Positive, Productive, Profitable Retirement News

The retirement job suggestions listed in the travel websites chapter are just a few of the hundreds of sites I've visited to research the possibilities offered for those, like myself, who love to travel and explore the world we live in.
But times are about to change in the travel industry.

The headline reads - Retiring baby boomers expected to change the face of travel

Do you love to travel? Over the years, have you gained experience in some travel category that would provide valuable information to these baby boomers? Here's a retirement job worth looking into - a travel related website - maybe an e-book. Here's a few items that may spark some ideas.

The Future Foundation's report - "The World of Travel 2020" lists these forecasts -

• Airplane travel will double by 2015.
• Travelers will collect experiences, instead of cars or watches, and fill out "life calendars" of places they want to visit and things they want to do.
• Frequent short vacations will be replaced by four vacations a year where travelers will seek an "experience" like scuba diving, caving or exploring the canopy of a forest.

A recent study by the University of Michigan found that nearly one in 12 U.S. households that own a vehicle own an RV and Ken Sommers, director of media relations for the Recreational Vehicle Industry Association, says "Baby boomers are entering the prime age for RVs - a lot of Baby boomers will redefine their retirements. They will want to continue to learn and to contribute in their post-retirement years."
Sommer said the RV industry believes that to many newly retired couples, an RV will represent freedom and independence.

According to surveys, baby boomers will heading for the high seas in record numbers and the cruise lines are planning and building to meet the demand.
Jennifer de la Cruz, a company spokeswoman for Carnival Cruise Lines says "here are facilities and activities available on ships today that no one would have imagined 15 years ago - It's exciting to think what the creative minds in the cruise industry are going to come up with for the next generation of ships." Jennifer also added that shore tours will change for the baby boomers - "Biking, hiking, horseback riding, scuba diving, forest canopy tours and many other options cater to consumer preferences, which have changed extraordinarily - every year there are more shore tour options that are new and unusual. I expect that evolution to continue."

Guess what country will be the "in" place for the boomers - China.
"China now is the fourth-largest destination in the world. In 2015, China will be the No. 1 destination for travelers from all over the world." -- Liping A. Cai, director of the Purdue Tourism Hospitality Research Center.
"Shanghai is posed to become 'the next New York." - Lonely Planet Bluelist
"We've seen this year interest is up in China, even in Ohio. That will continue to grow." -- Cheryl Hudak, vice president of American Society of Travel Agents and a travel agent in Youngstown, Ohio.

Travel information is a valuable commodity - many have found a profitable niche market for their travel specialty as noted on my travel websites page - (Go to URL)

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March 2, 2006 - George Burns and more baby boomer stats

George Burns never retired - if memory serves me correctly, he signed a multi million dollar performance contract when he was well into his nineties. I like to use one of his quotes when explaining what this retirement news Blog and the host web site are all about -

Age to me means nothing. I can't get old; I'm working, I was old when I was twenty-one years old and out of work. As long as you're working, you stay young."

George also said -

""I look to the future because that's where I'm going to spend the rest of my life."

I believe that George Burns definition of "work" means being involved in any project that offers a creative challenge to further develop our skills and talents and thereby overcome the idleness of a badly planned retirement. If the creative retirement "work" you undertake can bank extra income - that's icing on the cake.

I found my creative retirement "work" assignment on the internet and I now realize that if you spend time to fully research, the web is the best way of combining the two...creative challenge and extra income.

Is this for you? Only you can say. If you want to check out all the possibilities for a creative, retirement internet "work" project take a few hours to read the free SBI Action Guide- it's all there to help you make the right decision.

By the way, George Burns also said - "Don't just stay in bed - unless you can make money in bed."

More baby boomer stats

Maybe there's something here that will click an idea for a retirement "work" project. The ProMatura Group, a research firm specializing in the senior real estate market, say baby boomers will be breaking the retiree mold when it comes to buying in retirement communities. According to their most recent survey, the boomers will be shunning golf and seashore retirement communities and will be looking for planned communities with active lifestyles, fitness, and social activities.

Other priority for the Boomers: parklands and common areas for planned activities and, most of all, a fitness center. Almost one quarter of those surveyed ages 55 and older want to be within walking distance of a well- equipped fitness center.

For more retirement "work" ideas - (Go to URL)

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March 3, 2006 - Retirement News Notebook

Even in retirement, just as it was during my working years, I'm still an internet packrat when it comes to storing articles, Emails and notations I will likely never use - but then again, who knows.
However, as my hard drive and backup thingy groan under the weight of information overload, there comes a time when I must review the collection and make some hard decisions - maybe.
Here are just a few items collected over time I hope will be of interest.

• Age is a question of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter. -- Satchel Paige

• Gotta love this picture -
• It's not right to laugh at someone else's misfortunate - but this is a real hoot. My semi-retired friend Bill Ozard sent me this with the notation - "this is a bricklayer's accident report, which was printed in the newsletter of the American Insurance Journal. This is a true story. Had this guy died, he'd have received a Darwin Award for sure..."

Dear Sir:
"I am writing in response to your request for additional information in Block 3 of the accident report form. I put "poor planning" as the cause of my accident. You asked for a fuller explanation and I trust the following details will be sufficient.

I was alone on the roof of a new six-story building. When I completed my work, I found that I had some bricks left over which, when weighed later, were found to be slightly more than 500 lb.. Rather than carry the bricks down by hand, I decided to lower them in a barrel by using a pulley, which was attached to the side of the building on the sixth floor.
Securing the rope at ground level, I went up to the roof, swung the barrel out and loaded the bricks into it. Then I went down and untied the rope, holding it tightly to ensure a slow descent of the bricks.
You will note in Block 11 of the accident report form, that I weigh 135 lb..
Due to my surprise at being jerked off the ground so suddenly, I lost my presence of mind and forgot to let go of the rope. Needless to say, I proceeded at a rapid rate up the side of the building.
In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel, which was now proceeding downward at an equally impressive speed. This explains the fractured skull, minor abrasions and the broken collarbone, as listed in section 3 of the accident report form.
Slowed down slightly, I continued my rapid ascent, not stopping until the fingers on my right hand were two knuckles deep into the pulley. Fortunately by this time I had regained my presence of mind and was able to hold tightly to the rope, in spite of beginning to experience a great deal of pain. At proximately the same time, however, the barrel of bricks hit the ground and the bottom fell out of the barrel.
Now devoid of the weight of the bricks, that barrel weighed approximately 50 lb.. I refer you again to my weight. As you can imagine, I began a rapid descent, down the side of the building. In the vicinity of the third floor, I met the barrel coming up. This accounts for the two fractured ankles, broken tooth and several lacerations of my legs and lower body.
Here my luck began to change slightly. The encounter with the barrel seemed to slow me enough to lessen my injuries when I fell into the pile of bricks and fortunately, only three vertebrae were cracked. I am sorry to report, however, as I lay there on the pile of bricks, in pain, unable to move, I again lost my composure and presence of mind and let go of the rope and I lay there watching the empty barrel beginning its journey back down onto me. This explains the two broken legs.
I hope this answers your questions.

• "Age puzzles me. I thought it was a quiet time. My seventies were interesting and fairly serene, but my eighties are passionate. I grow more intense with age." -- Florida Scott-Maxwell

• Even in retirement, it's never too late to quit smoking - a recent study, conducted by Dr. Christine Wynd, and published in the Journal of Nursing Scholarship, creative visualization can help smokers quit the habit. Start with the mind - see yourself winning the battle with nicotine addiction. A study of 71 smokers found that those who went through guided-imagery therapy had more than twice the abstinence rate 2 years later as their peers who received only standard counseling.
• A new Swiss survey calls for the government to do away with the "magic border" of 65 as a rigid retirement age. Co-author of the study, Francois Höpflinger of Zurich University noted "Research has shown that older people today are not only healthier, but use that good health to become more mobile and flexible than ever before."
  The Swiss Employers' Association has called on the retirement age to be raised to 66, and Interior Minister Pascal Couchepin suggested last year that it should go up to 67. But unions have been campaigning for a flexible retirement age starting at 62.
• Two elderly gentlemen from a retirement center were sitting on a bench under a tree when one turns to the other and says: "Slim, I'm 83 years old now and I'm just full of aches and pains. I know you're about my age. How do you feel?"
  Slim says, "I feel just like a newborn baby."
  "Really!? Like a newborn baby!?"
  "Yep. No hair, no teeth, and I think I just wet my pants."

