Rock Your Retirement Show

Today I wanted to give you things I do to connect spiritually

You might not affiliate yourself with any one religion.  Or you might consider yourself to be “spiritual”.

This episode is not trying to convert you, just to spark your creativity on how you can connect more to your spiritual side.

If you listen to the show you know that I’m a follower of Christ, but I wasn’t always.  And even today, I’m considered a bit unorthodox by many of my Christian friends.

Much of what I believe today is influenced by what I was taught as a child, which doesn’t necessarily match what others think.

This might be you.

So today I’m going to tell you what I personally do to connect spiritually.  You can take some of it for yourself or leave it.  That’s up to you.

Connect with Nature:

First let’s talk about something that anyone can do, and that is connect with nature.

When I’m feeling disconnected, frustrated, or basically just un-spiritual, I tend to want to go outside.  I like going outside and standing in the daylight.  I go to my milkweed plants and search for monarch caterpillars.

Just being outside, soaking up the sunshine makes me feel more connected to God and more spiritual.

I know I’m lucky where I live, because not only is it sunny most of the year, but also I look out on “open space” in my backyard.  What that means is that no one can build on the land behind me as it’s set aside for wildlife.  That set aside is only for 400 feet, but right now I have a whole mountain behind me.

When I go outside in addition to the sunshine, I listen to the birds.  They are singing whether it’s cloudy or sunny.  And it’s something about the singing of the birds that calms me down and I

connect spiritually to God.  I don’t even have to talk with God, I’m just there.

And wherever I go, I listen for the birds.  Even in urban areas, there are usually a few around, chirping.  And if we listen carefully we can hear them.  Even crows cawing can soothe your spirit sometimes.

Listening for wildlife around us can bring us a spiritual connection that we don’t have in our urban busy lives.

You know what’s interesting, is that I have been training myself to listen for the last couple of years.  It’s difficult for me because I consider myself to be hard of hearing.  It’s usually when I’m in a crowded room, the talking all runs together and I cannot make out individual conversations.  So it’s hard for me to be in big groups of people.

But, since I’ve been training myself to listen, I can actually now hear the sounds of my worms eating.  Sounds gross right?

But I have a worm farm in my backyard.  I started it when I first started growing organic vegetables and didn’t want to put chemicals in my garden.  Now I just grow milkweed for the monarch butterfly caterpillars to eat.  But I kept the worm farm.  There’s something about watching them take food and turn it into compost that relaxes me.  And now at night when I go out to feed them, I can hear them eating.

Yesterday I was outside and I could hear the flutter of the butterflies wings when it flew by me.  There was a time that I would never have heard any of that.

And all of this listening is bringing me closer to God.

Perhaps if you listen more to nature it will open your spirituality as well.

Color Meditate/ Mind Mapping

 

I attend church almost every week, and I create drawings of the word that the pastor says.  Sometimes I’ve found that by drawing out the words it helps me concentrate, and then I remember what is being said.

Even though my pastor is a great public speaker, is funny, and connects with his small audience of about 150 people, I have a difficult time concentrating, and even staying awake during the sermons.

I’m not sure if it’s because during the week I’m so busy, and on Sundays, I tend to decompress.  After church,

I brought Veronica Mitchell on the show to talk about resilience in retirement

Veronica is an advocate for seniors, women, and caregivers. She writes her own blog and is a sought-after public speaker. Veronica has an approach that combines her excellent verbal, emotional and social intelligence with her funny sense of humor and curiosity for life.

She wanted to talk about building resilience in your life so you can move forward through life transitions and stay positive, even thrive after trauma, loss, and death.

Learn more about Veronica’s personal experiences and advice for resilience in this episode.

What is resilience?

* The ability to adapt yourself to diversity.

* To be able to cope and recover from trauma and stress.

* Being able to get through tough times and being able to thrive afterward.

* To be able to continue and grow.

Veronica shared her experience with us

She had a traumatic brain injury years ago in a car accident. Veronica had a concussive syndrome for a very long time. She had to cancel her speaking and writing engagements. Learning resilience is one of the things she has to do. Veronica had to come up with a game plan. Her sister caught her one day not knowing how to put a recipe together. This also became a chance for her to have time to think a lot. She got the right doctor and therapist because of this. And she's back to her speaking and writing engagements!

