't know anyone and finding a friend or two seem elusive or after college when we look for a job and face the big wide world. 

Not knowing what to do is one of the major challenges of newly retired individuals.  Some have no agenda except to travel a bit, play golf, garden, fix the house, etc.;  but eventually they find that those are not enough.  Soon they are reluctant to get up in the morning because they have nothing to do and nowhere to go. 

After retirement, most of us suddenly feel alone.  Our friends from work now seem to belong to another world.  Those with whom we have established a relationship will remain as friends but we lose the others because our only connection is work, moreover we no longer have the influence nor the personality.   

When I needed someone to do odd jobs at home, I asked the office handyman to do the job on his day off and I give extra pay.  When I needed a runner to for government concerns, I pay someone from the office.  Likewise when my husband needed one to have his car checked or renew registration he would pay an office driver to do them.  Now we no longer have that connection so we do it on our own. 

When we catch up with friends from the former office, they'll talk about the office.  What good is that?  That's our past, we left that already, shouldn't we look forward to the future.  The sooner we wean ourselves from our former work, the experts advise, the easier our adjustment will be. 

What is there to do then?  How do we fill our days?  If we were busy persons at work, we will look for that kind of lifestyle.  We will look for those regular meetings, preparing reports and meeting deadlines;  team coordination on special events, brainstorming for upcoming projects and other discussions and interactions that pump up our adrenaline.  

We miss the feeling of belonging; the early morning coffee time exchanging grapevine news.  We miss the quick breakfast with a colleague or choosing where to get lunch delivery; we long for that tete-a-tete with an office friend.  We miss the after-work socials, the "one-for-the-road",  at a nearby bar, oftentimes ending up one too many if it gets interesting.  

How then can retirees move on???

I'm lucky that we had the convenience store to look after right after retirement.  That gave me a reason to get up; it kept me busy in the mornings.   In the afternoons I took it easy, read books and fixed things around the house that I meant to do earlier on.

Socialization could be a solution, it is highly recommended to build our social network.  In the getting acquainted stage however, we seem at a loss not knowing exactly how to introduced ourselves,   “err..the former administrator,  the former bank manager or the former VP". See, we are even reduced to just "no one".  How to describe ourselves?

Fellow seniors would invite us to their group, to do what they enjoy doing.  If we don't feel doing the same, experts suggest that it is okay to say no.  This is not the time to give in to peoples' invitation unlike when we had to play along in the corporate world.  This is the time when we are finally free, we had a career, we built a home,  we raised the children;  isn't it time to do what we want? 

But don't despair, retirement can open up new possibilities, but we have to do it alone or with our partner; together we make decisions and choices that will make us happy. 

When we wake up to a new day consider it as a gift that we should be grateful about.  We are still alive, strong and physically independent, lucid with a lot of experience, we could be assets to some institutions.  Yet when we look up towards the heavens, we don't get an answer.  

Would it be good to look inside our hearts and minds to get a head start?  Why don't we look back to the days when we were happiest and find out what we were doing then?  Let us look deep in our thoughts and be guided by our most treasured memories to discern how best we could live this third part of our lives.  It is not bad to do that again.

On the flip side, it is not also bad to try something new, after all it is often said that in life there are no wrong turns, only unexpected paths and situations.  Would we consider taking an unfamiliar path because this may lead us to the best places? 

SOCIALIZATION RATES NUMBER 1FOR A GREAT RETIREMENT ACTIVITY

Just as I was thinking about socialization as a topic for my next blog on the retirement series, my neighbor, Tess, a walking buddy invited me and another neighbor for dinner. 

I thought, why not?  I knew it would be nice to visit her vibrant and lovely home again.  Besides, it is always great to meet another possible good friend.  

I read that socialization rates number one among the retirement tips suggested by experts.  It is the best way to keep the doctor away and illness at bay.  Yes!  More than the apple-a-day prescribed by a nursery rhyme we learned in kindergarten.  Interaction with people tops in keeping the older folks lucid, alert and happy more than breaking our brains doing crossword puzzle;  agonizing over every move in chess or reading almost every book. 

I remembered my manners so I wondered what I'll bring to dinner.  I know a bottle of red would be appropriate but I recalled that my hostess asked me if I like crabs and there is no more white wine in my husband's stash.  Besides, they say that the best pairing for crabs is beer, I really wouldn't know though, I don't drink alcoholic beverages; except maybe a glass of bubbly on special events, but that is seldom. 