Now for some "creative" retirement information - (Go to URL)

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March 4, 2006 - Retirement Jobs Pictures

The following is my reply to an Email I received recently.

If you have toured my host website - PPP Retirement Jobs, you will notice I'm a big fan of illustrating various topics with pictures - pictures taken by pros.
The use of images not only makes the topic stand out but they also, when placed properly, break up the script making it easier to read. Another benefit - the Alt tag - the copy that appears when your mouse moves over the picture, provides an extra keyword to attract the search engines.

I was asked where I select the pictures I use. My Reply - I subscribe to Fotolia.com. This service, offering royalty free stock images, is unique as it offers an extra benefit if you're a photographer. Pictures costs start at a dollar and move up depending on size, quality and use but it also offers an opportunity to sell your own pictures and therefore it's possible one can offset the other.

I like this service because of it's large and ever growing library. Try it yourself - pick a subject then type in the keyword.

Search for an image

powered by Fotolia

Just remember, the bigger the picture the longer it takes to download and visitors get ticked off in a hurry if your website doesn't bloom in all its glory in a finger-snap. (Go to URL)

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March 5, 2006 - Retirement News Cinema Center

I running late on this one - 8 Below has been number one at the box office for more than three weeks. Even so, it's not too late for this retired flick freak to rate this Disney Production a four out of five star winner.

Went to a Saturday Matinee - expected to be surrounded by a hoard of screaming, popcorn tossing rug-rats but in fact they were outnumbered by parents and retired grandparents. Even though it's been around awhile, the theatre was nearly full - I counted only eight empty seats as the house-lights dimmed. One piece of advice - don't see it on one of those small, art theatre type screens or wait for the movie to come out on DVD - anything other than a wide Cineplex screen with Dolby sound would diminish the impact of the chilling sounds and harsh beauty of the ice capped landscape. (Greenland subbing for Antarctica).

8 Below is an every-age-group movie about the survival of a collection of eight huskies left behind during an emergency evacuation of an Antarctica base camp and how most of them survive over a grueling six months. As Disney lists it - a story inspired by a true story.

I could hardly wait to get home and "Google" for the true story. The difference between the two is vast - but who cares - I'll still go for Disney.
Their inspiration comes from the 1983 movie, Antarctica, the story of three Japanese Scientists who, in 1958 made a trip from Ongul Island to a nearby mountain some 400 km distant. On their return trip they became lost during a violent snow storm and in desperation, unleashed their two lead dogs, Taro and Jiro who made it back to the base camp and returned with rescuers.

The humans then left the camp, leaving the dogs, including the two who saved the lives of the three scientists. A year later they returned to find that while the other dogs had died of starvation, Taro and Jiro survived and were actually healthy enough to pull sleds during the expeditions stay.

Jiro died in Antarctica of natural causes while Taro was retired and brought back to Japan. When he died in 1970, he was stuffed and placed in the Hokkaido University Museum.

One other big difference between the movie and it's "inspiration" tale - the dogs themselves. In the movie, the make believe heroes are Siberian Huskies with piercing blue eyes and, I'm told, movie star egos, while the real life heroes were Sakhalin Huskies - "who form a strong bond with their human owners and this often translates into a willful drive to 'guard' their safety at all costs. And despite their level of energy, intelligence and devotion, these exceptional breeds remain entirely focused dogs that are renowned for their calm sense of composure."

Here's an interesting link if you would like to know more about the Siberian Huskies. and here's a link to the American Humane Society's behind the scene report on the filming of 8 Below.

Message to retired grandparents who will be visited by the grandkids during March Break - no matter what their age, take them to this one - it's a family kind of thing.

For the host website - Retirement Job ideas - (Go to URL)

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March 6, 2006 - Working eBay as a Retirement Job

After many weeks of neglect, my eBay website is activate again.

I have just listed five antique, signed photographs by one of Canada's most famous photographers, Wallace MacAskill. Printed from the original negatives, this collection dates back to the late 1920's to early 30's and four of the five have been hand tinted.

As noted on the the host website I have found that working eBay can be a positive, productive and profitable retirement job - if, and it's a big "if" - you take the time to research, study and learn before you jump into the auction waters. As you can see by the number of flags posted on my eBay site there's a world wide market place for you to sell to or to buy from - and, if you know how the system works, you can bank a healthy profit or save a bundle. If you haven't check out eBay as a possible creative challenge to take you into and through retirement, visit the eBay Summary chapter on the host website.

There's also another source of revenue through eBay - selling items for others. How many times have you heard someone say - "I've got this "whatever" and I don't know what to do with it" and then the quick answer "you should sell that on eBay" But many folks haven't a clue on how to work eBay - so you offer to be their agent and take a commission after all auction costs.

How much commission? It's up to you, but keep in mind that people who know little about eBay, do not realize how much work it takes to publish a listing - the photography - item research - writing a description that details and sells the item -communicating with bidders - shipping and handling.

My research shows that the majority of trading assistants charge 25 to 30 percent of the final selling price and many also tack on $1 or $2 for shipping and handling - actual shipping cost are included with auction costs.

Be honest with your customers about the profit potential of the item they want to sell. During my research one trading assistant told me she offers, as a free service, to check what the item has sold for in the past on eBay so the customer knows exactly what the average is and, using the average, what to expect as profit after auction, commission and S/H charges.

Selling for others can be a profitable extra of your overall eBay retirement job - it helps build up your power seller status and positive feedback and, through your item research, you gain knowledge in areas that can be beneficial when you shop for items to sell for yourself. (Go to URL)

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March 7, 2006 - Fun Pics and Retirement Job Ideas

what has that fun pic got to do with retirement? Nothing, expect it was sent to me by a retiree - as was this -

Now to the business at hand - finding a creative challenge to take you into and through retirement.
Here's the scenario - an individual has worked for many years and gained knowledge only experience can give. This person my be years away from retirement or already retired - no matter - he/she has information, service or product others may need and are willing to pay for.
How to offer this knowledge or service to the largest audience? The internet.

But this person may not know a diddly-darn about how to use a computer let alone how to build a website or publish an E-book.

That was the way it was for me and thousands of others who finally, after many costly detours, were directed to SBI - Site Build It.

Simply put, SBI is a complete service offering all the research and techie tools you need to build a profitable presence on the internet - it's a step-by-step roadmap that allows you to build your PPP retirement job while they handle all the technical stuff.

This is a personal recommendation because I just do not have the time or the talent to gain on my own, the knowledge that must be learned to be a - successful internet entrepreneur

SBI takes you by the hand and shows you the way step-by-stepResearch and brainstorm to find you "niche" with the most profitable and productive keywords.

No HTML or any other techie stuff to worry about - SBI does it all for you.

SBI even analyzes your work and tells you how to improve your material to make it more search engine friendly.

SBI submits you site to the major search engines.

There's a great deal more to this service that will give you the opportunity to build a creative challenge to take you into and through retirement with a positive, productive and profitable retirement job - To learn more takes only time and here are two links worth the time - Auick slide show - A fast step-by-step demo of how SBI works.

And the most important document - SBI's Free Action Guide - download, read and reread - it will be the start of a new revenue-making creative challenge that will - make your life more interesting the longer you live.

For more retirement job ideas - (Go to URL)

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March 8, 2006 - Retirement and Growing old - quotes from Zig

I want to thank my retired friend Bill Ozard for thinking of me and this Blog and forwarding this piece by an unknown author.

This folks is what it's all about. When you're growing old and retired, you soon realize you're in the fourth and final quarter of the game of life. However, it can also be the time when you create an imaginative playbook detailing the life-formations you will use to win the game - your way - on your terms

The Gift

The other day a young person asked me how I felt about being old.
I was taken aback, for I do not think of myself as old. Upon seeing my reaction, he was immediately embarrassed, but I explained that it was an interesting question, and I would ponder it, and let him know.

Old Age, I decided, is a gift.

I am now, probably for the first time in my life, the person I have always wanted to be. Oh, not my body! I sometime despair over my body - the wrinkles, the baggy eyes, and the sagging butt and often I am taken aback by that old person that lives in my mirror, but I don't agonize over those things for long.

I would never trade my amazing friends, my wonderful life, my loving family for less gray hair or a flatter belly. As I've aged, I've become more kind to myself, and less critical of myself. I've become my own friend.

