According to a recently published book on retirement loneliness is a major problem. When our work life ends many of us have a hard time adjusting to a role where we are not required to socialize with others. We retreat.

We are always on the road to dying. It can come quickly and quite unexpectedly. We may have escaped death once, twice, or perhaps several times. If we are lucky Retirement becomes a possibility.

We retired people really want the same thing we have always wanted. We want to affirm ourselves in our daily lives. We want to have a way of self-actualization. We want to matter. We want to be able to choose.

This age of technology - it isn’t easy for some of us –. It requires that we learn something new constantly. That is, if we wish to keep up with the world around us.

Love trips. Yes, that’s right. Love trips. It refers to those trips like we retired folks take to see either our children, grandchildren, or our parents – people we love. If those trips involve airplanes it looks like they may soon end. Or at least they should.

Maybe we just need to establish a few hours each day for no worries; sort of a no worry zone. Or perhaps it would be better yet to just establish an hour a day to worry and then have the rest of the day to enjoy life.

“A sandwich board? You spent the weekend as a sandwich board?” My friend proclaimed his support for “Pro Choice” as a sandwich board. Roy earned a BA from Harvard and a PHD from the University of Chicago. Now he’s a sandwich board.

Where do you start when planning your own funeral? Why should you start? Funerals are for the living and perhaps the entire process should be left to them. But it does seem like some of the deceased wishes might be included.

The importance of priorities hasn't changed much from when we were young children chasing after kitchen cupboards and electrical outlets. We just change direction a bit. It is the direction that must be kept in mind. We need to know what we really value.

So here is my rant about alarms, alarm clocks, and the news. I don’t mean to pontificate – I just wanted to rant and think about these things.