Category: Uncategorized
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Downsizing the Holidays
“It takes us three days just to decorate the outside for Christmas,” a good friend said. “Plus the tree and everything inside.” Hmm, I wondered. Then I asked, “Why do you do it?” “Well, we always have. And the grandchildren want it. But it’s getting mighty hard – dragging all that stuff out of storage,…
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Take a Break!
One thing about retiring is that I don’t have to do anything on a time frame that I don’t choose to! Like this blog, for example. I’ve gone from weekly to biweekly, and this morning I just decided to skip. Then I was surprised when a couple of people questioned me why I hadn’t posted.…
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Red or blue?
With the presidential election looming in a week and a day, the topic dominates the media as well as our personal emails. Yesterday one email caught my attention. From Richard Rohr’s daily meditation, “There is no such thing as staying out of politics.”* I am guilty, having said this very thing on several occasions: “I…
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Medicare Supplement or Medicare Advantage?
If you are 65 or older, then you probably are getting frequent notifications and advertisements right now about Medicare plans. The sign-up or renewal period is October 15 – December 7. Traditional Medicare plus a supplement or a Medicare Advantage plan is the basic choice. Then there are numerous choices in each of these categories.…
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Do You Journal?
I’m not sure if this topic has to do with growing older or not, because I have journaled for a very long time. Still, it seems worth writing about. I don’t remember exactly when I started journaling. I have journals going back 20+ years, but I’m sure that wasn’t the beginning. Maybe it was in…
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Everything Digital
Am I the only one who hates digital technology? A former work colleague once called me a “luddite.” I learned a new word and gladly embraced being “a person opposed to new technology or ways of working.” I cringe every time there is a new update or I am asked for my password. I think…
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What do you fear?
Maybe we don’t talk about them much, but I bet we all have fears. Being scammed, identity theft, serious illness, the state our world. Fear flourishes better in the dark, where it likes to hide. Acronyms come to mind: False Evidence Appearing Real; Face Everything And Recover. One of my earliest fears was of the…
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A Lifetime of Books
Books are a part of my earliest memories: my mother reading to me at night and on Saturday mornings. From Peter Rabbit to Bible stories, books held magic. When I could read for myself, a book was a reliable companion. I was Jo eating an apple while reading a book in a tree, and later…
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Talk to your adult children
It’s tax time. For me that necessarily means a financial review. What I have earned, what I have spent in the past year, and what I can anticipate for the future. This blog comes as a request from my tax accountant: Please tell people to talk to their children about their finances! Her plea is…
Our Aging Selves 