I don't chide myself for eating that extra cookie, or for not making my bed, or for buying that silly cement gecko that I didn't need, but looks so avant garde on my patio. I am entitled to overeat, to be messy, to be extravagant.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it if I choose to read or play on the computer until 4 a.m, and sleep until noon?

I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 40's -50's -60's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love ... I will.

I will walk the beach in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves with abandon if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the bikini set - they, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten and I eventually remember the important things.

Sure, over the years my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when a beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength and understanding and compassion. A heart never broken is pristine and sterile and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turn gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

I can say "no," and mean it. I can say "yes." And mean it.
As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day.
Author Unknown - Welcome to the wonderful world of old age and retirement

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The business section of the St. Petersburg Time this morning featured an interview with the well known motivational speaker Zig Ziglar. A few quotes:

• "I decided years ago that today was going to be a good day"
• "People always ask me how do I always stay upbeat and so forth. I always say to them: Now the correct question would be how on earth would I not be upbeat and optimistic? I've read an average of three hours a day for over thirty years. I read good material. I read my bible everyday. I read the newspaper everyday. That way I know what both sides are up to. When you balance things out, that really leads to a balanced life."
• "My mother told me to always remember - When a task is once begun, you leave it not until it's done. And be it a matter great or small, you do it well or not at all."

-------------------------

Thanks to my retired friend Jim Hill for sending me for this one -

A man appeared before St. Peter at the pearly gates.
"You seem like a decent fellow, but have you ever done anything of particular merit?" St. Peter asked.

"Well, I can think of one thing," the man offered. "Once, on a trip to the Black Hills of South Dakota, I came upon a gang of high-testosterone bikers, who were acting in a very threatening way to a young woman. I directed them to leave her alone, but they wouldn't listen. So, I approached the largest, meanest looking, most heavily tattooed biker and smacked him on the back side of his head, kicked his bike over, pulled out his nose ring and threw It on the ground, and for good measure, kicked some dirt on his boots. Then I yelled, "Now, back off, biker boy, or you'll answer to me!"'

St. Peter was impressed. "When did this happen?"

"Just a couple minutes ago."

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March 9, 2006 - Bill gates and Retirement Jobs

Bill Gates - Who loves ya baby?

The other day at the O'Reilly Emerging Technologies Conference, Microsoft introduced their new Windows Live™ Search beta so I click over to see what all the fuss was about.

To give their new search engine a try, I typed in my host website major keywords - "retirement jobs" - and hello Momma - there was our website in the top spot - #1 out of possible 1,141,423 possibilities using the same keywords.

Not to shabby for an old git who didn't know diddly about producing a website when he started out and who is still not all that swift with the more advanced techie stuff.
However, I suggest that this is good hard evidence that if an old man, who still types with two fingers like he's working on his old typewriter can do it, you can bet the farm that anyone can - IF - they use the SBI roadmap to show them the way.

OK, my arm is numb from slapping myself on the back and I apologize for this moment of self-congratulations - so lets get back to the topic at hand.
You know who you're dealing with here so anything I may say about Bill's new Windows Live Search isn't worth a free coke at McDonalds but in the few minutes I spent on the site I didn't notice anything all that different. However, I'm going back to spend more time to see if it speeds up my research tasks as they promise a few cool additions.

Microsoft says Windows Live Search includes support for tabbed web browsing which will allow you to keep several search pages open in a single window. Also, there's a search slide bar you can move back and forth to determine the amount of information you want from each entry. You will also be able to save your search parameters as macros that can be run to perform the same search in the future.

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My daughter-in-law Julie sent me this -

A male senior citizen in Florida just bought a brand new Mercedes convertible. He took off down the road, flooring it up to 80 mph and enjoying the wind blowing through what little hair he had left on his head.

"This is great," he thought as he roared down I-75 and floored it some more. Then he looked in his rear view mirror and there was a highway patrol trooper behind him, blue lights flashing and siren blaring.
"I can get away from him with no problem" thought the man and he floored it some more and flew down the road at over 100 mph.
Then he thought, "What am I doing? I'm too old for this kind of thing" and pulled over to the side of the road and waited for the Florida state trooper to catch up with him.

The trooper pulled in behind the Mercedes and walked up to the man.
Sir," he said, looking at his watch. "My shift ends in 30 minutes and today is Friday. If you can give me a reason why you were speeding that I've never heard before, I'll let you go."
The man looked back at the trooper and said, "Years ago my wife ran off with a Florida state trooper, and I thought you were bringing her back."

The state trooper replied, "Sir, y'all have a nice day."

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March 10, 2006 - Do women ever retire?

"At the age of eleven or thereabouts women acquire a poise and an ability to handle difficult situations which a man, if he is lucky, manages to achieve somewhere in the later seventies"
P.G. Wodehouse (1881 - 1975)

First, there was the newspaper story then, the same morning, the Email. The sources were unconnected - one was the Associated Press, the other a friend from my bowling league, but the material of each connected and I pass them on in a salute to all the women in our lives who we males take for granted most of the time.

The headlines reads - Research suggests women may have hit a wall in the amount of work they can pack into a week.

Studies indicate that over the past five years, the percentage of women working outside the home has stalled. Does this mean more women are again deciding to stay home with the kids? According to the experts - not necessarily. It's not a change of attitude they say, but the realization the work and home assignments are hitting some serious limits.

Suzanne Bianchi, a sociologist at the University of Maryland suggests mothers with kids found time for outside work by taking time from other parts of the day so they ended up working more. "Perhaps time has been compressed as far as it will go" she says.

Stats back that up. From 1965 to 1995, the average time mothers spent doing paid work jumped to almost 26 hours up from 9 hours. Time spent on housework fell to 19 hours from 32.

Although not included in the same story, this "time-limit" may be a reason other stats show a sharp rise in the number of women who are now working from home either through an arrangement with their employers or as home business entrepreneurs.
Many of the latter have been mentioned in this Blog and the host website.
The internet has opened many doors for women wanting to work from home and those wanting to learn more would be well advised to check out this site written by a work at home mom, for moms thinking about working at home.

Now to the Email -

My thanks to Bernice Dini for sending me this salute to women:

One Flaw In Women

By the time the Lord made woman, He was into his sixth day of working overtime.
An angel appeared and said, "Why are you spending so much time on this one?"
And the Lord answered, "Have you seen my spec sheet on her? She has to be completely washable, but not plastic, have over 200 movable parts, all replaceable and able to run on diet coke and leftovers, have a lap that can hold four children at one time, have a kiss that can cure anything from a scraped knee to a broken heart and she will do everything with only two hands."

The angel was astounded at the requirements. "Only two hands!? No way! And that's just on the standard model? That's too much work for one day. Wait until tomorrow to finish."

But I won't," the Lord protested. "I am so close to finishing this creation that is so close to my own heart She already heals herself when she is sick AND can work 18 hour days."

The angel moved closer and touched the woman. "But you have made her so soft, Lord."
"She is soft," the Lord agreed, "but I have also made her tough. You have no idea what she can endure or accomplish."

"Will she be able to think?", asked the angel.

The Lord replied, "Not only will she be able to think, she will be able to reason and negotiate."

The angel then noticed something, and reaching out, touched the woman's cheek. "Oops, it looks like you have a leak in this model. I told you that you were trying to put too much into this one."

"That's not a leak," the Lord corrected, "that's a tear!"

"What's the tear for?" the angel asked.

The Lord said, "The tear is her way of expressing her joy, her sorrow, her pain, her disappointment, her love, her loneliness, her grief and her pride."

The angel was impressed. "You are a genius, Lord. You thought of everything! Woman is truly amazing."

And she is! Women have strengths that amaze men. They bear hardships and they carry burdens, but they hold happiness, love and joy. They smile when they want to scream. They sing when they want to cry. They cry when they are happy and laugh when they are nervous.

They fight for what they believe in. They stand up to injustice. They don't take "no" for an answer when they believe there is a better solution. They go without so their family can have. They go to the doctor with a frightened friend. They love unconditionally. They cry when their children excel and cheer when their friends get awards.

They are happy when they hear about a birth or a wedding. Their hearts break when a friend dies. They grieve at the loss of a family member, yet they are strong when they think there is no strength left. They know that a hug and a kiss can heal a broken heart.

Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors. They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you to show how much they care about you. The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.

