Peggy Lee sang the memorable line, “Is that all there is?” The question is common among retirees, stemming from a vague feeling of being left out, to an overwhelming dis-satisfaction with life. Part of the problem, according this episode's guests, is that we’ve forgotten how to be
Military Memories: Veterans & Retirement
Retirement can be an especially difficult life change for those who have served in the military. Of the 22 veterans per day who commit suicide, most are over age 55. After retiring, "the lid can come off" a veteran's memories, according to Navy Master Chief Dennis Behr (Ret.). Denny sat down
A Future Without Senior Centers
That's the dream of one senior center director. Paula Schutt envisions a day when today's senior centers are transformed into intergenerational community centers, attractive to everyone who wants to learn and exercise and make new friends. Paula Schutt of Beloit, WI sat down at the Kitchen Table
Look what can happen when you say ‘yes’!
Look What Can Happen When You Say 'Yes'! We may think we know what retirement is like, but the strangest things can happen! Like when two women sit down for coffee and a new idea starts to percolate. Two years ago --after that cup of coffee-- Mary Helen and Carol started the Retiree Rebels
The Courage We Need – Step by Step
THE COURAGE WE NEED - Step by Step Life can throw us some real curveballs, and that doesn't change with retirement. In fact, growing older often throws us tough situations that require a lot of courage. In this week's podcast, Mary Helen and Carol discuss how age and retirement require courage
Retirement is NOT for sissies
The quote is from the 1940s, said by the incomparable Bette Davis, and she was right, "Growing Older is NOT for Sissies." But nowadays it's true of retirement as well. In this Kitchen Table Talk, Mary Helen and Carol talk about the stress and tensions that come with retirement today, and how
A Reinvention Story: 55, Healthy one Minute, a Stroke the Next, Now What?
What do you do when your life and all your plans for the future explode? Any number of things can happen, an accident, a death in the family, job loss or retirement. For Jerry Huffman, it was a stroke. At age 55, Jerry was forced to reinvent who he was and how to make a living. Now six years
Time Well Spent
How do you define time well spent? It is an individual judgement call for each of us. As Mary Helen and Carol discovered, how we define "time well spent" can be a great help in figuring out what we want to do during our bonus years. When we know what activities are satisfying, and feel like