No Geraniums | Page 6 of 50 | Meaningful and Enjoyable Living in Retirement

Make a Daily Intention – Happiness is Living on Purpose

December 14, 2021 by Hannie Mommers

Having a purpose in life is a guarantee to make you feel happy. Haven’t we all experienced times in our life we were working on something and had to force ourselves to stop for the day? And couldn’t wait to continue the next day.

A lot of people only experience this as a kid and forget all about it in adult life. Having a purposeful daily intention can bring that feeling back.

Tom and I always loved our job. On the rare occasions when that was not the case, we resigned. And later, when we were entrepreneurs, we didn’t work with clients who were too stressed.

Some friends and acquaintances said, almost enviously, that we were lucky. While we felt that we were just working for it. Yet, it was in an unconscious way. That changed later by using some tools. This article is about how you can give meaning to a daily intention.

The Advantages of Co-housing, a Revival of the Village Sentiment

December 9, 2021December 9, 2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

In Amsterdam, there are at least 20 co-housing projects. Most of these projects are established by older people. But what is co-housing, what are the advantages, and how do you start and maintain a co-housing project?

From the outset, any co-housing project involves a community of people. These people deliberately choose to invest in each other. Moreover, most co-housing projects contribute to the local community, to education, and to the environment.

To live up to these ideals they organize all sorts of activities, for those that live in the project as well as for outsiders.

20 Simple Ideas on How to Make Money after Retirement

May 24, 2022March 23, 2021 by Hannie Mommers

A newspaper article about COVID-19 and the stock exchange made me again realize how vulnerable our financial system is.

As soon as stock exchanges are going down, there is talk about freezing the pensions. This year (2020) I finally receive a state pension, but these rumors always make me wonder for how long.

It’s better not to wait until the unforeseen happens. I want to make sure I have a back-up plan on how to make money after retirement!

The ideas I share with you are partly things I am doing or have been doing myself. And partly I got that information from friends and from searching the internet.

The Importance of Life Expectancy for your Unique Personal Situation

February 2, 2022March 16, 2021 by Hannie Mommers

The most interesting question I ever got was “How old are you going to be?”. There had been a vague notion in the back of my head, but until then I had never put an actual number on it.

The importance of life expectancy is huge. Not just for life insurers but especially for your personal situation.

Why? Well, let’s say you will live to be 100. And that you retire at age 67. That means 33 years of not having a job and maybe more costs because of declining health. Which in turn means that you’d better have made preparations while you were still working.

Healthy Lifestyle: 25 Tips on How to Spend Leisure Time

January 7, 2022March 9, 2021 by Hannie Mommers

Maybe Tom and I are crazy, I don’t know. We are pensioners nowadays, we should be sitting in a chair looking outside what the neighbors are up to, right? Instead of what we are doing now: working on our websites, I am designing a couple of things, Tom is finishing his thesis.

My guess is, as long as we are both having fun, we’re OK. The only thing we really need to be aware of is to not work for too long. Leisure time is important.

All the more now we are in lockdown on an almost regular basis and restricted in our movements, it’s important to consciously spend leisure time together.

What to Do during Retirement? Be a Lifelong Student!

January 7, 2022March 5, 2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

If what to do during retirement is an unanswered question for you, why not pick up a study? Studying late in life comes with an enormous amount of advantages. See it as a kind of exercise. It keeps your brain fit. And don’t worry about your brain: it’s stronger than you might think.

Both Hannie and I never stopped educating ourselves. We probably will be studying as long as we can read and listen. Lately I have been picking up my old love for literature again, more specifically for poetry. This gives me much pleasure.

However, the question is why you should study late in life. Of course, because to study gives pleasure. Yet there is more to this question that meets the eye.

What is the Importance of Personal Development?

January 7, 2022February 26, 2021 by Hannie Mommers

What is the importance of personal development? Why would we quit bettering ourselves once we are retired? I never understood this reluctance to “be bothered” by some of my fellow retirees. In my view, we all have a responsibility to leave this world a better place than it was before.

Sustainability, zero-waste, caring for the earth are good ways to improve the world on the one hand. On the other hand, improving ourselves is just as important.

We can do this by reading books, watching YouTube videos, or attending seminars. When Tom and I still lived in the Netherlands, I did the latter a lot.

Is the Grey Revolution a Surging Problem or an Opportunity?

February 24, 2021February 23, 2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

The Grey Revolution is a two-pronged revolution. From the 19^th century onwards our longevity doubled. At the same time, fewer and fewer children are born. The graying and greening of society coincide.

Employers prefer young people because they seem to be cheaper. In the queue for the supermarket checkout, it is ‘always’ those oldies who cause delays. Prejudice is easy and abundantly present.

Like most revolutions, this ‘grey’ one has a tremendous impact on societies. Despite popular views, these impacts are predominantly positive. This needs some explaining.

How to Effectively Write with Confidence

January 7, 2022February 19, 2021 by Tom van Oosterhout

The other day someone asked me whether I write a lot. I said I don’t know. What’s a lot? I write once a day a post on facebook. Sometimes two or three. And an article for our websites a couple of times a week. Such as this one. Writing is important for me because it keeps the grey matter fit. Which is one of our goals.

The person who asked me the question would love to write, but felt insecure. So I explained how he could overcome this insecurity. This article is an extended version of my explanation: How to effectively write with confidence.

Given our experiences, the most important tip is to write a lot. The more the better. No writer is born a star-writer. Every single one of them became better in time after writing thousands of words.