Key Topics:

Learn how acceptance of the present moment builds resilience.

Learn why Resilience enables someone to be positive through life transitions.

How to recover and grow after trauma and loss

On Today’s Show we discuss:

* Is resilience born or learned?

* Resources and healthy coping skills

* Being open

* Gratitude

* Learning acceptance

* Maintaining calm

* Being around positive people, loving yourself and volunteering

* Pillar 5 of the Six Pillars of Retirement Lifestyle

Veronica's Tips

* Stay around positive people – The people in your inner circle should be encouraging

* Volunteer – Helping others will help you

* Love yourself

Veronica Mitchell has been the founder of several corporations and has been employed by US/International Corporations. Veronica is a caregiver for her aging parents. She writes and speaks on Resilient Aging, Preventing Elder Abuse, Caregiver Issues, and making the most of life at any age.  Veronica writes her own blog featured on www.veronicamitchell.com

Contact Veronica: 

[email protected] 

Twitter: @Veronicamitch1

 

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Structure in Retirement

James Metz is an 83-year-old who loves playing tennis and golf. He spends much of his time in active competition rather than exercise studios or on exercise bikes. He leads a very active lifestyle. While James is happily married, loves traveling and stays active, he finds that he doesn’t have a lot of male friends.

James and I met through SCORE and he reached out to me in response to one of my newsletters

James sold his business in Houston and moved in December of 1994. He soon found himself restless. James had a background in retail but soon found himself representing Sears. He claims it was one of the happiest times in his life.

I wanted to see if I could help him find structure in retirement and his daily activities

Today James faces a lull in the evenings, usually between 6 and 9 P.M. He has volunteered, been certified as a mediator and worked. Learn more about James and listen in on a brainstorming session about ways James could get involved during this episode.

What is a certified mediator?

A mediator certification instructs individuals on required skills to resolve conflicts directly and train others on workplace conflict resolution strategies.

James decided to get certified as a mediator when he realized he wasn’t a good listener in his business. His wife claims it made him a better person and a better listener.

EVERYBODY NEEDS STRUCTURE IN RETIREMENT – YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Imagine, you were working from 9 to 5 and all of a sudden, you're retired! What do you do in your free time? It is a tough transition for some, especially those who spent almost all of their adult life working. It is a monumental change in life. Filling up all of that free time and trying to find a purpose with your new retirement lifestyle all seems overwhelming sometimes. James, along with millions of other retirees need answers to these issues.

On Today’s Show we discuss:

* Men being lonely in retirement

* Brainstorming ways to fill James’ time

* How to find structure in retirement

* Learning to listen and take time to think about your answers

* Difference between relationships between men and relationships between women

* Men aren’t the same as women

* It’s surprising what people will do when you ask

* Importance of connection

* James’ love for traveling

* Planning ahead

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Stephanie Cunningham came on the show to talk about her retirement in a different county.

On Today’s Show we discuss:

* Retirement in a different country

* Stephanie’s bicycle tour

* Decrease in social status after retirement

* Stephanie’s cultural transition in Australia

* Needing a reason to be on this earth or sacrificing happiness

* Value of community in Australia

* Money isn’t everything

Stephanie was born, raised and worked in Colorado until she took early retirement to join a round the world bicycle tour. While on the tour, she found Australia and decided to move there. Because of visa regulations at that time, she couldn’t work, which forced her into an early retirement. Trying all of the activities that are traditional in retirement left her unfulfilled and wanting more.

The Bicycle Tour

The bicycle tour was a millennial trip. While it wasn’t an inexpensive trip, it was for a whole year. Stephanie did a lot of physical training for the trip. It was recommended each rider do at least 6,000 miles before the beginning of the tour. Each weekday, Stephanie rode 135K. It was physically challenging but not nearly as difficult as she thought it would be. Stephanie enjoyed the trip because you see things you wouldn’t see on a bus or in a car.