They bring joy, hope and love. They have compassion and ideals. They give moral support to their family and friends.

Women have vital things to say and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN - MOST OFTEN, THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

"Men are taught to apologize for their weaknesses, women for their strengths" -Lois Wyse.

Now to retirement job ideas for men and women - (Go to URL)

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March 11, 2006 - For Retirees - Greyhounds, Canadian Women and Oprah

Spent yesterday afternoon with friends at the Derby Lane Dog Track in St. Petersburg. (that's were Brad Pitt talked Carl Reiner into joining the heist plan in the movie Ocean's Eleven.)
I couldn't get over the sea of grey hair blowing in the brisk Florida breeze. I asked my friends to look around and guess how many of the crowd were retirees. The consensus was - better than 85%.

It seems that retired folk like to place a bet. Back home, the parking lot of the regional casino is usually packed with buses transporting seniors to the slots and tables. Hey, if it's under control and stays within budget, good luck to all.

Anyway, back to the dogs - granted, this may be of limited interest, but in researching greyhound racing years ago, an expert offered a long list of betting advice and for my retirement colleagues who like to bask in the sun, watch the graceful greyhounds and bet a bob or two, here's a Readers Digest version.

• Look at the age. Generally a running dog will reach its peak at two. A bitch will peak at around three
• Pay attention to the trap draw when collecting form information of winners. A greyhound that has shown to perform better running from, say, trap 1 may not win in a race where he has been allocated trap 5.
• If a greyhound is heavily backed just a few minutes before the start of the race and his odds are sharply reduced, bet on it. This is a strong indication that somebody has reliable favorable information about the greyhound that nobody else is aware of.
• When making selections, always give preference to greyhounds that ran recently. Greyhounds that have not raced for several weeks may have suffered some setbacks like an injury or an illness. No matter how good his form was if it is not recent, chances are the greyhound will not win.
• Bet the best two breakers and the best two closers in the race. This should hit the quinella in a four-dog box at least 50% of the time.
• Light dogs have trouble in the wet conditions of the track. With the track wet and doing a 4-dog box trifecta, pick the favorite and the 3 heaviest dogs in combination. If one of the 3 heaviest is not even in the hunt prior to making the wager you sit that one out.
• In wet weather conditions bet on the inside traps. Average their finishes and go with the dog with the best finish average
• Light dogs or big long shots in the middle get bounced out of the game in the first turn. That's when to bet the higher (6,7,8) traps and combo them with the inside (1,2) traps.
• It is best not to replay your winnings, at least not immediately. If you want to be in control, you must put back in your pocket some or most of your winnings.
  ----------------------------------------------------

  Two follow-ups to yesterdays "When do women retire?" entry.

  My thanks to Julie Wright: (this one also goes on theRetirement Humor Contributors page)

  Canadian Women

  Three men were sitting together bragging about how they had given their new wives duties. Terry had married a woman from America, and bragged that he had told his wife she was going to do all the dishes and house cleaning that needed at their house.
  He said that it took a couple days but on the third day he came home to a clean house and the dishes were all washed and put away.

  Jimmie had married a woman from Australia. He bragged that he had given his wife orders that she was to do all the cleaning, dishes, and the cooking. He told them that the first day he didn't see any results, but the next day it was better. By the third day, his house was clean, the dishes were done, and he had a huge dinner on the table.

  The third man had married a Canadian girl. He boasted that he told her that her duties were to keep the house cleaned, dishes washed, lawn mowed, laundry washed and hot meals on the table for every meal.
  He said the first day he didn't see anything, the second day he didn't see anything, but by the third day most of the swelling had gone down and he could see a Little out of his left eye. Enough to fix himself a bite to eat, load the dishwasher, and call a landscaper.

  ----------------------------------------------------

  My thanks to Bernice Dini:
  In April, Maya Angelou was interviewed by Oprah on her 70+ birthday.
  Oprah asked her what she thought of growing older.
  And, there on television, she said it was "exciting." Regarding body changes, she said there were many, occurring every day...like her breasts. They seem to be in a race to see which will reach her waist, first. The audience laughed so hard they cried. She is such a simple and honest woman, with so much wisdom in her words!
  Maya Angelou said this:"I've learned that no matter what happens, or how bad it seems today, life does go on, and it will be better tomorrow."

• "I've learned that you can tell a lot about a person by the way he/she handles these three things: a rainy day, lost luggage and tangled Christmas tree lights."
• "I've learned that regardless of your relationship with your parents, you'll miss them when they're gone from your life."
• "I've learned that making a "living" is not the same thing as "making a life."
• "I've learned that life sometimes gives you a second chance."
• "I've learned that you shouldn't go through life with a catcher's mitt on both hands; you need to be able to throw some things back."
• "I've learned that whenever I decide something with an open heart, I usually make the right decision."
• "I've learned that even when I have pains, I don't have to be one."
• "I've learned that every day you should reach out and touch someone. People love a warm hug, or just a friendly pat on the back."
• "I've learned that I still have a lot to learn."
• "I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."

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March 12, 2006 - Raise a glass of red wine to Boom Boom

Couple of notes this morning -

65% of folks over fifty years of age suffer from periodontitis, a common cause of tooth loss because it affects both the bones and the gums. So, to minimize the possibility of loosing your teeth, Canadian researchers, reporting yesterday at a meeting of the American Association for Dental Research in Orlando, Florida, suggest those of us in our retirement years should raise a glass of red wine every day. The antioxidants in many fruits and vegetables - and in red wine - counter the free radicals that cause all the problems.

Don't worry fellow non-drinkers, the team from the Université Laval, in Quebec, reported the components found in red wine are also in cranberry juice. Other stats -

• It appears that moderate drinking protects against heart disease How it works is still in dispute. The chemicals in wine have antioxidant properties, and alcohol dilates small blood vessels and inhibits clotting
• A 2003 study suggested that wine also decreased the risk of peptic ulcers
• A study of nurses at Harvard School of Public Health concluded that moderate drinking by women cut the risk of diabetes by 58 per cent
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  Now let's raise our glass of red wine or cranberry juice to a hockey legend who, back in the 50's and 60's was one of my favorite hockey players - Bernard (Boom Boom) Geoffrion who passed away yesterday at an Atlanta hospital of stomach cancer - he was 75.
  Boom Boom claimed he invested the slap shot when he was a kid practicing on an outdoor rink located behind a nearby church. He was certainly the first player to raise his stick over his head to power a shot. A Montreal sportswriter gave him the nickname Boom Boom when he was playing in the juniors - one boom for the stick hitting the puck and another boom when the puck hit the boards.

  People would cheer when he brought back his stick to take a whack at the puck that would jet-off like a rocket - plus Boom Boom had great skate speed for a man his size and was a true competitor - God help anyone who tried to stop him head-on. . Geoffrion scored 371 goals in 14 seasons with the Montreal Canadiens in the 1950s and 1960s and another 22 goals in a two-year comeback with the New York Rangers from 1966 to 1968 - he was named to Hockey Hall of Fame in 1972.

  Six months ago he was informed that his jersey was to be retired - Boom Boom passed away on that very day - just before last nights game against the New York Rangers, following Boom Boom's wishes, Geoffrion's wife Marlene -- the daughter of Canadiens great Howie Morenz -- and the couple's three children raised Geoffrion's No. 5 jersey to the rafters alongside the No. 7 of her father. The Canadiens won the game 1 to 0.

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March 13, 2006 - Coke comments and computer games for the grey crowd

As noted above, this Blog and the host website Positive, Productive and Profitable Retirement Jobs is aimed at those who are now retired and also those who still have some time to go before they join the club. I came across this notation I made in my research notebook some time ago - I pass it on to those still doing the 9 to 5 plus.

It's a quotation from Brian Dyson, who was the CEO of Coca Cola from 1959-1994 -

"Imagine life as a game in which you are juggling five balls in the air. You name them - work, family, health, friends, and spirit - and you're keeping all of these in the air. You will soon understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back. But the other four balls - family, health, friends, and spirit are made of glass. If you drop one of these, they will be irrevocably scuffed, marked, nicked, damaged, or even shattered. They will never be the same. You must understand that and strive for balance in your life."

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Here's a quick one that sums up how I feel this morning - ""To me, old age is always fifteen years older than I am." - Bernard Baruch

-----------------------------------------------Nintendo, who fell on hard times following their success with their computer games Super Mario and Pokemon are back in the "game" game with a new Brain Training game aimed at the world's fast growing grey market.

