SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024

 SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 2024 - OH, HAPPY DAY

Some quotes today!!!

• "Retirement is the world's most extended coffee break. Enjoy your coffee!"

Some days, I have multiple cups of coffee, on most days. I’m entering the less coffee season (summer). I already have four containers of unsweet iced tea in my refrigerator. And I have become a warm-it-up-in-the-microwave person. I make my five-cup pot and drink wh.at I like. I’ll leave it in the pot or in a Yeti-type mug.  

Yes, coffee has caffeine. And caffeine is a drug.  Most of the energy drinks have caffeine as well.

• "Retirement should be healthy, wealthy, and happy."

I blundered into retirement.  I wanted a healthy and happy one.  We had the funds to travel and relax.  But finding two people married for 43 years and living together didn’t work out.  (My fault entirely).  If you are married and approaching retirement, do have a heart-to-heart talk.  Communication is the key!!! 

• "I hope retirement allows you to do whatever you always wanted but didn't get to."

I volunteer at a nursing home three or four days a week.  The residents there are not doing what they want to do.  They are waiting for death. Some made bad choices in life - obesity, diabetes, heart problems, joint problems. I suggest the following five things for a good and healthy retirement:  

1. Reasonable finances. You don’t need to be rich—you can get by without television or going to Movies. For me, I need a computer and internet access —and if that isn’t available, I go to the library. With my divorce, I found I had limited funds for about a year. I relearned how to be frugal. I can keep myself entertained.

2. Good health.  Get out and walk, go to a gym, join a granny basketball team!!!  Have regular checkups.  Don’t sit for more than four hours a day.  Get a good night's sleep.  Eat nutritious foods. My Medicare plan pays me $10 monthly if I walk at least 30 miles daily.  I like to walk; it keeps me healthy

3. Spiritual values.  Hey, we are all going to die.  Is there a God?  What is ahead of me?  I find peace in my faith. It is my “backbone”.

4. Social activities.  Have a lot of friends and do things with them.  Make new friends - don’t become a hermit.  I play social bridge; I play granny basketball; I play in an orchestra; I play in a band for Oktoberfest (and Mayfest); I worship with the same people, and they are friends.  I drive seniors who no longer drive.  Yes, I guess I’m social!!! <grin>

5. Mentally sharp. Get those crossword puzzle books or word find, do things that cause you to think, learn a new language, and play the piano. I spend too much time on my phone playing “Words with Friends” (a crossword-type puzzle), Sudoku, online (and on the table) jigsaw puzzles, and German language with Duolingo.

Yes, I will die someday.  I would prefer to have a heart attack in my bed instead of being in a nursing home.  The longer I stay in my home, the higher my quality of life. 

Please let LOVE WINS into your life. Please have a great attitude.  

LOVE TRANSFORMS US.  Cut out the negativity, don’t judge, don’t gossip.

Karen Anne White, April 20, 2024