So I went to a nearby bakery and found a nicely decorated matcha green tea chiffon cake and I decided that will do. Someone said that if there's a cake it's a party, otherwise, it is just a meeting. 

Promptly at six, I found myself comfortably seated on a comfortable leather couch with soft pillows all around, in my hostess' office/ tv/lounging room being offered plantain fries with a glass of my choice of drink while waiting for the other friend to arrive.  

As soon as she arrived, she offered her hand to me in introduction.  Right away, I found her quite interesting, I knew that we would click as friends.  For 30 years, she worked as a flight attendant, she is still looking young and fresh and has kept her hour glass figure like our hostess. I didn't mind that I'm not as slender as they are, after all I'm more than 20 years older, so that's acceptable. 

We had dinner by the pool; there was a slight breeze coming from the plants surrounding the lashed garden.  Before I knew it, we were eating and laughing a lot, sharing stories and everything women talk about when they get together.  It was a fun evening. We were reluctant to end it but we are just neighbors so we can always do it again. 

This morning, I saw Me'anne or rather she saw me and she sat beside me in church for the first Friday mass.  She told me after mass that when she saw me she told herself, "Lord, I knew she could be my friend". 

I had a great time at dinner last night.  Socializing with friends  indeed breaks the monotony of routine and boost adrenaline for anyone, young or old alike. 

WHAT IS YOUR RETIREMENT WORD?

Bloggers say that it is good to adapt a word or theme that will serve as a reminder to keep us in line with our goals, resolutions or commitments we made to better ourselves.  

In our busy world nowadays, mindfulness has been the "talk of the town ", my son said.  Because of the numerous distractions we encounter everyday people get tired; I guess many believe being mindful is a way to reconnect with themselves to be in the present.  

I'm choosing the word mindfulness as my theme, which rightfully coincides with my blog title.  For me, mindfulness is not only focusing on the present; but also opening our eyes and minds to reality; to be right here right now. 

I believe that my theme is not only timely but also necessary during these trying times of the CODVID 19.  Everyone is trying to "flatten the curve" that mindfulness is imperative. The elderly especially must be mindful of precautionary measures because they are believed to be the most vulnerable. 

Sometime last week in my eagerness to buy our maintenance medicine quickly and be done with it, I didn't realize I was almost crowding a lady at the drugstore counter.   I realized that I wasn't mindful when my husband asked me to move back, social distancing totally slipped my mind. 

To me mindfulness also means being alert for our well being and safety.  That's the reason I am always careful going up and down stairs.  Take this scenario in a church wedding when I'm all dressed up wearing a moderately high heels (no stilettos for me anymore).  While going down the steps, I see a friend eagerly waving to me.  If I continue looking at her and not watch where I'm going, I may miss a step and who knows what I'll break? 

Oftentimes we miss our great moments because we are too preoccupied reading emails, doing Facebook, Twitter, watching Netflix or playing games on line. All these activities elude us from being mindful of the present.  

Mindfulness also means keeping with the times, being updated in every way.   Let's take fashion for instance, I guess everyone can tell if some of out outfits are passé.  If we ladies haven't changed what and how we use make up since college, it means we are not paying attention to current trends.  Someone said that it is good to "walk with the times". 

Sometime ago, I was looking for my shade of lipstick when the sales lady told me that they phased out that particular shade.  A charming lady beside me said: "if your shade is no longer available, it means it is time to change".  And she was right, I did find a better one. 

Oftentimes, life's challenges overwhelm us. We worry too much about our difficulties that we miss moments that could otherwise have given us hope and allayed our fears. I always resign myself to challenges; if I have done what's to be done then I move on and try to focus on the present again. 

Mindfulness is vital to us retirees so we do not stress ourselves thinking of our difficult past and worrying what the future will bring.  After all, we often say that the past is water under the bridge and the future is still to unfold.  Worrying will just give us stress that can cause illness. 

Let's learn to appreciate every little thing and try to find joy wherever and whenever we can.  Let us slow down, calm ourselves, spend sometime outdoors, smell the flowers again, listen to the birds that sing, bask in the sunshine and the cool breeze; let's fill our senses with nature, it's the best there is and with no cost at all. 

COVID19, THE CURRENT GLOBAL CONCERN

I wouldn't let the existence of the COVID 19 pass without writing about it.  Good or bad, this is a part of global history and I thought that somehow, in my own little way write about it.  Who knows this writing could add knowledge and perhaps relief from the same or another virus in future generations. 

