I knew that if I stayed there just a bit longer I would become the evening meal of some carnivore. Considering the absurdity of life I thought about it. Then I moved on. Hope is something else that is in our genes. All of our ancestors possessed that gene as well as the one that told them to look around.

Health issues become more and more personal as we move into and through retirement. Our interest and attention become very relevant individually. They have a way of grabbing our attention.

Retirement is a time when a list might be as important as ever. As we enter the latter stages of life our time becomes more important. That is why we have a tendency to slow down. We don't want to rush life.

Maybe retirement is the time to become a magician. Or whatever else you dreamed of when you were a child. Or whatever you dream about now that you are retired. I'll bet with just a few years of practice most of us could learn to pull rabbits out of hats.

"Picking a Fight" is not something our parents told us was a good thing to do. Perhaps we need to rethink this advice. Retirement might be the perfect time to look around and pick a fight with some bully.

A good thing about vacations is that it shines a new light on the life we now live and the life we may want to lead. We can lay out plans, read travel logs, browse book stores and magazine racks, and have something to dream about when we take our afternoon nap.

The bottom line remains firm. You just have to spend a bit less than you earn. You might be surprised by how much pleasure can come from a walk in the woods compared to a cruise in the Aegean.

How great are your needs? Do they expand with every paycheck or salary raise? Were we kidding ourselves about how much we loved our job and really were working for the money? I mean if we quit working and receiving a check do you suppose we would still go in every day and help out for free? We needed to answer all of those questions.

I feel like I must relate a few lessons learned on this winter trip. They might help you think about ramifications if you may someday consider taking off during the cold season.

“I Like Being Old”, is the title of a book I recently came across. It is written by k. Eileen Allen. She is a 90 year old woman who is blind. She says she likes being old and I believe her.

"I Like Being Old", is the title of a book I recently came across. It is written by k. Eileen Allen. She is a 90 year old woman who is blind. She says she likes being old and I believe her.

Nietzsche advised us to step out on the edge and take a chance. He urged us to do something different with our lives. "We need to break ourselves in two," he said. And then create an even greater self.

I recently read of a Barbie Doll who is connected to the Internet via wi-fi. It hears your voice and responds similar to Seri but it remembers everything and can thus personalize each response instantly. Imagine something similar to this in the hands of an isolated senior? A new best friend and listener may be as near as Best Buy.

When retired we're allowed more time to choose different paths; to explore new roads. All we have to do is make up our mind as to which direction we want to go. We don't want to just sit in the middle of the highway and let life wiz on by.

"You never want to let the weather dictate what you do with your life". That is a line I used to recite to the kids whenever we wanted to go hiking, biking, or skiing.

It only seems reasonable that we should indeed do some preparation for a period of perhaps 30 or 40 years of living. We need to develop some expectations. I’m not sure they need to be "Great Expectations", but at least some might be wise.

"In my early 40s I decided to develop a spreadsheet of activities and interests I had (or was interested in learning) that would keep me physically fit, keep my brain active and provide me with the much needed social connections."

Sometimes we wish we could change. Change our life. Change our habits. But change just doesn't come easy for some of us. These stories illustrate the power of habits and any attempt to change them.

Our experiences in life can become a treasure chest from which we can share. We can keep alive the bond between Elders, wisdom and nature

Ever had a breathing problem? I have. Now I find that a new cause of the problem may lie with electronic screens: phones, tablets, television, or gaming screens of any sort.

"As I lie idly drifting on Walden Pond I cease to think and begin to be". When does that happen? Trouble is; we wake up. We look at the front page of the paper, we talk to our kids or our grandchildren, we know that even though our days might be numbered for people we care about, life goes on.

"Who made the rule, anyway?" We retired folks need to ask that question about a lot of things. We have a lifetime of experiences to guide us in decision making.

Staying informed isn't easy. Our forefathers had to rely on word of mouth or the slim pamphlet that might circulate among the masses at the speed of a slow horse. Today it’s instantaneous. Electronics flash news across the screen as it is happening.

This podcast has tried to avoid the topic of politics. It has not been easy. Politics is a topic that retired people have plenty of time to discuss. From this time on politics will be fair game. It is a big part of retirement.

Modern societal demands have moved children far away from parents, cousins away from cousins, and sometimes, brothers and sisters away from each other. The nuclear family is not an exaggeration in any way. Family gatherings on holidays have been one of the casualties. What to do?