By Elizabeth A. Leib
Raintree Writing Service

Last year the CTB commissioned research report, “Things Look Different Here” suggested that Tampa Bay will be a top relocation choice for baby boomers.  The news that the bay area has been a warm spot in the sun for retirees ending their days in a mind-numbing cycle of early-bird dinners, bridge games and rounds of golf punctuated with naps is not new.  What is heartening to civic activists doing everything possible to build a vibrant future is the fact that highly skilled boomers don’t expect to repeat the retirement life of their parents.  Nor is the majority in a position to do so given their big spending/poor saving habits.  The conversation is now all about engaging these new transplants with opportunities to pitch in and contribute their abilities as they build their new lives.
My blog post (MitzvahMom) was identified by a google alert set up by Howard Stone in response to the words boomer, retirement and different.  Founder of 2young2retire.com,  Stone left a message with information about a Positive Aging Conference taking place in December at my alma mater, Eckerd College.  I telephoned Howard to learn more.  He says the conference is organized by OSHA, Elder Hostel, the National Council on Aging and AARP to take on all the issues of aging.  Stone has set up a pre-conference event for newly trained 2young2retire facilitators from all over the country to meet and share ideas. 

Evidence that people are successfully transitioning into meaningful, contributive second careers is everywhere. I recently met Jim Teixeira, LMHC of Carrollwood Counseling, a provider of the Florida Kid Care insurance plan. A retired Lieutenant Colonel in the Marines, Jim found his second career doing something he loves, helping people and families overcome their difficulties to enjoy their lives and be in a position to give back to others. 

It occurred to me to check with another trusted source for comments on the subject of healthy aging. He had this to say. “Everyone should want to get old. The later years of life are the best, aside from the inconvenience of health problems, when you are most free from the evaluative expectations of others.  The key to success in aging, like all of life, is attitude.  Stay involved in doing something that makes you wanted and needed – and keep very busy” says retired Eckerd dean, 85-year-old Mark Smith. 

In his sixties when he first retired from Eckerd the first thing he did was to start volunteering 7 hours a day to care for people older than himself, visiting with them, taking them to get their food stamps or picking up their prescriptions.  In the years since that time, he has become a highly respected rock-n-roll historian, completing 10 years ago a scroll documenting the history of rock. His current project which he figures will take him 10-15 years to complete is to build a compilation of the indelible jazz, rock, early American songs of all time using a test group of about a hundred people of all ages.  His collection includes 46,000 songs.  He says he has 50 different recordings of “Georgia On My Mind.”  He gets calls from all over the country from people with specific requests for compilations of their favorite song or musician – which he makes up and sends them gladly. And then there are the phone calls from people like me, friendships made over a 40-year career as a student dean.  He receives on an average 20 calls a day.  Intergenerational friendships and work that is valued by others – it looks like my friend has sidestepped the loneliness and boredom - enemies of a happy old age – rock on Mark!

To learn more:
 Positive Aging Conference: http://www.eckerd.edu/positiveaging/.
Experience Corps: http://www.civicventures.org/
The Creative Age: http://www.gwumc.edu/cahh/about/cohen.htm 

  About the author: Elizabeth A. Leib is the founder of Raintree Writing Service, www.raintreewriting.com. She can be reached by cell phone: 813-892-5704 or by email: Elizabeth@raintreewriting.com