Played on their DS console, this game puts the retirement age crowd on a daily regimen of number games, word puzzles and reading games to help stimulate the brain. The game is huge with older Japanese and will hit the North American market I understand sometime next month. Sony is also releasing it's version of brain training.
For those who have a competitive streak, the game lets players test their intelligence levels through IQ-type quizzes and saves the results so progress can be tracked or compared with others.

Sounds worthy and fun and as noted elsewhere in this internet magazine, it's vital you have a creative challenge during your retirement years - even better if you develop this challenge well before retirement.
However, a game is a game and an occasional thing - but by taking advantage of what the internet has to offer, your brain training exercise can be a constant challenge as well as producing an additional benefit - extra income.

"The time to begin most things is ten years ago."-Mignon McLaughlin

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March 14, 2006 - Retirement News Grab Bag

While working on my retirement "creative challenges" such as this Blog and the host website - the stuff you come across while completing research assignments via the internet -

• Many years ago in Scotland, a new game was invented. It was ruled "Gentlemen Only...Ladies Forbidden"...and thus the word GOLF entered into the English language.
• Note to American Snowbirds - In Florida and other retirement areas, many companies, such as CVS Pharmacy have started "Snowbird" hiring programs. Fearing labor shortages as baby boomers age, business from Home Depot to Borders bookstores are allowing workers to transfer to warmer "retirement" areas in the winter.
• The next time you see a statue of a military hero riding a horse - if the horse has both front legs in the air, the person died in battle. If the horse has one front leg in the air the person died as a result of wounds received in battle. If the horse has all four legs on the ground, the person died of natural causes
• A grandmother was telling her little granddaughter what her own childhood was like:
  "We used to skate outside on a pond. I had a swing made from a tire; it hung from a tree in our front yard. We rode our pony. We picked wild raspberries in the woods."
  The little girl was wide-eyed, taking this in. At last she said, "I sure wish I'd gotten to know you sooner!"
• A truly happy person is one who can enjoy the scenery on a detour -
  
• Explore Mars - this is fascinating stuff

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March 15, 2006 - Retired? Still time to stop smoking

The group of seniors had gathered on the patio for a barbeque. Even though everyone was outdoors, one of then got out of his chair and moved about twenty feet away and lit up a cigarette.

"Damn, I wish I could quit smoking" he said just before taking a gulp of smoke deep into his lungs, "but I'm too old now".

Not so - anytime is a good time to fight the nicotine addiction - no matter your age, you feel a hell of a lot better, breath a HOLB, your attitude gears up to positive drive and your clothes don't stink - Oh yes, there's the health factor.

However, it's a mighty tough battle - as a one time two-pack-a-day smoker, I tried three times to quit cold turkey and was defeated every time. But during an interview on a news magazine show I hosted, I received some interesting tips from a stop smoking expert and on my fourth try I hoisted the victory flag. (more on that cold turkey victory march later)

But here's a motivating extra - Recent studies show that visualization may help smokers quit. I'm a huge fan of visualization as a tool in building a positive attitude and as noted in my self help journal visualization can help you develop additional mental strengths.

As for this new research - A study of 71 smokers found that those who went through guided-imagery therapy had more than twice the abstinence rate 2 years later as their peers who received only standard counseling.

The guided imagery involved progressive muscle relaxation and breathing exercises to calm and focus the mind. Then study participants were led in visualizing themselves in a healthful state and performing specific activities, such as exercising, eating well -- and not smoking.

The tactic seemed to work for at least some. Two years later, 26 percent of the smokers had quit, compared with 12 percent of those in the comparison group.

Even if you are of retirement age or close to it - it's never too late. For you, and those of you who have relatives or friends you wish would quit smoking, here's a couple of pictures to start your visualization program.

Along with other retirement news I'll have more on quit smoking tomorrow - God willing. (that's what folks my age always say when scheduling something in the future.)

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March 16, 2006 - Retired? Still time to stop smoking - part two

This is a follow-up to yesterdays entry promoting the fact that it's never too late to quit smoking - age is not a factor - even if you're retired it's worth the fight. The health benefits are obvious but the added perks offer many other bonuses such as a major character change - you'll be mighty proud of yourself as will others and as a result your outlook on life moves into full-positive mode.

To reiterate - I was a one time two-pack-a-day smoker. I tried three times to quit cold turkey and was defeated every time. But during an interview on a news magazine show I hosted, I received some interesting tips from a stop smoking expert and on my fourth try I hoisted the victory flag. It wasn't easy - damn tough actually - but a few of the suggestions he offered got me over all the major hurdles.

Will this plan work for you - no guarantees. I have offered up these suggestions to others and although I've lost track of many of them, I figure maybe a 35% to 40% success rate. But if you truly want to quit, what have you got to lose?
If you know someone you wish would quit check out the article and pass it on, but remember, you can't force them into making the big decision - it all starts with the mind -

There are only two options regarding commitment. You're either in - or you're out. There's no such thing as life-in-between.- Pat Riley

Click here to view the quit smoking article.

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March 17, 2006 - Depression, gas prices and a crabby old lady

New research show that drugs work better than therapy for depressed seniors.
Published yesterday in the New England Journal of medicine, the two year study monitored 116 people aged 70 and up and although the numbers are small, they are significant. Psychiatrist Charles Reynolds at the University of Pittsburg, who led the study said - "It's a good idea for you to continue to take the medication, just as you take your blood pressure or diabetes medication - it's a very new approach."
These finding may encourage Doctors to prescribe antidepressants for longer periods, perhaps even for life, for older patients who have been depressed.

From the been there - done that department - AFTER the Doctors - and with the medication, those suffering from the black spells, may find items of interest in the pages that make up the host website's Positive thinking and creative visualization chapters.

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Frank Lampheir sent me this link and it works for our neighborhood (USA only) - post your zip code and find the location of the service station in your area offering the lowest gas prices.

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My thanks to Dan Dombroski for sending me this poem - read and remember.

A Crabby Old Woman

When an old lady died in the geriatric ward of a small hospital near Dundee, Scotland, it was believed that she had nothing left of any value.
Later, when the nurses were going through her meager possessions, they found this poem. Its quality and content so impressed the staff that copies were made and distributed to every nurse in the hospital. One nurse took her copy to Ireland.

The old lady's sole bequest to posterity has since appeared in the Christmas edition of the News Magazine of the North Ireland Association for Mental Health. A slide presentation has also been made based on her simple, but eloquent, poem. And this little old Scottish lady, with nothing left to give to the world, is now the author of this anonymous" poem winging across the Internet:

A Crabby Old Woman

What do you see, nurses? What do you see? What are you thinking when looking at me?

A crabby old woman, not very wise, uncertain of habit, with faraway eyes?
Who dribbles her food and makes no reply when you say in a loud voice, "I do wish you'd try!"
Who seems not to notice the things that you do, and forever is losing a stocking or shoe?
Who, resisting or not, lets you do as you will, with bathing and feeding, the long day to fill?
Is that what you're thinking? Is that what you see? Then open your eyes, nurse, you're not looking at me.

I'll tell you who I am as I sit here so still, as I do at your bidding, as I eat at your will.
I'm a small child of ten with a father and mother, brothers and sisters, who love one another.
A young girl of sixteen with wings on her feet dreaming that soon now a lover she'll meet.
A bride soon at twenty, my heart gives a leap, remembering the vows that I promised to keep.

At twenty-five now, I have young of my own, who need me to guide and a secure happy home.
A woman of thirty, my young now grown fast, bound to each other with ties that should last.
At forty, my young sons have grown and are gone, but my man's beside me t see I don't mourn.
At fifty once more, babies play round my knee, again we know children, my loved one and me.

Dark days are upon me, my husband is dead, I look at the future, I shudder with dread.
For my young are all rearing young of their own, and I think of the years and the love that I've known.
I'm now an old woman and nature is cruel; 'Tis jest to make old age look like a fool.

The body, it crumbles, grace and vigor depart, there is now a stone where I once had a heart.
But inside this old carcass a young girl still dwells, and now and again, my battered heart swells.

I remember the joys, I remember the pain, and I'm loving and living life over again.
I think of the years all too few, gone too fast, and accept the stark fact that nothing can last.

