A Retirement Lifestyle Blog for Living Your Best Life After 60

As we get older, we sometimes feel like people don’t pay much attention to us. We’ve lived a little, learned a lot, and have plenty of wisdom to share. The problem is, sometimes we can come across as saying, “Just listen to me! I know what I’m talking about. I’ve lived it!” But what if the best way to make a difference in someone’s life isn’t to impress them with what we know, but to show them how much we value them? About 15 years ago, I read a story that changed the way I a

Four months after major cancer surgery, I had lost 80 pounds, spent time in hospice, and could barely walk without holding on to something. Everyone told me to take it easy. Then my surgeon, who wasn't even a Christian, gave me advice that changed the way I looked at the rest of my life. It had been four months since they removed most of my stomach, spleen, and gallbladder, a portion of my liver, and some of my intestines. I was told the chemotherapy and radiation had aged my

Take a good look at the photo above. What do you see? A group of ordinary men sitting around a couple of tables at IHOP on a Wednesday morning. Coffee cups. Breakfast menus. A few smiles. Nothing particularly extraordinary. But what if I told you the men around that table may actually be adding years to their lives? Not because of what's on the menu. Because of who's sitting around the table. As I've grown older, I've become convinced that one of God's greatest gifts isn't a

On the way to preschool one morning last week, my grandson Malachi had a very important concern. He wanted to know if he would get to play on the playground. “Nana, is it going to rain today?” he asked. No, honey, it’s not going to rain today,” Jean replied. “But the sun is gone,” Malachi said. The sun isn’t gone,” she assured him. “It’s just behind the clouds.” About five minutes later, as Malachi was getting out of the car, he overheard one of his teachers say to another, “

This past weekend, Jean and I joined some friends for a “free” Home By Dark concert in the park sponsored by the City of Alpharetta. We arrived about an hour early, claimed a spot near the front, unfolded our chairs, and settled in for an evening of good food, great conversation, and even better company. By the time the music started at 7:30, we were already having a wonderful time. The concert itself was fantastic, but what made the evening special was the laughter, fellowsh

Yesterday morning at 9:00 a.m., I did something I had never done before—and it was a blast. My friend Curtis, who lives on Lake Lanier, invited me to go kayaking. I had kayaked on the Chattahoochee River before and assumed paddling around a lake might be a little boring by comparison.I was wrong. The weather was perfect. A steady breeze swept across the water, occasionally kicking up little whitecaps. We launched from Curtis's dock and paddled about 25 minutes to a small isla

In our last blog, we talked about supplements and the importance of listening to your body. This week, I'd like to talk about something that makes a lot of men uncomfortable: Testosterone. Mention testosterone at a family gathering, and people immediately picture one of those television commercials where a guy suddenly starts chopping wood, climbing mountains, and acting like he's auditioning for an action movie. Or maybe they picture that smiling fellow who looks like he cou

If you're over 60, you've probably noticed that everyone has an opinion about supplements. One friend swears by fish oil. Another says collagen changed their life. Someone else is convinced magnesium is the answer to everything short of world peace. It can get confusing in a hurry. Before I go any further, let me say this: doctors, nutritionists, dietitians, and trainers are valuable. They know their stuff. They've spent years studying the human body, and their advice can hel

"Be aware of your surroundings." My family has heard me say it so many times they can probably finish the sentence for me. Perhaps it stems from my years serving as a police officer in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. Being aware of your surroundings doesn't imply paranoia—it signifies attentiveness. It involves noticing when something seems off, listening for hints of deception in a conversation, and identifying warning signs before they become problems. For instance, if a man wearing

Eating toast without jelly is like going to a baseball game and leaving before the seventh-inning stretch. Sure, you can do it... but why would you? A few weeks ago, Jean showed me a recipe she found on Instagram. My first thought was, "Here we go again. Another healthy substitute that's going to taste like cardboard." I Was Skeptical Until the First Bite I've been around long enough to know that "healthy" and "delicious" don't always show up at the same party. As it turns ou

