My guest blogger, Susan Smith of Design Destinations writes again for us about the gift of travel and gratitude. One of the ways to cope with this anxious time is to focus on gratitude for family, friends, health, food on the table and a roof over my head. While traveling today means reading books, doing video tours on the internet, or like me, looking back at past experiences, it is a good time to reflect on and to feel gratitude for those valuable insights. “Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you ..read more

The Coronavirus is a novel (never seen before) virus named for the crown-like spikes that protrude from its surface. The recent outbreak, known as COVID-19, can infect both people and animals, and can cause a range of respiratory illnesses from the common cold to lung lesions and pneumonia. You’ve likely heard about the “Novel Coronavirus” by now, as it has spread all over the world. We’ve learned that the disease can be incredibly dangerous to older folks and retirees, especially those with underlying conditions. How contagious is the virus? The Coronavirus seems to spread very easily from pe ..read more

By Jacinta Belai, guest blogger Jacinta Belai For most, the desire to help others, to give, to contribute to society or simply, ‘to give back’ is often strongest when one starts thinking about retirement and how to create a fulfilling next stage of life. A key component of achieving life balance, is our ‘contribution’ to society and the wider world. Perhaps you have achieved success in your career, your children have grown up and rather than ‘kick back’ you may have this deep-felt desire to help others, to expand on what has been a life-long commitment to financial giving or volunteering act ..read more

By Susan J. Smith, guest blogger Recently, my daughter gave me the best compliment. Pictured: Susan in India (click to enlarge) We were talking about my upcoming trip to Oman and how it was hard for me to find friends who want to do the kind of travel I like. She blurted out, “Mom, you don’t act your age.” Of course, I laughed and then wondered what should a 71 year old act like? For this website, maybe the question is: “what should retirement look like?” My dear friend, Kathleen, has a lot of good answers and advice for that. For me, it means traveling to faraway places. In the last ten yea ..read more

By Kathleen Golden My November birthday came with the surprise of my life… a serious health scare. I was stunned, gobsmacked. It must be a mistake. A bad joke. I hugged my family and started the long entanglement of tests and doctors. Some good news. Some less good. I tell my grandkids there are only four feelings: Glad. Sad. Mad. Scared. Here goes. I am: Glad to feel the outpouring of love and support. Sad, when I had been feeling great, loving my life. Mad that this happened to me again. Scared that I will not survive this. So, I developed writer’s block. I was struck dumb. Many friends ..read more

By Kathy Gandal, guest blogger Guest Blogger Kathy Gandal Losing my husband eight years ago to cardiac disease was a seminal event in my life. My life as I knew it changed on a dime. Even though I had been anticipating my husband’s death as he had been sick for months, when the event actually occurred, I was in shock. Al had all the attributes I loved: he was funny, had a stellar character, was extremely smart. He put himself through college and law school. He had my back as I had his through the ups and downs of life. We had 25 years together and were comfortable, in a good way. A year afte ..read more

By Kathleen Golden Happy new year, friends! I hope this finds you healthy, happy and most especially, active. In this exciting new year, let’s talk about movement. First, some quick history: Sixty years ago, my then 48-year-old father-in-law experienced a major coronary event and survived. The doctors insisted that he quit golf and only walk around the block for exercise! My sister’s basketball team was only allowed to run half court during games. It was thought to be “too strenuous”. Today: We have learned that strengthening the heart muscle is crucial. In my book The Golden Rules of Retireme ..read more

Richard Marriott Chairman, Host Hotels & Resorts Introducing a special spiritual friend of mine, Dick Marriott. Despite his deep humility, he allowed me to tell his story in my blog. Dick, a septuagenarian, is married to his childhood sweetheart, Nancy Peery. He is father of four amazing adult daughters and is a former bishop of his church. Nancy is a professional soprano. Guess who is her biggest fan! Dick has always been a supportive leader in empowering women. Continuing to serve as Chairman of the Board of Host Hotels and Resort, Dick is a team builder and team player who is focused ..read more

Mary Ann Treger, my dear friend and former neighbor (and accomplished Opera singer), wrote this article about “Upsizing” for Baltimore Style magazine, at a time when all her friends were downsizing. She explores her feelings about aging and increasing the size of her house vs. downsizing or moving to a retirement community. Here is her story, reprinted with permission. You can also read it at the link below, with more beautiful home images. Living Large One writer ignores how her peers are downsizing and opts instead for a home addition. By Mary Ann Treger, guest blogger At my age, friends th ..read more