Tag Archives: meaning

Living out of Necessity

Posted on December 5, 2020 by Bob Ritzema

I wrote recently about my vocation in older adulthood. I relayed some points made in Gordon Smith’s book Called to be Saints: An Invitation to Christian Maturity. Smith says that each of us has a God-given vocation, that our senior … Continue reading →

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“I Grow More Intense as I Age.”

Posted on January 6, 2016 by Bob Ritzema

In earlier posts I discussed a passage in George Eliot’s novel The Mill on the Floss in which Eliot suggested that, compared to the young, the middle-aged are “half-passionate” while the elderly are “merely contemplative,” that is, without any passion at … Continue reading →

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Simplification of Character

Posted on November 11, 2015 by Bob Ritzema

I’ve been thinking recently about the psychological task of simplification as it pertains to late life. I’m following the outline provided by twentieth-century theologian Lewis Joseph Sherrill, who says that simplification involves “distinguishing the more important from the less important, … Continue reading →

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Adaptation at the Movies

Posted on January 3, 2015 by Bob Ritzema

I recently wrote a reflection on Birdman, the Michael Keaton film about an actor who played a superhero in the ’90s and now is trying to resurrect his career by staging a play. I described the “Birdman” voice that only Riggan, … Continue reading →

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The Two Phases of Retirement

Posted on August 26, 2014 by Bob Ritzema

Work and leisure patterns late in life are changing. The ideal of taking full retirement in order to live a life of leisure is giving way to phenomena such as partial retirement, active retirement, or, as I labeled what I’ve been … Continue reading →

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What Matters Most to Assisted Living Residents

Posted on March 13, 2013 by Bob Ritzema

The National Center for Assisted Living reports that the average age of individuals in assisted living facilities in the US is 86.9 years.  The average length of stay is about 28 months.   Martin Bayne is an exception to the typical assisted living … Continue reading →

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