So open your eyes, people, open and see, not a crabby old woman; Look closer . . . see ME!

Remember this poem when you next meet an old person who you might brush aside without looking at the young soul within - we will all, one day, be there, too!

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March 18, 2006 - Weekend notes

If you are retired or have a number of years before retirement - think seriously of developing a creative challenge along the lines of what this Blog and and host website promote.

In his book published decades before the internet era - How to retire and Enjoy it - Ray Giles told his readers it was vital to develop some sort of creative mental challenge for the retirement years in order to stay mentally alert and nimble -
"consider all your accumulation of knowledge and life experiences - enjoy your skill and background as long as your live - keep your mind busy."To put that advise in today's terms - sell your knowledge via the internet.

Haven't a clue on how to start? Easy, do as I did - take the time to read this free manual - it's a step-by-step guide that will take you on a remarkable creative journey.

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New fun pic on the Retirement Humor Page.Florida biker dude and his babe.

My thanks to Jim Hill for this one for the retirement humor file

Having reached the age of 62, a guy who was looking forward to quitting his job and retiring went to apply for Canada Pensions. After waiting in line for a very long time, he finally got to the counter. The woman there asked him for his driver's license to verify his age.

He looked in his left pocket, the usual place he put his wallet and suddenly realize that he had left his wallet on the night stand in his bedroom. he told the lady that he was very sorry - "I seemed to have left my wallet at home. I'll have to go get it and come back later,"
At that point, she told him to "Unbutton his shirt."

Although confused, he opened his shirt, revealing lots of curly silver hair.
She said, "That silver hair on your chest is proof enough for me," and, with that, she promptly processed his application.

When he got home, he couldn't wait to tell his wife about his experience at the Canada Pension Office.

She listened to the whole story and said, "You should have dropped your pants; you would have gotten disability, too."

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Can you judge someone from looking at him?

Here's a quick diversion from whatever you're doing on your computer at the moment. My daughter-in-law Julie sent me this.

By looking a picture of a person you have to decide if he is a computer geek or a serial killer. Go with your gut feeling - I got 7 out of 10 - there are ten pictures

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"To learn what is new is to be ever young" - Aeschylus

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March 19, 2006 - New names for the retirement club

Ya baby - quote from Jenna Elfman the beautiful 34 year old actress -

"My parents are 71. They're part of the last generation who understand the true value of the work ethic - the value of working hard and the value of family"

That quote was included in an article in today's Parade Magazine - Don't call them old, call them......" in which they asked their readers to come up with new names for the after 60 life.
A few of the suggestions - instead of senior citizens -

• Seasoned Citizens
• OPALS - older persons with active life sytles
• Medlers - combining middle age with elders.
• EngAgers
• SOCS - Septuagenarian to Octogenarian Citizens

Then new names for when you've hit 60 - you're in the -

• Sage Age
• KYZ Group - eXtra Years of Zest
• Grand years
• Age of Dignity
• Giving Stage
• Third half
• Bonus Years

For more names and comments visit Parade Magazine.

Quote from 17 year old Rachel Powell -

"Folks in their 60s and 80s are reinventing how older people live."

Another perspective in this article is that many of the new members to our club are finding time to learn new skills as it was for yours truly and thousands of others who took advantage of what the internet has to offer.
You should take the time to check into all the possibilities and the home website is a good starting point because it's based on personal experiences while learning a new ability.

And while on the subject of learning something new - here's a piece of expert advise that was offered to young newcomers into the workforce - but I found it also applies to retirement age newbies when trying to learn what Ecommerce is all about -

Limit the power that mistakes have over you. When your just starting out, it's easy to obsess about every little error you make on the job - and you'll definitely make plenty.
But you should be learning from those mistakes and moving on. Otherwise, you're just wasting precious energy and time on yet another think you can't control - the past."

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March 20, 2006 - Your home town - A creative retirement idea

" Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death." -- Auntie Mame

I've gone on and on about the importance of having some sort of creative challenge during the retirement years to help keep you mentally alert and if that creative challenge brings home additional revnue - big bonus.
Well, here I go again - but this time a word to those who still have some time to go before retirement.

Financially we plan for a full life which the actuaries and demographers tell us is, at birth is now 78 for men and 84 for women - however, over the next 40 years, it's expected to increase by a further five years for men and four for women.

But hold on - for people who have already reached, say, 65, life expectancy is higher than at birth. It's about 83 for men and 86 for women. Again, according to A&D's, this is because people who've made it to 65 have already beaten the at-birth average. They haven't succumbed to all the things - heart attacks, road accidents etc - that cut down some others in their youth or their prime. One wonders how many have adjusted their retirement plans to these new stats.

But when you have a revenue producing creative challenge, such as the internet ideas listed on this Blog and host website, you're receiving two bangs for the retirement buck - a mental stimulant to make life more interesting the longer it lasts plus the possibility of additional funds to help cover costs of those additional years you may be granted.

At least take the time to research the possibility of publishing your own website

"Perhaps mental inactivity is the most fatiguing thing in the world "- Robert Henri

The other day a group of us were gathered on the patio discussing our home towns. One of the group detailed his region in such glowing terms all agreed his home town and surrounding region would be a great place to visit.
Naturally, I told him he should build a website offering the information he just shared with us.

"Na, I don't know all that much" he replied.
I came right back at him - "but you could research and build your knowledge base - think of the fun and challenge of driving the entire region observing, interviewing and taking pictures researching in local libraries and the internet."
"But I would have difficulty writing all that stuff"
"You just gave us a hell of an interesting story - you made us want to tour the place - just write it like you were having a conversation with one of us."

I went on to explain how Site Build It and thousands of other people around the world (via the SBI Forum) will take him by the hand and show him the way - how he could make money through Goggle ads and other affiliations.

I think I may have ignited a spark of interest in the idea. I hope he follows up on this. He has a great story to tell with volumes of interesting information - more importantly, he gets energized when talking about this home town - he's a natural - build it and they will come - how about your home town?

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March 21, 2006 - Shift to the positive - try BLYSS

Last night while completing a research assignment, I came across an article that suggested when you're going through one of life's rainstorms, remember - BLYSS - Breathe, Laugh, Yawn, Stretch, Smile - great idea. Although it's tough at times, you must find a way to shift the energy to positive mode.

In yesterdays first day of spring edition of the Calgary Sun, Chris Gerritsen, the Page Six columnist, conducted street interviews asking folks about being positive and the mottos or methods they use to keep that can-do attitude. A few examples - Kim Briel, 40-ish: "Live today for today. You can't change yesterday or tomorrow."

Ellen Nightingale, 51: "It's more fun to be happy. It's too much work being unhappy. I say don't sweat the small stuff. And it really is all small stuff."

Marnie Stone, 40-ish: "Be grateful for your health, absolutely. That motto keeps me positive."

Trent Sweet, 32: "I use motivational CDs and tapes. Works great. One hundred percent. Keeps your mind clear and makes you believe you can do anything in the world."

Jeff Landeen, 35: "It's not easy to stay positive. Take it day to day. Always keep focused. Don't lose sight. Be flexible. Don't pursue goals at the cost of your relationships. It's about prioritizing."

John MacDonald, 29: "I make three people laugh a day. It was my New Year's resolution. It always works. It's not too hard if you start with a smile."

Krista Tulkens, 23: "Eating well and exercising. Sleeping well. It works. It's definitely keeping a balance of work and not forgetting the rest of your life."

One more ingredient I would like to add - be yourself. I came to realize years ago that I wasted too much time worrying about what other people are going to think about what I do or say, and by doing so I lost control of my life.

Think about it - we spend too much time worrying about other's opinions. I've told this story so many times, many of my firends now take a bathroom break when they hear me offer it up one more time.

Once upon a time, a father and a son went to sell their old horse in the market. While they were on their way to the market, a group of people commented, "We have never seen such idiots in our life. In spite of having a horse you are walking!" They both thought about it and sat on the horse.

Another group of people came and said, "How cruel you are! You both are sitting on this poor old horse. Have some mercy on it." They both thought about it, and the son sat on it while the father started walking. Again, another group came across and said to the son, "What kind of young lad you are? You are enjoying a ride on this horse, while your old father has to walk in this hot weather." The son started walking and made his father sit on the horse. Another group came across and said to the father, "What kind of father you are! Your little son is walking and you are enjoying yourself on this horse." Both father and son became so upset that they carried the horse on their shoulders. Then all the people started laughing on them. Finally, they got rid of that horse by throwing it into a river.

