A Retirement Lifestyle Blog for Living Your Best Life After 60

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

When Someone Says, “You Sure Look Younger”. A few months ago, I turned 71. Or did I? When my age comes up at the gym, people are often surprised. Not because I look younger—my mirror and I have already settled that debate—but because my active lifestyle doesn't seem to match the number on my birth certificate. Sometimes they'll ask how old I am, then give me a look that suggests I've either miscounted the candles on my birthday cake or borrowed someone else's driver's license

This morning, the weather forecast confidently assured us that the rain wouldn't arrive until mid-afternoon. Apparently, the rain didn't get the memo. With that encouraging forecast, we headed to Helen for our scheduled hike around the Unicoi Trail Loop. But when Jean and I arrived at 8:45 a.m., it was already raining, and judging by the muddy trail, it had been raining for quite a while. Unfortunately, I had to make a few disappointing phone calls to let our hikers know the

"Show me your five closest friends, and I'll show you the person you're becoming." That's true at 17, and it's just as true at 71. Most people think peer pressure ends when they graduate from high school. At 71, I've discovered that's simply not true. The people around us still influence how we think, what we do, and who we become. The only difference is that we now have the freedom to choose our peers. When I think of peer pressure, I remember water skiing and wrecking a boa

How I Went From 20 Medications a Day to One: The Lifestyle Change That Gave Me My Life Back For the first time in thirty years, my annual physical showed that all my blood work values were within the normal range. That may not sound remarkable to some people, but for me, it felt like a small miracle. Just eight years ago, I was taking 20 different medications. They included prescriptions for cardiovascular disease, medications for my stomach and esophagus, H2 blockers, iron i

Recently, my 4-year-old grandson, Malachi, did something he knew he shouldn't do. In what I believed was a calm and measured tone, I said, "Malachi, that was not nice. Don't do that again." Looking up at me with complete sincerity, he asked, "Papaw, are you happy?" Trying to stay serious, I replied, "Yes, I'm happy. Don't I look happy?" Without missing a beat, he answered, "No." I reminded him again not to do it, then walked into my office, shut the door, and laughed until te