New Found Love for Yoga

One new activity she tried was yoga and enjoyed it. She decided to become a yoga teacher for over 50’s and then added yoga training to teach over 50’s for yoga teachers. In March of last year, she started the podcast Changing the Face of Yoga to expand the perception of yoga. She will launch the second broadcast in July about finding purpose in retirement as she struggled to find purpose and feels it is very important for a successful retirement.

She talks about her initial culture shock and the challenges for retirement in a different country.

Why Australia?

Australia is a tenth of the US population but as large land wise as the US. It is less crowded and frantic. Stephanie claims it is almost 10 years behind in certain ways. Australia has less commercial ads and consists of a much more laid-back atmosphere. It is also gorgeous.

Impact of Not Being Able to Work

Stephanie was not planning on retirement when she moved to Australia. She had worked for Colorado and retired for a nominal amount of money. She planned on taking a year off then going back to work in a different way. There were a lot things Stephanie loved about working and it was a hard adjustment at first. She certainly never imagined her retirement in a different country. 

Advice for Retirement in a different country

Stephanie recommends really planning it and understanding what you are getting into. She recommends going to an expat community when first adjusting. In addition, look at exchange rates and cost of living when considering retirement in a different country.

Connect with Stephanie:

www.yogalightness.au

Stephanie is launching a new podcast in July of 2018 called Changing the Face of Retirement. If you would like to check it out go to https://www.yogalightness.com.au/changing-the-face-of-retirement/

Would you or have you considered retirement in a different country? Let us know in the comments below

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On today’s episode, I am sharing 25 clever life hacks to improve your health.

I found this article at https://gethealthyu.com/clever-life-hacks-improve-health/ that gives some pretty clever life hacks. I thought I would share them with you

1.  Start every morning with a glass of water and freshly squeezed lemon or 100 percent natural grade lemon oil

I actually don't understand what this does to our body. I always hear “Drink an alkaline water”. If you know what it does, please comment below!.

2. Sweat it out before you get in the shower

This sounds easy to do but it's not! I heard that when you sit in a sauna for 30 minutes, one of its benefits is raising your metabolism to exercise.

3. Never eat a bad egg again

I found a perfect hack for this. Les bought me an instapot. Did you know that you can use your pressure cooker to boil eggs? It's also very easy to peel!

4. Meditate to clear your mind

I find it very hard to just sit there and meditate. There are plenty of apps you can use to help you meditate. One is called Brain FM. It doesn't take 5 minutes but 20. For me, what works best is coloring. Yes, you heard it right. It helps me clear my mind. There are also studies that say when you doodle, it will help you remember better.

5. Using baking soda as a natural produce scrub

I wish I read this before I bought some scrubs for $10! All you need to do is combine a few teaspoons of baking soda to 1-2 cups of water and you have a natural produce scrub!

6. Fancy up a water bottle to guzzle more

What I do here is that I have a water bottle and I put a rubber band at the bottom of it, Each time I drink from it, I put the rubber band on my wrist. That's how I help myself drink water. My goal is to drink 4-5 of those bottles per day.

7. Meal prep your way to healthy lunches

Usually, you do this by cooking a whole bunch of food every weekend and that's what you're going to eat for the whole week, You can also do those meal preps you see on social media. They put salads in those cute jars and have a separate small container for the dressing.

8. Take a stretch break

This boosts your energy, improves focus and benefit your mood.

9. Turn your commute into a chance to laugh

You can listen to Rock Your Retirement during a commute!

10. Save your wilting herbs in ice cubes

Save your wilting herbs. Chop them and put it in ice cubes with olive oil. You're ready to saute in no time!

Learn simple tricks and clever life hacks to live a better healthier life

11. Get a workout in while you are watching your favorite show

I asked Les to bring our elliptical machine down and watch TV. We have an activity room. It has a TV, elliptical machine, rowing machine, and many more. Do we use them? NO. I remember when we used to do that. It makes working out a lot easier while watching TV.

12. Use essential oils to clean more naturally

Making natural cleaning solutions are better than using chemical based ones. One of the most common natural cleaning solution is baking soda and vinegar.