The moral of the story is that if you keep on acting based on people's opinions, Not only will you earn nothing, you will lose what you already have.

You're an original - be one. Drop the mask - show the real happy face. And remember - BLYSS

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March 22, 2006 - Grandparents and senior golf

My thanks to Dan Dombroski for the following -

It's amazing how grandparents seem so young once you become one. ~Author Unknown

Grandmother-grandchild relationships are simple. Grandmas are short on criticism and long on love. ~Author Unknown

If I had known how wonderful it would be to have Grandchildren, I'd have had them first. ~Lois Wyse

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Senior Golf

A father, son and grandson went to the country club for their weekly round of golf. Just as they eached the first tee, a beautiful young blonde woman carrying her bag of clubs approached them. She explained that the member who brought her to the club for a round of golf had an emergency that called him away and asked the trio whether she can join them.

Naturally, the guys all agreed. Smiling, the blonde thanked them and said, "Look, fellows, I work in a topless bar as a dancer, so nothing shocks me anymore. If any of you wants to smoke cigars, have a beer, bet, swear or telloff-color stories or do anything that you normally do when playing a round together, go ahead. But I enjoy playing golf, consider myself pretty good at it, so don't try to coach me on how to play my shots."

With that the guys agreed to relax and invited her to drive first. All eyes were fastened on her shapely behind as she bent to place her ball on the tee. She then took her driver and hit the ball 270 yards down the middle, right in front of the green.

The father's mouth was agape. "That was beautiful," he said.
The blonde put her driver away and said, "I really didn't get into it and I faded it a little."
After the three guys hit their drives and their second shots, the blonde took out a nine iron and lofted the ball within five feet of the hole. (She was closest to the pin.)

The son said, "Damn, lady, you played that perfectly."
The blonde frowned and said, "It was a little weak. I've left a tricky little putt,." before tapping in the five-footer for a birdie.

For the rest of the round the statuesque blonde continued to amaze the guys, quietly and methodically shooting for par or less on every hole.
When they arrived at the 18th green, the blonde was three under par, and had a very nasty 12-foot putt on an undulating green for a par.

She turned to the three guys and said, "I really want to thank you all for not acting like a bunch of chauvinists and telling me what club to use or how to play a shot, but I need this putt for a 69 and I'd really like to break 70 on this course. If any one of you can tell me how to make par on this hole, I'll take him back to my apartment, pour some 25-year old Royal Salute Scotch in him, fix him dinner and then show him a good time the rest of the night.

The yuppie son jumped at the thought. He strolled across the green, carefully eying the line of the putt and finally said, "Honey, aim about 6 inches to the right of the hole and hit it firm. It will get over that little hump and break right into the cup."

The father knelt down and sighted the putt using his putter as a plumb.
"Don't listen to the kid, darlin', you want to hit it softly 10 inches to the right and run it left down that little hogback, so it falls into the cup.

The old gray haired grandfather walked over to the blonde's ball, picked it up and handed it to the her and said, "That's a gimme, sweetheart, your car or mine?"

AGE WILL TRIUMPH OVER YOUTH AND SKILL EVERY TIME.

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March 23, 2006 - An illness for all ages

There's no age limitations - depression can smother teen and senior - but it's an illness that can be cured.

It cost more than 35 million dollars and was the biggest, most thorough test ever conducted on popular drugs used to combat depression. Two reports on the study were published recently in the New England Journal of Medicine. Key finding - if one antidepressant doesn't work, try another one or some combination. This study suggests, about half of the people who suffer from serious long term depression can get over it not just improve their symptoms - with adequate medication.

As noted on the host website's Positive Thinking pages, Those of us who have climbed out of the deep hole of depression know how vital it is to first seek medical help, then after the prescriptions and professional medical assistance, you plan your own strategy to develop a reality check that allow you to take control of your life.

"Some people say motivation doesn't stick. Well either does a shower-that's why we advise you to take one everyday." Zig Ziglar

For me, one of the most valuable tools in that strategy is the use of affirmations. After reading an interview with the late Cornell University astronomer, Carl Sagan, followed by some serious research, I became a true believer in the value of affirmations.

Affirmations are nothing more than positive statements or quotes, that when said to yourself repeatedly, can influence the way your mind determines your thinking. As one motivator puts it - "your present reality is a direct result of your thinking - change your thinking and your reality changes."

This technique is not new - back in the 19th century, French professor Emile Coué, instructed his patients to repeat - "Every Day, in every way, I'm getting better and better" - his records show amazing results.

Motivators like Anthony Robbins promote the practice of affirmations - so do athletic coaches, sales performance experts, religious leaders - a powerful tool in developing positive thinking.

One note here - make sure your affirmations are in the present tense - I am better - not - I'm going to be better. I've expanded my affirmation program to include quotations -

God, if I can't have what I want, let me want what I have. - Anonymous prayer

The key to success is repetition.

We must always change, renew, and rejuvenate ourselves; otherwise, we harden - Goethe

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March 24, 2006 - Retirement reading and research

My thanks to Bill Ozard for this - Want to know the hit song for for the year you were born? my year - 1928 it was "Ramona" by Paul Whiteman

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Yesterday, I posted an item about how valuable affirmations can be when trying to develop a more positive attitude - a major step in overall retirement planning - if you're not motoring in high positive gear the "senior" years will be boring, unhappy and most likely - short.

For me, because I also use worthy quotations, I get two bangs for the buck. First, research is a marvelous mental stimulant and digging for quotation treasures is a time well spent - Let us cherish old age - for it is full of pleasure, if one knows how to use it - Seneca
Then there's the affirmation and/or the quotation that's posted, viewed and constantly repeated that helps keep you in positive mode -combine affirmations with creative visualization and you've got yourself a powerful mental punch to knockout negativity.

This leads me into recommending an interesting book should you be looking for some easy reading - try Elaine Bernstein Partnow's "The Quotable Jewish Woman." - great quotes here plus useful information, such as the glossary of Hebrew and Yiddish terms. The index of women quoted lets you easily look up some of your favorites. On the topic of husbands, marriage, wives and divorce, Roseanne Barr is listed with - "My husband said he needed more space, so I locked him out of the house."

As one reviewer put it - "One could say Partnow has performed a mitzvah by calling attention to a few hundred of the Jewish women who've contributed so much to our culture."
From the silly to the serene there's interesting material here - perfect retirement reading.

Now to some creative retirement job ideas - (Go to URL)

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March 25, 2006 - Lonely Senior

One of the perks of this creative retirement job is receiving Emails from all over the world. Some forward fun stuff that laughs at growing old, retirement and the so called "Golden Years" - others offer suggestions and personal experience material for this Blog and the various pages on the host website but yesterday one of the messages in the mail-box really got to me.

I don't have permission to use her name so I'll call her Jane - who found my Self Help Journal and connecting pages via a search engine.
Jane, 60 years of age, has difficulty walking but does not consider herself an invalid. She is recovering from severe depression and says she is "improving daily."
Although she has joined several senior centers, bridge clubs and classes for retired people, Jane was searching for help in combating loneliness and asked if I had any suggestions or could recommend any self help books.

After reading Jane's message it was as if an Angel gave me a slap on the side of head and said - "No you can't, you fortunate son of an Englishman, because you've never been lonely." I've never even thought about it. I have always been surrounded by and connected to family, friends, and fellow workers. OK, there were the the black hole years when I tried to isolate myself from everyone and everything, but Jane isn't trying to isolate herself - even so, she is smothering under a blanket of loneliness.

I spent several hours last night researching and was able to come up with some informative reading material I hope Jane will find helpful.
I also noted the following suggestions from various medical sources -

• "Don't define yourself as a lonely person. No matter how bad you feel, loneliness will diminish or even disappear when you focus attention and energy on needs you can currently meet and when you learn to develop new ways to meet your other needs."
• "Loneliness is neither a permanent state nor "bad" in itself. Instead it should be viewed more accurately as a signal or indicator of important needs that are going unmet.
  You, or anyone, should take action when important needs aren't being met. Begin by identifying which needs are not being met in your specific situation. Your loneliness may result from a variety of needs. It may involve the need to develop a circle of friends or a special friend. It may involve learning to do things for yourself, without friends. Or it may involve learning to feel better or more content about yourself in general."
• "Another treatment for both loneliness and depression is pet therapy, or animal-assisted therapy, as it is more formally known. Some studies and surveys, as well as anecdotal evidence provided by volunteer and community organizations, indicate that the presence of animal companions dogs, cats and even rabbits can ease feelings of depression and loneliness among elderly people. According to the Centers from Disease Control there are a number of health benefits associated with pet ownership: In addition to easing feelings of loneliness (because of the increased opportunities for socializing with other pet owners, in addition to the companionship the animal provides), having a pet is associated with lowered blood pressure and decreased levels of cholesterol and triglycerides."

