Skip to main content

Refire! Don't Retire

In this episode - Refire! Don’t Retire . . .

It's 2024, and I'm feeling overwhelmed with all the talk about New Year's resolutions, goals, exercise, and spiritual growth. On top of that, this year marks the 50th anniversary of my graduation from Cuba High School. Some of my friends have been suggesting that I take a break and enjoy the simple pleasures of retirement.


Imagine sitting in a cozy rocking chair on your back porch, watching the beauty of nature unfold before your eyes. Being able to pull out that old camera and explore the creative world of photography, travel again, explore the Sierras, or just spend some time with family and friends.


You’ve heard it said that it’s important to prioritize your well-being and find joy in the little things, so why not consider retiring and taking it easy for a while? Doesn't this sound inviting? Be careful what you wish for.


Recently, while meeting with my primary care physician for an annual physical, he asked, “Do you have any questions?”


Yes, "I was wondering what’s the typical health of your retired patients? I'm considering retiring myself," I asked. 


“That’s a very good question,” he said.


"I hate to say this, but a significant number of retirees suffer from boredom and a lack of mental stimulation due to the absence of hobbies, exercise, and friends. This often leads to a rapid decline in their health. My suggestion is to keep your mind and body stimulated to maintain a healthy life.”


“What hobbies do you have?” asked the doctor.


“I consider myself pretty active; I produce a weekly podcast, maintain a Blog, do distance cycling, walk 30 minutes a day, play guitar and piano, and now I’m learning to play the ancient Chinese game of GO.”


“Sounds like retirement would suit you just fine,” said the Doctor.


My listening friends, my laundry list of activities is not about me; it's about how you have a choice to do what inspires you to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Don’t wait to start thinking about these things as you approach retirement, Start Today! How you ask?


My suggestion is get the book "Refire! Don't Retire–Make the Rest of Your Life the Best of Your Life” by Ken Blanchard and Morton Shaevitz from your local library, Barnes and Noble, or Amazon. This book is a motivational guide that encourages you to reinvent your approach to aging and work.


In this small book (143 pages) Blanchard suggests a different approach to retirement where individuals remain active and involved in their lives by finding renewed passion, purpose, and enthusiasm. This book emphasizes the importance of staying curious, setting new goals, developing new relationships, and maintaining a positive attitude to lead a fulfilling and rewarding life beyond the conventional retirement age.


Each chapter ends with a summary page titled - Pause, Reflect, Take Action.


For example, Chapter Three, "Love is the Key," poses the following questions:


Pause, Reflect, Take Action

  1. What might you do to reach out to someone close to you–a spouse or good friend–to revitalize that relationship?
  2. What new people can you reach out to and make a part of your life?
  3. What can you do to let others know you care about them?
  4. What is your plan for making the world a better place?
  5. Tell a person that you appreciate them.

So, I’m revising my action list, reading more, getting out the door to exercise, and reaching out to old friends to see if they would like to sit on that porch for a while and watch the beauty of human nature unfold before their eyes.


I’m Patrick Ball. Thanks for listening! See you in the next episode.

Comments

Most Popular of All Time

Mom Was Right

In this episode: Mom Was Right (Again!) . . . Remember that old saying, "Mom knows best?" Well, this week, it resonated profoundly. I vividly recall my mother's steadfast remedy for the common cold, which was ingrained in my 1960s childhood: "Rest in bed, drink plenty of fluids, and take aspirin to reduce pain and fever." . . . Or now that I think about it, this may have been a Bayer aspirin commercial–Simple . . . Fast-forward to the age of AI and endless medical information at our fingertips, and guess what? Not much has changed. Yet, somehow, this week, Lori and I were blindsided by a cold—the first in over five years. My incredulous "How could this be?" quickly morphed into a dawning realization. Our company's annual meeting, a melting pot of colleagues from Illinois, Texas, Vietnam, Colorado, Northern California, and the Central Valley, was a veritable petri dish of germs. And, oh, the germs found me! Getting sick, especially after a long str...

Whispers of Spring

In this episode, Whispers of Spring . . . Spring has a way of sneaking in when you’re not looking. One day, you’re shaking off the last chill of winter, and the next, you realize the light has shifted, stretching shadows just a little longer. It didn’t make a big fuss about it—no dramatic entrance, no trumpets—just a quiet unfolding, like an old dog settling into a sunny spot on the porch. Last week, Daylight Saving Time kicked in, which meant we all fumbled with our clocks, grumbled a bit, and then, like frogs taken aback by a warm rain, leapt forward into longer evenings. The sun now lingers, in no rush to set, hanging in the sky like a tossed coin that refuses to fall. With the extra daylight, we find ourselves drawn outside once again, migrating to the back patio like folks are drawn to a warm campfire. The lawn chairs are right where we left them, waiting like old friends. The air hums with wind chimes, their tuned cylinders catching the breeze and weaving together something that...

Special April Fools' Edition: Did You Fall For It?

In this episode: Special April Fools' Edition: Did You Fall For It? (And a Little Baseball Nonsense) Welcome, fellow baseball aficionados and purveyors of the peculiar, to a very special, dare we say unpredictable, issue of On the Fly! Today, the air is thick with . . . well, probably just regular air, but a specific mischievous something is buzzing around. Can you feel it? Does that tingling sensation make you double-check your shoelaces and suspiciously eye any unusual packages? Yes, dear readers, it’s April 1st! A day steeped in mystery, shrouded in playful deception, and frankly, a day where you shouldn't believe anything you read (except maybe this . . .maybe). But before we descend into a whirlwind of whimsical falsehoods (don’t worry, we’ll mostly keep it light!), let’s take a quick, slightly wobbly, historical flight through the origins of this most unreliable of holidays. Whispers from the annals suggest a few intriguing possibilities for why we dedicate this particula...

At 92–Don's Digital Daydream

Listen to the audio here. In a world of his own–lives, ole' Doctor Don, Not one world, but three, 'til the setting of the sun! There’s his Blog-World , so bright, with words all a-whirl, And Book-World , with stories of boy and girl! Then, Day-World , where legs didn't leap, didn't run, Just shuffled and creaked 'til each day is done. But his brain, oh, his mind, it’s zippy and keen, A most curious fellow that ever was seen! At ninety and two, with a twinkle so bright, He met Chatty and said, "What a strange delight!" This box with the answers, so quick and so bold, Of theology and stories, new truths to unfold!" "Integrity, relationships, where do they fit? This thing makes me wonder, bit by bit!" He ponders and pokes with laughter and a grin, "Til POOF! he has gone to a world from within! A world made of words, a fantastical place, Where limits of the body, left not a trace! He Soares, and he zooms, with a thought and a rhyme, Trans...