Monday Moods: Retirement - Congratulations to Sean

First of all, CONGRATULATIONS to Sean, aka Sassybear on being eligible to retire. Having met him, and heard some of the rest of the story, he has been a dedicated government employee for decades. His expertise has made a huge difference in the lives of people in his state. He is a true subject matter expert. He has cared deeply about his work, the people he works with, and who have worked for him. He has earned a future to do what he wants to do. 

Something I stumbled across a couple of years into retirement was the statement to "not just retire from something, but to retire to something." Anyone who retires does the first part, we leave behind the work - the people - the paychecks - the stress and headaches that most work includes. 

The second part is a key to being happy post employment. Retire to something - after a few days or weeks the novelty of an endless vacation wears off - and you need a purpose. You need a plan. I have a few dear friends that retired to provide Grandma and Grandpa nanny service - a few that retired to the golf course, or tennis court, or to ride a bike 200 miles a week. Some retire to a commitment to volunteering. Some retired to traveling the country or the world. 

When I was planning to retire, people asked "what are you going to do?" And being goal and job driven, I wrote myself a job description. The description included getting and staying more physically active, becoming involved in my community, traveling a bit, reading a lot, spending time practicing creative arts and exploring new arts, and enjoying cooking. Like any job description parts of it have been a smashing success, parts of it I am not any good at, but it did fill the need to retire to something. And that something will evolve over time. 

If all is on schedule, we fly home tomorrow from a month long grand adventure, our third since I retired. Being able to travel for more than 13 days in a row, was one of the things I retired to, it was a part of the plan. 

I urge you if you are eligible or soon to be eligible to make a plan to retire to something. 

If you are retired, think about your purpose, your goals, your plan. 

I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in few days. 

The Sunday Five: Inanimate Pets

1: How many stuffed animals do you have? 

2: Do you give them names? 

3: Do you have any from childhood? 

4: When was the last time you gave one as a gift? 

5: Do you have a favorite stuffed animal? 

My Answers: 

1: How many stuffed animals do you have? Dozens of them, I'd need to hire a census taker to count them. 

2: Do you give them names? Most of them. 

3: Do you have any from childhood? No longer. 

4: When was the last time you gave one as a gift? Probably the Highland Cow to my great-nephew. 

5: Do you have a favorite stuffed animal? An over-sized very fluffy sheep. 

Please share your answers in the comments. 

I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in few days. 

supplemental post: Versailles

The Saturday Morning Post: It Is About the Journey

One aspect I like about cruises is that in many-many ways the journey, the days getting there are just as important or maybe more important than the destination. Days at sea give me time to explore, to relax, to listen, to read, to think, try new foods, new drinks, to communicate with strangers that I will never see again. By doing this I learn new things, and I learn about myself. 

Making art is very much the same. The process, the journey of creating art, gives us time to explore, to study, to try new things, to  communicate in new ways. Someone asked Thomas Edison how it felt to have failed thousands of times testing filaments for incandescent lights that never glowed or quickly burned out. His response was I have not failed, I have discovered thousands of things what will not work.

Art can be like that, we learn from the experiment, the practice, the journey. 

I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in late May. 

Freestyle Friday: What Is Today?

Today is just another day, but it is also the only today we have. A day that we can fill with hope, and progress. A day we can make a difference. Or it can be a day we allow to slip away, waking tomorrow hardly remembering what we did, in a week realizing we did nothing lasting or meaningful. Today can be the day we make the world a better place. It can be in some little way. Saying hello, smiling, holding a door, helping with a package. Answering a question.  Listening to someone's story. Or in a major way. This might be the day we write something that moves someone, that we create art that communicates an important message and motivates the world to be the best it can be. 

Today is what we make it. 

What will you make your today?  

I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in late May. 

The Thursday Ramble: Adventures

The photo above was taken about 20 years ago on a glacial melt lake on the side of Mt Denali in Alaska.  At the time I had a consulting contract with AARP to present training. The next day I was presenting a full day on elder abuse and neglect at the University of Alaska in Anchorage. 

I insisted that I had to have at least one day to rest from travel, it is about 4,000 miles each way to Alaska from the eastern United States. On my rest day I booked a flightseeing tour with Rust's Flying Service.  As we were lining up to board the plane, a Dehavilland Beaver with a turbo charged radial engine, the pilot looked at me and said, you look like you weigh about 250 pounds? Do you mind riding up front in the co-pilot seat? I confirmed that I was about 245 at the time, and gleefully agreed to the front row seat. 

We took off from a lake next to the international airport and flew northeast.  About half an hour out, the pilot said, look down and tell me what you don't see.  I was puzzled, there was deep wilderness, rivers, lakes, homes. He said, do you see roads or power lines. There were none. Access is by water, or air, or snow machine in winter. In less than an hour we had gone from civilization to one of the most isolated landscapes I have ever seen. 

We flew up a glacier on the side of the mountain, looking down on ski planes landings on the glacier, turned around the side of the mountain and the pilot scouted a couple of lakes before selecting one for landing. The landing was so smooth I had to look down to see that we were there. The pilot quipped, "I caught you looking down to see if we had landed." We taxied up the shore, tied off, and we were able to walk on the shore for a few minutes. The pilot said that lake was only flyable a few weeks in the spring, once the melt slows the water level drops too low exposing rocks and making landings dangerous.  The only other way in was a two day hike up the side of the mountain. A place that few humans ever visit. A place no one has ever called home. 

It was an adventure I will always remember. We need those in our lives. 

I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in late May. 

My World of Wonders May 13, 2026

Where am I? Vienna, Austria. I have never been here before. Jay has wanted to go here since he first knew the place existed.

Stop and Smell the Roses a long the way.

What are we doing? Sightseeing and eating. 

Where are we off to next? Paris, then we fly home from there next week. 

Why so many places on this adventure? The cruise went to Italy, near Rome, it is impossible to be that close to Rome and not spend a couple of days, Milan was a bucket list stop to see the Cathedral, Vienna was on Sweet Bear's bucket list. And Paris, I was able to get frequent flyer seats for the flight home from Paris, we wanted to see Chartes, the gardens at Versailles, and Notre Dame all fresh and shining (I was at a conference in New Orleans when the fire happened.) 

What else happened on this day? This is the day back in 2015, that a tumor was removed and a section of my spine was rebuilt. I woke up in ICU the following morning, to the most glorious feeling the world, I could feel and move my feet and legs. I am thankful every day for the amazing health care I received, and acknowledge once a year how fortunate I am to be able to move as much as I can. I will never be the same as I was before, but I am so much better than I was. I was millimeters away from wheels. 

I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time, edited on the road adding a bunch of photos and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in late May. 

Travel Tuesday: Art Feeds Our Soul

Looking at You! 

Back Side

Front Side

Reminds Me of the Mistress 

France 

Self Portrait 

I am on a digital detox. This post was written ahead of time and scheduled to appear today. I have not missed posting at least once per day in over a decade. While on this detox, I will not have internet access many days, when I do have access it will be limited. Please continue to leave comments, but I may not reply to comments. I will read comments when I can. Normal service will resume in late May.