13. Make a do it yourself travel cup

What they did is they use a regular glass and top it with press and seal wrap and put a straw through it. If you have travel cups then you don't need to do this. I think most people have travel cups today

14. Never buy a rotten avocado

To test whether an avocado is ripe or not, flick off the dry stem. If you see a brown spot, don’t buy it, if its bright yellow-green, buy it. I live in California and I never bought a rotten avocado.

I brought Karen Poirer-Brode on the show to not only talk about scrapbooking, but about developing creativity. After retirement, Karen launched a podcast called A Creative Approach Podcast. She shares stories of people who used creativity to their own advantage and worked through challenges with a creative approach. Karen loves storytelling and uses it as an art and way to connect. In addition, Karen also has a blog called Karen’s Corner of The Web. She also spends time volunteering and working as a Scrapbooker.

On Today’s Show we discuss:

* Karen’s love for scrapbooking, art and photography

* The spiritual impact of art

* Scrapbook crops

* Developing creativity 

* Family memories around crafting activities

* How scrapbooking relates to the 6 pillars of retirement

Developing creativity through scrapbooking

Scrapbooking is Karen's way of making stories. She does digital scrapbooking and traditional scrapbooking. Karen's teacher discouraged her from art when she was little and she wouldn't discover that she has a passion for art if it weren't for scrapbooking. Scrapbooking is one of the ways in developing creativity. You can take a photo and tell stories about it in fun ways.

Karen also gives scrapbooks to her family and friends occasionally. There are also groups in scrapbooking and Karen belongs to the creative department. People from different parts of the world get together via webinar and they make scrapbooks together. What a great way to make friends! In addition, you may use scrapbooking to document your travels so you remember the happy memories you experienced.

Scrapbooking is a fun thing to do with your grandkids and a way to connect

Karen shares a story about her childhood and what her mom used to do. Do you remember when you were little and it was raining outside so you had to stay in? Her mom would take out pictures and they would tell stories about them. Karen says it is a great way to have fun with your children and grandchildren even today!

What is a scrapbook crop?

These are events where two or more scrapbookers gather to work in a social circle on their books, cards or other projects. It came from the word “Crop” which means cutting out a part of a picture. They bring all their paper and embellishments. Others bring their digital crops. They bring their laptops and they make scrapbooks together.

Karen Poirer Brode was born in the Canadian Prairie. She lived in Canada until she finished medical school in Montreal. She then became a physician, specializing in OBGYN. After marrying and having a family, she moved to California, where she is today.

One of the websites that offer digital scrapbooking is Get it Scrapped

Connect with Karen

www.acreativeapproachpodcast.com

karenscorneroftheweb.blogspot.com

Do you have any ideas for developing creativity? What hobbies mean the most to you? Feel free to share in the comments below

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How volunteering Keeps You Young

Fred Shatsky is our guest for today’s episode. Fred is a 77-year-old retiree who has been married for 50 years. He is a proud father and grand father of two sons and two grandchildren. Fred was a US Naval Officer and worked as a pharmacist for 35 years. Now he volunteers for the USS Midway Carrier Museum and the San Diego Zoo. He is also a member of Get Off Your Rockers.

I asked Fred how he found his volunteer position. Sometimes it is always easy to know where to look or where to start when you want to begin volunteering. Fred suggest looking online as there is many volunteering opportunities

For Fred, it was a matter of good luck and good timing in his situation. Fred’s interest in the USS Midway Carrier Museum started as a nostalgia thing. He saw an advertisement for volunteers.

At the time, he didn’t know exactly what he was volunteering for but knew he was interested.

He is now a docent for the USS Midway Carrier Museum. He spends his time interacting with people, guiding tours and volunteering in other capacities.

What is a docent?

A docent is a member of a teaching staff or someone who acts as a guide, typically on a volunteer basis, in a museum, art gallery, or zoo.

Fred is also part of the Knot Team at the Museum. They tie survival paracord bracelets and sell them for donations on weekends and Holiday's. They have raised over $50,000 for K-12 scholarships.

What is the USS Midway Carrier Museum?