I asked Jane to stay in touch and if you have any personal experience in combating loneliness please Email me so I can pass on your story to Jane as well as others through this blog and website.

Now to some retirement jobs ideas - creative challenges that can occupy the mind and perhaps hold back thoughts of loneliness - (Go to URL)

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March 26, 2006 - More random items from the Retirement notebook

Grandkids call - grandparents react. I have to beg off today as I have to pick up my grandson at the airport - so just some random notes from my notebook.

After watching the morning newscast I try to remember what Charles Kuralt said - It does no harm just once in a while to acknowledge that the whole country isn't in flames, that there are people in the country besides politicians, entertainers, and criminals.

I don't know who said this, but ain't it the truth - "At twenty we worry about what others think of us; at forty we don't care about what others think of us; at sixty we discover they haven't been thinking about us at all."

Chinese inscription cited by Thoreau in Walden - Renew thyself completely each day; do it again, and again, and forever again.

From Associated Press - ATM charges have hit record highs - Americans have paid 4.3 billion in ATM fees in 2005. The average ATM fee is $1.54 and the average fee banks charge card holders who use ATM machines belonging to other banks is $1.37 for a total of $2.91 for each withdrawal. Money management experts suggests better withdrawal planning and taking cash back from debit card purchases at stores that allow the withdrawals.

By the numbers -

• 30 million - the number of bags temporarily lost by airlines in 2005.
• 3 billion - total bags processed in 2005 by airports worldwide.
• 31 - hours, on average it takes for missing bags to be returned to their owners.
• 86 million - record number of tourists to Florida in 2005.
• 62 billion - revenue from tourism to Florida in 2005.
• 64 - percent who say their employer encourages them to stay home when they have the flu.
• 135 - grams intake of sweetened carbonated sift drinks by more than 1,100 girls age 9 to 10 in 1987
• 377 - grams pop intake by the same girls 10 years later.

Do you realize that in about 40 years, we'll have millions of old ladies running around with tattoos?

The new slogan for the host website - You will never get tired of life as long as you let mental activity keep it interesting.

So lets get creative - (Go to URL)

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March 27, 2006 - Creative retirement energy

Many people believe that creative excitement fades with age - when you get to the "senior years" your brain functions with the mental capacity of a hockey puck - that's bull feathers.

On the contrary, today the senior/retirement years offer more creative opportunities - new ideas that keep your life more interesting the longer you live.

For me, as one who was dragged screaming and kicking into the computer age, the internet opened creative doors I never knew existed. As noted in my retirement journal it was a passing comment during an Email exchange that led me to a site that changed my retirement into extra plus years filled with creative energy - that special kind of energy that pops you out of bed in the morning filled with anticipation and ideas. Add to that the bonus of communicating with fascinating people around the world - the stories you hear - the knowledge you gain - true creative excitement - it's almost better than _________(you fill in the blank)

Obviously if you're reading this you have access to a computer - but if surfing the net and sending and receiving Email is about as much of the techie stuff you can handle at the moment, this entry is directed to you because that was my level of competence when I got into this Blog/website undertaking - if you're more computer competent then this will be a cakewalk.

There are many ways to build a creative challenge via the internet but first, as a newbie, you have to take time to read up on the basics that will direct you to the web road you want to travel.

Here was my starting point - download, read and reread this free manual that has everything you need to know to help you build a creative retirement challenge with your own website - if you're going to build a website why not build a diversified, profitable niche business.
Again, this free SBI manual will take you by the hand and show you the way.

To give you another example - if you buy a brick and mortar franchise they give you the blueprints and all the step by step organizational information you need be successful - it's exactly the same with Site Build It - the franchise business will also provide counseling, tips and support to help you succeed - the same with SBI

It would not be fair for me to heap high praise on SBI without advising you of some important lessons I have learned about building website businesses.

• If you have a tendency to get excited about an idea for a short run then lose all interest this is not for you - and by the way, don't get sucked in by those net sharks promising quick money via the internet -If you desperately need money within a short period of time this recommendation is not for you
• If you need to see results immediately to stay motivated and to keep going, SBI! is not for you.
• If you decide to go further after the reading the free manual and join the SBI community, you'll have to put in the time, energy and effort to implement at least 80% of the strategies. This should take anywhere from 6 to 12 months or more depending on how much time you have available to work on your project.

If you are years away from retirement, this creative challenge can take you comfortably into the "senior years" - if you are already retired, as I was when I was introduced to SBI, this internet opportunity can be a Godsend.

Could your retirement job be via the internet? Think about it.

• Forrester Research has predicted that online retailing will exceed $229 billion in 2008 and account for 10% of all retail sales!
• According to IDC, nearly one billion people, or about 15% of the world's population, will use the Internet this year - the majority of them will be looking for information - information that maybe you could provide.

Here are more creative retirement ideas - (Go to URL)

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March 28, 2006 - Students and seniors

The teacher instructed his journalism class to read the New York Times Monday thru Friday. He hardly got the words out of his mouth when hands shot up - "can't we just read it online?"
His response was immediate - "no"
"why not?"
"Because then you would only find what you're looking for."

In an feature article in the St. Petersburg Times, under the headline - The endangered joy of serendipity William McKeen of the University of Florida, argues that people of all ages, students and seniors have become such a directed people. We can target what we want thanks to the internet and therefore miss what he calls - "the daily magic of discovery" - "Serendipity is defined as the ability to make fortunate discoveries accidentally

If I tell my students to read the business news and they try to plug into it online, they wouldn't enjoy the discovery of turning the page and being surprised."

In the article, Mr. Mckeen goes on to emphasize the importance of serendipity in all aspects of life and I'm with him much of the way, however, I enjoy the benefits of serendipity through the internet.

True, you can go direct - yesterday as an example, I wanted information on a particular Florida flower - typed in the flowers name - there's the info - but then serendipity -moving down the list of Google possibilities I discovered a wealth of information about Florida landscaping, water management and a book listing Florida friendly flowers.

The point is, when you are completing a direct search, take the time to "turn the page" - check what else you can find on pages 10 and 11 of your "direct" web search results.

Maybe you will find the joy of serendipity on the host website by trying the links of interest page.

As noted the other day - research can be a splendid mental stimulant and research via the internet can, if you take the extra step, offer you the joy of serendipity and of the magic of daily discovery - (Go to URL)

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March 29, 2006 - In Search of the Good and Beautiful - a mini movie

This will be my last entry until next Monday, April 3rd. A Doctors appointment and other assignments have advanced our drive north departure date several weeks earlier than usual. I hope you will remember to return.

In that regard, I would like to leave you with two entries this morning.
First, I want to thank all of you for checking in with this retirement Blog. In all honesty I wasn't expecting such a large number of visits, at least in such a short time. I contribute the growing circulation to the contributions forwarded by friends and the ever-widening circle of new internet acquaintances around the world.
Thanks to all of you, this creative challenge has kept this old geezer young in mind and spirit.

Secondly, the other night I watched a striking Florida sunset - one of the most beautiful of many I've been blessed to see and I as I do in similar situations, I immediately thought of our daughter Cindy.

Cynthia Anne Marie, our first born, lost her courageous battle against cancer on Christmas Eve 2003.

During her last year with us, Cindy challenged everyone to always search for - "only the good and beautiful" and she surrounded herself with good friends, good books, beautiful gardens and her own wood crafts and paintings and took as many nature walks as she could manage.

I'm a news junkie, but no matter - when I was with her, no television news - she would wave me away from the TV remote - "no way - only the good and beautiful."

After she left us, I tried to promote her good and beautiful message for the benefit of cancer research and created a proposal for a "good news" television magazine, along the lines of Sunday Morning on CBS. In search of the Good and Beautiful - my idea was to take two years off and like Charles Karault y