A friend gave me a bottle of wine maybe 50 years ago. "It is really good wine" he said. And then added, "If you open it when you have a good friend over it will be all the better". How true.

In the younger phase we are always being asked what we are going to do in life. The question usually refers to a career plan. In the last half or so of life we are usually asked what we are going to do in retirement. Many of us never prepare. We just launched into it.

Health decisions seem to mount as we move towards and in retirement. We are faced with choosing between alternative treatments. 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.

It always amazes me that we can do all of our little errands and at the same time get terrific exercise. The papers and magazines are filled with articles that report about the effect of exercise on this or that disease. It seems like exercise is the only thing that is always recommended. I don’t think you can do too much.

We like to trust people. That is a good thing. However, sometimes we can be taken advantage of if we are not careful. As we grow older this can become a very serious problem.

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.

Freedom has all sorts of limitations. Retirement does open up new doors that were always closed. We now gain an advantage in life we have never experienced. But we must be aware of and willing to open those new doors.

Social isolation is a major problem for retired people. We can lose all emotional contact with others. We lose people to care about. Our phone never rings. We sit at home alone; perhaps get a dog, a cat or a bird. According to a recently published book it is our major problem in retirement.

Daily routines present themselves to us - like it or not. What's to be said concerning these daily tasks? Are they to be avoided; to let slide, to dread? Or are they jobs that can be done and even enjoyed?

How much money is enough? That’s a pretty good question. When people consider retirement, that is always first and foremost in their minds. They just don’t seem to know how much is enough. There seems to be no hard and fast rule.

How do we determine truth from fiction? We still have some people among us who are "Flat-Earthers". When it comes to politics, well, we have people telling us everything. Who are you supposed to believe?

I think of retired people I know who love to watch birds. They get outside; fair or foul. They travel around the world to see different species. They send money to organizations to help protect birds or bird habitat. Retirement would be well spent if one were to focus on birds

Does music come to mean something else when one retires or moves into the later stages of life? Perhaps Nietzsche’s most acceptable aphorism was: "Without music, life would be a mistake."

This is the second part in a series concerning a trip to Puerto Vallarta and thoughts of moving south for retirement. Here are two examples of folks that did just that.

We tend to develop daily routines. Aristotle knew that and advised us to take care with the routines that we establish. We are habitual creatures, he said. He claimed that we are good people because we have developed good habits. I believe that. I know that I'm a creature of habit.

I know that whenever I talk of doing something in the future my daughter's advice rattles around in my mind, "Don't wait too long."

What wakes you on a daily basis? How do you get your news? Do you control it? It might be worth giving it a bit of consideration. Something to think about.

A week ago a vascular surgeon inserted a stent into my iliac artery and on up into the aorta. The aneurysm was big and could pop any time. The aorta was clear but just below that was trouble waiting to cut my time just a bit short at any moment. Symptoms?

39,000 feet and feeling miserable. My eyes burn; my butt is numb. I'm scrunched; trying to be thin. Is there a secret to flying that I haven’t figured out?

My education and culture have taught me very little about the benefits of sitting still. Many of us approach retirement with the idea that we must keep busy. We must continue to be "active" and for us that means moving or traveling.

"Individuals who have a strong sense of meaning and purpose generally have better health, recover quicker from illnesses, and typically live longer". This is a quote from one of the many health newsletters we receive. It is a publication from the Wellness Council of America.

That’s the thing about working with your hands. When you finish the job you can run your hand along a smooth surface, take a picture of it, sit on it or put things in the drawers. You can even show it to other people and bask in momentary praise. It’s real.

Years ago I came across some happiness advice that has never failed me. I liked it because it worked for me and I loved the name of the originator, Baruch de Espinosa: or, Spinoza. "Spinoza knowza", I used to tell my philosophy students.