The USS Midway Museum is a maritime museum located in downtown San Diego, California at Navy Pier. The museum is centered around the aircraft carrier Midway. The ship includes a widespread collection of aircraft. I personally have been there several times and it is amazing! It is definitely worth visiting if you are even in San Diego.

Advice to someone in a small rural area wanting to volunteer:

* Start by looking online

* Reach out to friends

Fred says there are four factors to his good retirement

* Luck

* Health

* Wealth

* Timing

What is Get Off Your Rockers?

Get Off Your Rockers is an organization for seniors that provide opportunities to volunteer with organizations such as the Sand Diego Food Bank, Habitat for Humanity and various other charities.

On Today’s Show we discuss:

* 6 pillars of retirement as they relate to volunteering

* How friends can help you volunteer

* How volunteering can help you make friends

* Volunteering and relationships

* Condescension vs respect

Websites Mentioned in the interview:

USS Midway Aircraft Carrier Museum

San Diego Zoo

 

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Finding the love of your life as an older adult can be an elusive proposition

Alan told his friend that he's going to be in our podcast and he will be talking about love. His friend's reaction was “You?! A love doctor? That's a real laugh. You've never been any good at love. The only luck you ever have is love with your novels.” She knows Alan very well that's why she had that opinion. Alan had some long-term relationships that didn't work out.

Alan easily finds love but struggles to maintain relationships. In this episode, Alan shares his past dating experiences, why he thinks they didn’t work out and how he plans to navigate romance going forward. Alan isn’t on dating sites and he doesn’t go on blind dates but he puts himself out there in various ways, such as dancing.

On Today’s Show we discuss:

* 6 pillars of retirement

* Selfishness in relationships

* Getting and Keeping love

* The difficulty of connecting as you get older

 What Alan Has Learned from Past Experiences That Will Help in Future Love Endeavors?

“I think I’ve been selfish in my relationships. I vowed to be less selfish, more flexible and less rigid.”

 The Irony of Relationships Among Older People

Many older people don’t feel they need to be in a relationship. At the same time, studies show if you are married, you are more likely to live a longer and healthier life.

Learn from Alan

* Don’t try to sell your book on a first date

* Put your phone down on dates and when you’re with loved ones

* Be present in the moment

* It’s never too late, the love of your life could be right around the corner.

* Don't look for someone faults and why a relationship won't work. Focus on the positive

 Alan’s advice 

“Be flexible and open”

Alan Mindell is a prior podcast guest, bestselling author, guide at Friendly Excursions and multiple gold winner of the San Diego version of the Senior Olympics.

Connect with Alan

Alan’s Books

The B Team:

The Closer: A Baseball Love Story

 

 

 

 

Traveling affects relationships. Sometimes it can bring couples closer together, and sometimes it can put a strain on the relationship.

There is a saying “couples who travel together, stay together”.. ok, I made that up. I don't think it is an actual saying. I wanted to dig into the topic of how traveling affects relationships. As a lot of you may know, my husband Les and I enjoy traveling. We wanted to share some of our experiences and tips we have gathered over the years to make it less stressful and a more enjoyable time.

Here are some things that you may need to talk about and might have an impact on why traveling affects relationships

* Preparation

* Talk about how you're going to travel. Example, how much luggage you will be bringing, and the type of clothes you will be packing. Create a packing list or use the checklist I provided below at the end of the show notes.

* Timeframes

* Discuss how many days, weeks or months are you going to stay there?

* How much money you are going to spend

* One example is buying a plane ticket. Should you go for a business class or economy? It sometimes depends on the number of flying hours like when Les and I had a 13-hour flight. The price for a business class is times 4 the price of economy. Les isn't a fan of paying that much for airplane tickets but I Like the extra space and comfort. So on long flights, Les agrees comfort is important.

* Planning Details together

* Who's going to take care of your house while you're gone? Are you going to pay for it or have a neighbor do it? Les and I are considering house sitting now.

* Decide who is carrying what in their suitcases

* I like to bring a nutri-blender with me because sometimes when we go out of the country. I have a special drink I like for dinner but the blender weighs 8-9 pounds! So even though Les would have carried my suitcase for me, the blender takes up a lot pf precious room. So, I typically leave this at home.

