It’s been awhile since I’ve published an article by one of my favorite British authors, Susan Kersley. She always offers good, solid, common sense advice and her articles directed specifically to retirees are “spot on”.

I hope you enjoy Susan’s article. I look forward to bringing you more are her articles soon.

Happy Retirement,
Woody

Vital Steps For a Happy Retirement

By Susan Kersley

The subheading of my blog is “Making the Most of Our Senior Years”.  And that is what this blog is all about, getting involved in a wonderful and exciting new life style; doing things we didn’t have time for when we were working and raising a family, learning new things, taking on new hobbies, sleeping late (or not) – the list could go on and on.

Unfortunately many seniors, retired and not yet retired, have a terrible attitude about getting older. Stinkin’ Thinkin’! What a terrible way to spend the rest of their lives. 

Well, the following little article by Michelle Lacroix Toroy is an example of what this blog is all about.

Read it, enjoy it, and smile a lot.

I welcome your response and your comments.

Woody 

Aging and Attitude – Appreciate What You Have
by Michelle Lacroix Toro

Are you starting to look at growing older as a bad thing?

I certainly hope not because there are lots of things to look forward to!

Of course, one of the first things everyone mentions, and they giggle as they say it, are the DISCOUNTS! Yes, we are a materialistic society, aren’t we, when we think of saving money as a perk that the older set gets to have and the younger ones don’t. You get to go out to eat and get a discount! How cool is that!

My kids when they were younger came up with this next one (from the mouths of babes), you get to ride around in those motorized carts that all the big stores have for those who have disabilities or have a hard time getting around! I have 3 sons and they were so impressed when they were younger that older people get to ride in those any time they go shopping. One of my sons actually told a mature person riding in a motorized cart that he wanted to be like them when he grew up! Talk about make that person’s day, we all had a good laugh about it.

Most mature people aren’t clocking in for their paycheck anymore. It now comes by mail on a regular basis.

You can cut to the front of the bathroom line and no one will complain because they know you need it more than they do! This is HUGE! The times I can think of when I wished I could have done that!

You don’t have to look for a parking spot at a busy mall or store at Holiday time, you have one available right there in the front! Big WOW!

If you are a grandparent, you get to do all the things with your grandkids that you didn’t do with your own kids (you know, the drum sets and noisemakers!)(dessert before dinner?) This drives their parents batty which in turn makes you laugh more and louder! Feels good, doesn’t it?

How about the ability you’ve crafted through the years to send out that laser look? You know, that look that can stop a kid in their tracks or make a smart adult look around wondering what they did wrong and thinking they are in trouble? Isn’t it fun targeting a person with one of those when they didn’t do anything just to see what they’ll do afterwards?

OK, I’ve probably made you laugh on some of these or at least smiled, but what I really wanted to do was make you think about the good things in life, whether you are older or not.

Feeling good about yourself and enjoying life, no matter what age, is a matter of choice!

It’s YOUR CHOICE to make yourself look for positives in every situation or let life get you down and be miserable.

Hey, you may not be as agile and nimble as you once were, but the life experience you’ve gained, the knowledge that you have at your fingertips is something that no one can take away from you. That’s valuable.

And the value isn’t only for you, but for your loved ones and friends that you share that experience, that knowledge, that wisdom with.

Don’t forget that smart people don’t see with their eyes as much as they see with their hearts.

When you live your life by being positive, people will see your heart, not the wrinkles.

 About the Author

Michelle resides in sunny Southern Florida with her husband and three sons. She is recently retired from Government service and now works from home online.

For more information on aging, attitude, and fitness, please visit her Aging and Fitness site.