Much have been said and written about COVID 19, especially so with everyone's access to social media.  The entire world is being advised to heed precautions only from reliable authorities like the World Health Organization and the Department of Health of every country. 

I believe that hygiene tops the precautionary measures mentioned, like washing hands properly, eating well-cooked food, covering mouth when we cough or sneeze.  Wearing face mask is advisable when sick or when we go out where there is no proper ventilation with many people around.  Social distancing is emphasized so as not to transmit or assimilate the virus.   It is believed this could come in through the MEN, not joking here, I mean the Mouth, Eyes and Nose.  "Don't touch your face" , medical experts say.  

"Stay away from crowds", we were all warned.  They say transmission is exponential, so we should stay home unless it is explicitly necessary to go out.   In most countries, government imposed prohibition on mass gatherings like shows, concerts, programs and even religious worship.  Life's  milestones like wedding anniversaries, birthdays and other celebrations were postponed or totally cancelled. 

Statistics showed that the elderly are more prone to catch the virus, as most of those confirmed cases are seniors.  Of course my husband and I strictly follow all precautions of hygiene, exercise, proper nutrition and isolation.  

As of this writing, no medicine has been created, though experts in many countries are doing their best to come up with a vaccine, a capsule or a tablet to fight the virus. So we need to be careful at all times. 

I read that in the early 1900, during an epidemic of Spanish flu, tents were put up to accommodate patients.  In good weather, they were brought out of the tents for more fresh air and sunshine.  They got well faster than those confined in hospital rooms.  

This is a great idea to expose ourselves to more sunshine and fresh air at this time.  Sick or healthy, I believe that we must take advantage of what nature provides.  And let's wash our hands!

TAKE A BIG LEAP THIS NEW LEAP YEAR

This one is something I didn't mention in my last blog about a more exciting retirement.  I read that one way to make us retirees feel more alive is to take a big leap.  I don't literally mean taking a leap down a Clift or jumping from an airplane, or diving into the deep end of the swimming pool if we can't swim; not even riding a roller coaster if we're not up to it.  We can't afford to live dangerously.

The big leap I'm talking about is doing something out of our comfort zone, something we believe we are not good at; something we're not comfortable with; something we've never done before;  like jumping  into unchartered seas. 

Many seniors I know refuse to learn using a cellphone, much more a computer.  "I'm too old", they say; "it is too complicated for me".  I personally know two seniors who doesn't own a cellphone, they rely on their children to receive messages from friends who relay the same via landline.  

Isn't learning to surf the Internet, using apps, or just simply sending and receiving text messages exciting in itself? If one never touched a cellphone, an iPad or a laptap earlier, I say learning to do so is a big leap. 

Many people do not want to cook because they are afraid to fail, "what if I burn the roast?   What if the stew doesn't taste good?  What if the cake turns out a flop?".  Doesn't that sounds familiar?  I'd say cooking  and baking without regard to the outcome is a big leap.

I've known a lot of people who are not confident to speak before an audience.  Public speaking is one thing, but how about the speech itself?  Two problems then: what to say and how to say it.  Mastering and overcoming our inhibitions in public speaking is a big leap.

How about dancing?  Some people are just too self-conscious to dance.  When asked, they would adamantly refuse; "I have two left feet", they would say.  Learning to dance confidently with enthusiasm is a big leap if we have never dance at all. 

I guess the older we are the more we put resistance in doing things we are not used to.  I am amazed that children have no fear, self-consciousness nor shame in learning new things.  When they fail, they laugh then try again.  Adults however, specially us seniors are very sensitive and are ashamed to make mistakes.  Seniors are more reluctant to take risks of any kind.

At this point , I'm still making up my mind what will be my big leap.   I can cook, bake and brave enough to experiment with  new dishes; I  can write a speech and confident enough to speak in public.  

At this writing, I know the basic use of gadgets but I'm still trying to catch up with the fast evolution of technology .  I want to learn more tricks and enhance my skills in this field, but that wouldn't be a big leap. 

I admit that I can't swim, I can't draw, i cant paint.  If I pursue painting or drawing, I know I won't excel, my work will be mediocre.  Then it will not be worth my time if I'll do it for the sake of trying to make I big leap. 

At this point in my life, the third part; I still don't know what my big leap is.  But I know that it is never too late to learn as long as I am open to new experiences.  I am in good shape than most seniors my age, I may have health issues  but I am healthy enough because they are normal aging conditions. 

As I continue this journey called retirement, soon I hope to realize what my leap is.  I'm sure it will bring more fulfillment and excitement in my life; be it a big or small leap.