Sometimes there can be stressful situations that will test your relationship.

* Discuss what you both want to do on the vacation

* Discuss what you both want to do. I like to go to warm climates and lay on the beach and Les wants to go to cooler climates and do activities. He isn't one to lay around on a beach all day. What we do is we compromise. We go to warm places sometimes and we go to cooler climates sometimes. I think compromise is key in traveling and in any relationship.

* Decide if you want to spend the entire time together or are you going to have “break-out” sessions and do something on your own

* Sometimes, you and who you're with don't like to do the same things or activities. When my sister and I went on a vacation together, she wanted to hang out by the pool and I wanted to go and visit museums. As a couple, you need to decide if it is okay to do things on your own sometimes.

* Plan on what to do if you accidentally get separated

* What if you get separated from each other? On our trip to Asia, we got separated from each other. We were in a shopping area and I was looking at cute little things while Les is looking at the backpacks. We made arrangements that if we get separated, to meet each other in a certain area.

There is no question that traveling affects relationships. Patience, planning, preparation, are just a few things to have a successful vacation with your significant other.

Do you have any stories on how traveling affects relationships?

Have you had a good experience where it brought you closer together? Or have you had a bad experience?

Aging Consciously what does it mean?

Aging consciously is aging with intention, aging with a sense of purpose and aging with a with a real commitment to grow into becoming one of the very best in this third stage or third chapter of life that Ron often calls “elderhood”. Ron thinks you could contrast aging consciously with this kind of drifting into getting old. Believing that with retirement or with retirement age, the best years are behind you. Your years of contribution and making a difference are behind you. Believing that it's kind of a matter of hanging on as best one can and hope for the best.

It's incredibly enlivening. Aging consciously is supportive of the health of body, mind and spirit. If you have a real sense of purpose in aging and is intentional about moving toward that.

Ron believes that baby boomers are going to be the driving force in creating an empowering vision for aging. He thinks baby boomers are playing the lead role in helping our society see that our third chapter can be an incredible time for us as individuals.

Many of us speak about conscious aging or conscious elders but in a lot of different ways and from a lot of different quarters empowered, vision is emerging. Most of us think that people become irrelevant or marginalized after they passed retirement age. We need the wisdom and the gift of wise elders. Ron is doing his best to promote that kind of understanding. In Ron's perfect world, there would be a societal understanding that older adults have a lifetime a wealth of experience and wisdom that they can contribute. There would be an understanding that there's a responsibility that comes with getting older. And that responsibility is to continue to grow and to develop themselves so that they can serve as a model for younger people. This is for the younger people to see that growing old can be something wonderful and not something to dread.

What would a perfect world look like to Ron in regards to aging consciously and supporting our elders?

There would be a societal understanding that older adults have a lifetime a wealth of experience and wisdom that they can contribute. There would be an understanding that there's a responsibility that comes with getting older and that responsibility is to continue to grow. It would be great if younger can see that growing old can be something wonderful. It's not something to dread. It's a stage of life that can be full of fulfillment and meaning. In Ron's ideal world the role of elder is going to be reestablished.

Traditional elders around the world have made a commitment to grow and to serve. He said they make a difference until their dying day. Today, more and more people are claiming that role. In Ron's ideal world, the elder is going to be an honored role and all of us as a society is going to honor that role. When people retire, they will not see it as an opportunity to play around but they're going to see it as a chance to grow and make a difference. It might also be about developing parts of ourselves that maybe we haven't had a chance to develop prior to retirement age.

Isolation is absolutely deadly. Emotionally, physically and spiritually

Just about a year ago AARP and several other aging organizations released the results of a major study. They interviewed thousands of Americans over age 50. They found that the majority of Americans view aging as primarily defined by loss, decline, diminishment, marginalization, and isolation.

If that is the image that we're surrounded with and that we live in, then it's inevitable that many of us to some extent or other are going to have internalized a lot of those kind of beliefs.

I asked Ron what are some actionable items we can take to change this view?

* Take a look at the beliefs we carry about our aging

* We must have a sense of purpose and look for a reason to get up every day that is bigger than ourselves...