Prepare for new phase in life
Dr. Ruth Westheimer said “We need to change the term “retirement” because it sounds like dying. We have to substitute something that offers new possibilities at whatever stage in one’s life a change happens.” Retirement is no longer dropping out of the picture, instead it is a chance to renew, recharge and re direct your life.
In “The New Retirement” Jan Cullinane and Cathy Fitzgerald address the importance of considering all your options from adventure travel to volunteerism. They discuss how to reprogram your time, establish your priorities, examine your finances, and look at a variety of travel opportunities. If moving should be in your future Cullinane and Fitzgerald evaluate the pros and cons of communities in 13 different states taking into consideration the cost of living, the climate, health care, education and transportation.
Only when retiree Stan Hinden began to write the “Retirement Journal” column for The Washington Post did he realize how woefully unprepared for retirement he was. In “How to Retire Happy” he details the twelve most important decisions you must make before you retire – things like when to apply for social security, insurance, investments, how to prepare for a serious illness, etc.
Ralph Waldo Emerson said “We are always getting ready to live, but not really living.” Ernie Zelinski echoes Emerson in his book “The Joy of Not Working; A Book for the Retired, Unemployed and Overworked.” Zelinski addresses how to live every part of your life to the fullest -- how to be more productive by working less and how to pursue leisure activities that make a difference in your physical, mental and spiritual life. The cartoons, quotes and light tone make this book easy to read but Zelenski hopes that it will not only entertain you but also challenge and motivate you to get more out of life.
In “The Spirit of Retirement” James Autry encourages people to stop “doing” and concentrate on “being.” In his “Learning to Let Go” chapter Autry poses questions for the person contemplating retirement to think about. Very often leaving the workplace and all that it represents is the most difficult part of retirement.
Mitch Anthony’s “The New Retirementality: Planning Your Life and Living Your Dreams at Any Age You Want” shows you how to determine your perfect future and then how to live it.
“Retirement Places Rated” profiles 203 retirement areas in more than 40 states. Places are rated by climate, ambiance, cost of living, safety, services and the economy. Some states are noticeably absent – North and South Dakota, Minnesota and Nebraska to name a few close to home.
Take time to prepare for this new phase in your life. Check out these books and others at the Hastings Public Library.