Professor David Demko, PhD AgeVenture News Service  "What am I going to do with the rest of my life?". That's the big question active retirees are asking these days. As the gap continues to widen between chronological and psychological age, senior adults have redefined what it means to be retired in the 21st Century.
Ken (photo), age 64 enjoys opportunities to volunteer in ways that allow them to do things for people who are unable to help themselves. Ken (age 64) has always been ahead of his time, subscribing to the philosophy that when you get in a rut, do something unusual. In 1964 when the concept of a house husband was unthinkable, Carol, Ken's wife, rejoined the work force as a teacher and Ken stayed home to take care of the children, the house and attend night school. By the time they both retired in 1991, they decided to implement a 5-7 year plan to sell their house and their belongings and cruise the Mexican coastline on their sailboat, which they did for 6 years. This active couple keep a wish list of things they would like to accomplish in their lives. As a team, they canoed the boundary waters of Canada and Minnesota. Individually, Carol would like to help build a house for Habitat for Humanity and train a seeing eye dog. Ken intends to cross country ski and take a freighter to New Zealand. For Ken and Carol, it’s never too late to think big |
