Thursday, March 11, 2010

Original thoughts?

A few days ago, I wrote about redefining myself in retirement. I suppose I was arrogant enough to think that this was an original idea. Well, fooled again! The very next morning as I watched the Today Show, Jane Pauley was on to showcase a new segment that she will present once a month. The focus of her segment is how retirees redefine themselves. Guess I'm not so original after all! I'm looking forward to her series because as we Baby Boomers age and retire, there will be more and more redefinition going on and learning how others have gone through the process just might help me.

Pauley's focus this month was on a woman who retired after a long career. Apparently the woman had always enjoyed knitting, but as is the case with most of us she did not have much time to devote to her hobby during her career. In retirement, however, she turned her love of knitting into an opportunity to teach others how to knit. What a wonderful way to reinvent herself! This woman obviously has knitting ability and seems to be blessed with the additional ability to teach. That is a wonderful quality to have and now her hobby is spreading to others.

I have read several articles about the health benefits of hobbies and I wholeheartedly agree that hobbies can help keep one sane. Teaching others how to knit (or any other hobby of choice) is not only helping the teacher, but is spreading good health practices to others.

Switching topics... Yesterday, I joined in the celebration at the Missouri School of Journalism in honor of Kappa Tau Alpha's 100th anniversary. It was a wonderful day. The weather was great and I caught up with several of my former colleagues and students. The best part of the celebration is that Dr. Bill Taft, my first J-School boss and long-time executive director of KTA until his retirement, attended the luncheon. He is 89 years old and doesn't get around as well as he used to, but his sense of humor is as sharp as always. It was a wonderful day.

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