Category Archives: Psyche

The Effects of Childhood Trauma

Posted on June 14, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

  A 2016 article by Emily Guron, Health and Caregiving Editor for Next Avenue, described the longstanding effects of childhood trauma. As Gurnon summarized, these effects range from physical problems to emotional problems, substance abuse, and risky behaviors: “Research has shown … Continue reading →

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Relocating to a Retirement Community: A New Life

Posted on April 29, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

I wrote recently about the first part of Richard L. Morgan’s book Settling In: My First Year in a Retirement Community. Morgan was initially enthusiastic about moving to a retirement community near his daughter, but after a month or so … Continue reading →

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Getting Ready to Retire: Finding Yourself

Posted on March 20, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

Next Avenue recently published an article by Bart Astor, a writer specializing in life transitions, titled “When will you be ready to call it quits?” After talking to numerous retirees, Astor concluded that the following factors played into their decisions … Continue reading →

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When Time Flies. When It Doesn’t.

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

Time is measured according to physical events of a cyclical nature–the earth circling the sun or turning on its axis, the phases of the moon, or the electronic transitions of certain atoms. Time matters to us, but it isn’t these physical … Continue reading →

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Thinking About Cancer: Other People’s Stories

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Bob Ritzema

I recently posted about my cancer diagnosis. I am scheduled to have a radical prostatectomy next month, that being one of the treatment options available for prostate cancer. Deciding to have the surgery made me aware of things to which … Continue reading →

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Cheat Days

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

As 2017 approaches, it’s natural to think about things we would like to change in the new year. In other words, we think of ways to improve ourselves. Many plans for self-improvement require long-term self-control. Losing weight, for example, may … Continue reading →

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Identity, Purpose, and Belonging in Retirement

Posted on December 14, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

Older workers preparing for retirement (or those, like me, part way through the process)  deal not only with logistics and practical questions, but also with questions regarding how to live our lives. Three sets of issues that retirees face–issues of … Continue reading →

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Regret

Posted on November 12, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

I have written before about regret, that dreadful emotion that drones on like a mosquito in the room when you’re trying to sleep. Anyone over the age of about five knows the feeling, but those of us who are in … Continue reading →

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Bloom Anyway

Posted on September 2, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

This spring, I planted sunflower seeds in my mom’s yard. I planted them in three places: in the backyard, alongside the driveway, and in a mostly-fenced garden area. The seedlings soon pushed their heads out of the dirt, then grew … Continue reading →

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Retirement and the Post-Olympic Letdown

Posted on August 22, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

The quadrennial glut of athletic excellence known as the Olympics is over. The sports fans among us are going through withdrawal–our televisions have been emptied of cyclists, runners, rowers, sailors, wrestlers, swimmers, and the like; no one is counting metals; … Continue reading →

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