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As baby boomers start the transition into retirement life, this diversified group shares one thing-the desire for experience. Contrary to popular opinion, this isn't a homogenous group, but one that is varied and complex. The desire to make the most of life is feeling most boomers share
In recent weeks, we’ve been discussing small business you can start in retirement. Meet Judy Jurisich who took the ‘retirement’ business to a whole new level by creating the New Orleans Cooking Experience.
As baby boomers reach retirement age, they want to create their own change in the world. They want to make a positive difference. One of the most successful volunteer organizations is Earthwatch which has programs on all the continents.
Warren Bland continues his journey through great retirement communities with a look at Bloomington, Indiana.
Baby boomers want to find balance in retirement. A life out of whack has led them to want to have it all without feeling out of control. Nancy Merz Nordstrom discusses Creating Balance in our After-50 Years
Warren Bland continues his quest for the perfect retirement community with a review of Bellingham, Washington.
Travel remains the number one goal for retirement life. With such a vast world, limited financial resources, we're all trying to maximize our travel dollars. Check out travel expert Donna Hull's blog, 'My Itchy Travel Feet.' Geared specifically to baby boomers, Donna shares information about the experience of travel, as well as destinations.
No longer content to travel "If It's Tuesday, This Must be Belgium" style, baby boomers want to experience a locations' culture, people and geography.
Follow Donna as she explores locales both near and far. She provides great tips for your own travel plans, but also a way to journey vicariously.
An important aspect of retirement life is feeling connected. It's important to believe you belong.I was very concerned about my husband’s transition to retirement. He had worked the nightshift most of his adult life. Because of his schedule, we never developed a social circle of friends. Outside of work and family, he didn’t have a place where he had a sense of belonging. People often don’t realize the importance of being connected, feeling you belong.
For most of the history of mankind, a sense of belonging came from your clan and geographic community. As baby boomers who grew up in the suburbs, much of a sense community based on where we lived was lost. Many of us don’t even know our next door neighbors, let alone feel a sense of connection to them.
As baby boomers became adults, work replaced school as a place to belong. For many, a sense of community is formed by the company you work. Or it may come from camaraderie of a particular profession. For many baby boomers, work fulfills many needs beyond just a paycheck.
For people who do not have a large family, strong church ties or other social group they belong, retirement can be very isolating. It can be a challenge for people to find new ways to connect.
For many, finding a sense of belonging will be based on locating a community based on your interests and passions. I’ve been painting for twelve years. I paint at a studio twice a month. It forces me to paint, no matter how busy I am, but more importantly, it gives me an opportunity to be with my friends, to feel connected others. My painting buddies from my tribe. This is a place where I feel accepted.
My husband is building a plane in our garage. Every day, the garage door goes up. People now stop by throughout the week, checking out the plane and talking about flying. A pilot, who lives up the street, invited my husband to go to the airfield recently. The neighbor introduced my husband to the other pilots. He is finding a new community to belong.
Finding a retirement activity is a way to stay challenged. It also is important as a way to stay connected. Finding a place to belong is an important ingredient to creating a fulfilling retirement.
The last few months have been bogged down with conversations about people not being able to retire. Or those who have retired, being are forced to go back to work. Certainly this blog is not to minimize the impact and fear people are feeling in their lives. But, there are opportunities to explore in a new retirement life.A lady came to me last week wanting to return to work to supplement her diminished funds. She is looking for work where she believes she's making a contribution. She wants to make a difference. Many retirees need to suppliment their retirement income, but also want to do good in the world.For people who want to start a business, many are exploring Social Enterprise, the quest to both make money and do good. This is an excellent PowerPoint to learn more, from the Social Enterprise Alliance. http://ping.fm/iHbnUI first learned about David Mills through the blogroll at Boomer Chronicles. David wrote the book 10,000 Days: A Call to Arms for the Baby Boom Generation which he discussed with us recently.Boomers are exploring ways of doing well and doing good or just plane make the world a better place to live.
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