If you've ever gone shopping with my wife Jean, you've witnessed something that should probably be studied by economists. She can walk into a store looking for one blouse and somehow leave with three bags, a fistful of reward points, and enough savings to make the cashier question the entire retail pricing system. Jean doesn't use coupons. She conducts negotiations. In fact, I'm convinced some stores lose money every time she walks through the front door. Recently, our oldest

This morning, before the day even got started, several friends came to mind. One is waiting and praying for a kidney transplant. Another is living with heart failure, wondering what tomorrow may bring. One has reached the point where simply walking has become a challenge. Yesterday, I talked with a dear friend whose heart is breaking because his adult child has walked away from God. They haven't spoken in years, and every day he wonders if they'll ever have a relationship aga

Jean and I were blessed to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with our kids and grandkids on a once-in-a-lifetime trip to Ireland this past week. It was one of those memories we'll cherish for the rest of our lives. We explored almost the whole Island—North, South, East, and West. We visited Dublin, Belfast, charming little villages, castles, and churches. Among my favorites were the pubs. We enjoyed everything from a boys' trip and a Jameson whiskey tasting to delicious

Over the years, I've heard and given just about every piece of marriage advice imaginable. "Happy wife, happy life." "Never go to bed angry." "Communication is the key." There's some truth in all of those sayings. But after more than 50 years of marriage—and after watching a lot of other marriages—I have come to believe that great marriages are built on something much deeper. The world offers all kinds of advice. It tells us to find the right person, stay compatible, keep the

As we get older…wait a minute…what was I going to say? Oh yeah. It seems that somewhere along the way, many of us begin worrying about our memory. We misplace our keys, forget why we walked into a room, or spend ten minutes looking for our glasses only to discover they're sitting on top of our head. Just this past week, I was talking with a friend who seemed genuinely discouraged because she kept forgetting things—especially where she had laid her keys. Wanting to cheer her u

I was making my way around the machines at the gym the other morning when one T-shirt stopped me in my tracks. Across the back, in big white letters, it read: "SHUT UP LIVER... YOU'RE FINE." I couldn't help but laugh. Then it hit me. That shirt may be funny, but it also describes how many of us have treated our bodies over the years. Our knees start complaining? "You'll be fine." Our back reminds us we're not 30 anymore? "Just sleep on it." We run out of breath walking up a

This morning my Legacy Journal texted me a simple question. "What's your favorite thing about having a daughter?" It didn't take me long to answer. But before I tell you, there's something I've wanted to say for a long time. If there's one thing every parent should do before leaving this world, it's this: Tell your children why they're special to you. Don't assume they know. Tell them. Tell them often. Tell them while they can still hear your voice. To the best of my knowledg

There are a few things nobody warned me about retirement. Nobody mentioned that I'd start getting excited about a new garden hose, find myself comparing bird feeders online, or that I'd become strangely interested in the price of blueberries. And nobody told me that I'd be throwing away so much perfectly good food. When you're raising a family, leftovers disappear overnight. But once the kids are gone and you're cooking for one or two people, it's a completely different story

If you listened only to the headlines, you might think America was falling apart. Yet every year, people from every corner of the globe risk everything for the opportunity to live here. That raises an interesting question. If America is so terrible, why do so many people still want to come here? Don't misunderstand me. I know our country isn't perfect. We've made mistakes. We have problems that need to be addressed, and we should never stop striving to become a better nation

If someone had told me years ago that one of my favorite summer dinners would be a plate full of fruit, cottage cheese, chia seeds, and unsweetened applesauce, I probably would have smiled politely... and then asked, "Where's the real food?" Well, consider me a little wiser. This is my dinner this evening. This plate has become one of my favorite summer meals. It's refreshing, nutritious, really fills you up, and requires no cooking—which is a wonderful bonus when the Georg