Most of us go through life with a daily routine and generally are not aware of the "life" going on around us. Yes, we sense there are other people there, but we generally focus only on ourselves and the immediate task at hand, that of growing older.
Many of us live our life by getting lost in our work. We may join a club or activity that involves people and the interaction it provides with other, but as we get older and in my case, face retirement squarely in the eye, life suddenly changes. Retirement was the time we looked forward to with excitement and anticipation. Now it captures a new emotion ... fear. Who will be around for us to talk to?
And the loss of a spouse or family member at anytime is difficult, but living alone at an older age can be can be very frightening. Look at the growing industry of assisted living centers. ( wonder how the food is?) Might be a great place to invest some money.
Even if a spouse is still alive, the shift to retirement can be a challenge for both. Going to work every day got you out of the house and gave you the opportunity to interact with others. But now...........wow. The number one question each morning? What am I going to do today?
Even if a spouse is still alive, the shift to retirement can be a challenge for both. Going to work every day got you out of the house and gave you the opportunity to interact with others. But now...........wow. The number one question each morning? What am I going to do today?
Today's retirees are a very different bunch. We tend to be younger and have remained more active. We grew up in a time where there were more things to do when compared to previous generations. There was Woodstock!!! The sudden change from this active daily life to one more sedate can really shock the system. So what do you do?
Like any resourceful 'baby-boomer, you revert back to the behaviors of your youth. No... not the drinking beer and smoking 'pot'. You hang out.
As teens, we hung out on the street corner (some of us smoking) or behind the bleachers, doing whatever we did behind the bleachers (smoking again?). As we grew older, it became drinks after work at the local pub, a much more socially acceptable behavior.
It might have been a church or a social group, joining the Rotary Club, but we always participated in some sort of social networking (guess where this is going a another blog?). But over time, people grew older, moved or passed away and the opportunities for those remaining were not as numerous as they once were, although there are the over '50' dating services, soon to be '70' I suspect!!
As teens, we hung out on the street corner (some of us smoking) or behind the bleachers, doing whatever we did behind the bleachers (smoking again?). As we grew older, it became drinks after work at the local pub, a much more socially acceptable behavior.
It might have been a church or a social group, joining the Rotary Club, but we always participated in some sort of social networking (guess where this is going a another blog?). But over time, people grew older, moved or passed away and the opportunities for those remaining were not as numerous as they once were, although there are the over '50' dating services, soon to be '70' I suspect!!
But today... it's McDonald's to the rescue, or some fast food chain. Many mornings on my way through town I will stop for a cup of coffee. There are four different fast food restaurants within a stone's throw of each other and I try to visit a different one each time. Spread to wealth, you know!!. It didn't take me long to realize the different groups that were “holding court” at each location. But here is the interesting point. At one spot, it is a group of retired couples, at the next it was a group of men, and the third was made up of all women. The fourth... generally empty. No 'senior specials'. Boy, are they missing out.
On the warm, sunny afternoons, a totally different group gathers at one of the parking lots, securing a good view of the highway but with a watchful eye upon their 'chrome enhanced' motorcycles. True, this group tends to be a bit younger, but I am not really sure. It's the gray hair in the pony tail that fools me. OK. I am just jealous. The ponytail... and the 'bike'.
But we may have created a national emergency here, however. I have heard, via the rumor mill, that at certain locations there have been high stakes bingo games and wild and uncontrolled card games that needed police intervention because they were disturbing the younger customers. Oh we are still a crazy generation!
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