Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

Now What?

The Wheel of Desire

Upon retiring, I immediately went to work in a new job.  That job went into a slow period and I got another job.  In my last post I gave a lot of reasons for doing so, all perfectly valid.  There is, however, a problem.

I fill my life with lots of activities, work, caregiving, the daily household tasks, maintaining a healthy marriage, several hobbies, movies, raving about the silliness of politics, and so on.  The problem is that there is still time in my life to just sit.  That leads to what Ezra Bayda calls “The Anxious Quiver of Being”.  He is talking about the fundamental issue of life:  “What am I doing here?”.

We fill our lives with myriad things to avoid dealing with this question.  Addictions are …

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I’m Retired, Why Work?

Retirement Fear

Marti Weston (check out her blog) asked this question after reading my last post about my new job.  I like to think I lead something of an examined life, but I know I haven’t fully examined my motives for continuing to work after retiring at age 68.  The money is part of the equation, as Carol and I agreed before I retired that it would be best if we live on our income for a few years before we have to tap our retirement savings. In addition, I have a tendency to buy boy toys, so having some money for them is a bit of a goal.

What happened when I got my first post-retirement job is that I discovered a talent I did not know I had.  I simply love working …

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Continuing The Health Care Journey In The New Year

I had my liver biopsy on schedule this time-laparoscopic instead of a needle biopsy.  The Wednesday before Christmas I went in for what was hopefully a quick little procedure and then home for a few days of recuperation.  The procedure went well but I ended up having to spend a couple of days in the hospital.  I think they just tell you you are going home so you don’t make too much fuss and then they break the bad news when you are all helpless and drugged.

I was able to go home on Friday with one of those ugly drains hanging from my stomach and I spent Christmas with my guys.  We went out to dinner instead of cooking and that worked well considering the circumstances.

The surgeon was able to remove two …

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To Not Fade Away – A Review

I’m so glad the producers of To Not Fade Away asked me to review their film. Otherwise I would never have seen it, since it is not offered on my DTV plan. In Denver this wonderful RLTV video can only be seen on Comcast Channel 205.

Both my mother and my father suffered from dementia. While neither of them had Alzheimer’s disease, a fear of this particular form of dementia looms large for me as for many in my generation.  The older I get the more unsettling small moments of forgetfulness become. I believe that having solid factual information about Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia is vitally important for all of us at this stage of life. And it is equally important for children and loved ones of the elderly to know much …

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At the End of Caregiving

For every caregiver, the day will arrive when caregiving comes to an end.  Most of us can’t know when that day will come. Because of this, caregiving often seems endless, but it is not.

Some of us are able to accept that the end is coming sooner or later. The couple in this video are planning for the time when he will be gone, and she will be alone.  Senior co-housing is one option for companionship and support for the spouse that is left behind.

Weighing the Options from Our Future Selves on Vimeo.

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Technorati Tags: afraid, aging in place, Brave Old World, caregiver mental health, caregiver needs, caregiver stress, co-housing, coping with death, Elder Spirit, end of life, end of life decisions, family caregiver, pain of caregiving, Paula Span. Columbia University School of Journalism