HAPPINESS HABITS

A happy retirement means many things to many different people. There are several habits that can help to make your retirement years more gratifying. Here are some ideas to make life a little happier.

1. Have a bunch of interests.

The happiest retirees know very well how to travel, play and explore, and they wholeheartedly engage in three or more hobbies on a regular basis. Keep in mind, it doesn’t really matter what your interests are. It might be hiking or biking. It might be photography or volunteering. It might even be painting theatrical sets for the community playhouse.

2. Establish satisfying daily routines. Figuring out the right routines that bring you pleasure can take time. Most retirees may have to experiment quite a bit and accept the fact that it can take a while to figure out which routines work and which don’t.

3. Keep close to your kids — but not too close. The happiness level of most retirees skyrockets when they live near at least one — and preferably two — adult children. But your kids should not be dependent on you. The adult children of the happiest retirees are out in the world living their own lives.

4. Connect with friends.

The importance of having friends in retirement cannot be overstated. People with good friends tend to not only be happier but live longer. It’s important that friendships branch out to your personal interests and that some of these friendships be with younger people, too. In the end, a happy retirement requires friends of different ages from different walks of life.

5. Take your health seriously.

Typically, the happiest retirees also are among the healthiest retirees. While you can’t do a lot about genetics, you can still take simple and regular actions to care for your body. It’s not about dieting but it is about paying attention to what you eat. It’s not about suddenly becoming a gym rat, but it is about finding the time for modest exercise such as walking, biking or swimming every day.

Celebrate

It may be possible to gild pure gold, but who can make his mother more beautiful?

—Mahatma Gandhi

The influence of a mother in the lives of her children is beyond calculation.

—James E. Faust

There is no role in life that is more essential than that of motherhood.

—Elder M. Russell Ballard

Motherhood is the exquisite inconvenience of being another person’s everything.

A mother is your first friend, your best friend, your forever friend.

—Unknown

Mother is the heartbeat in the home; and without her, there seems to be no heartthrob.

—Leroy Brownlow

Youth fades; love droops; the leaves of friendship fall; A mother’s secret hope outlives them all.

—Oliver Wendell Holmes

Motherhood is the biggest gamble in the world. It is the glorious life force. It’s huge and scary – it’s an act of infinite optimism.

—Gilda

Radner

Mothers are like glue. Even when you can’t see them, they’re still holding the family together.

—Susan Gale

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REFLECT THANK YOU!

Technically, summer doesn’t start until June 21st. But many people consider Memorial Day to be the unofficial start of the season. This year, we celebrate the holiday on May 29th. Many families will heat up the grill, head to the beach or take in a big blockbuster movie. But Memorial Day has the word “memorial” in it for a reason.

Known as Decoration Day, the holiday got started on May 30, 1868, when Union General John A. Logan declared the day an occasion to decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers. Twenty years later, the name was changed to Memorial Day. On May 11, 1950, Congress passed a resolution requesting that the President issue a proclamation calling on Americans to observe each Memorial Day as a day of prayer for permanent peace and designating a period on that day when the people of the United States might unite in prayer. President Richard M. Nixon declared Memorial Day a federal holiday in 1971. Memorial Day is now observed on the last Monday of May. It is an occasion to honor the men and women who died in all wars.

Remembering Those Who Served

It is customary to mark Memorial Day by visiting graveyards and war monuments. One of the biggest Memorial Day traditions is for the President or Vice President to give a speech and lay a wreath on soldiers’ graves in the largest national cemetery (Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia). Most communities host local Memorial Day celebrations.

Here are some ways you can honor the men and women who served our country:

• Put flags or flowers on the graves of men and women who served in wars.

• Fly the U.S. flag at half-staff until noon.

• Visit monuments dedicated to soldiers, sailors and marines.

Moments In Time

May 12, 1925

A Philadelphia radio station broadcasts the first all-star radio program featuring film actors and actresses. Sound films had not yet debuted, and it marked the first time that most listeners had heard the voices of film stars like Lillian Gish and Marion Davies.

May 23, 1934

The notorious criminals Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow are shot to death by Texas and Louisiana state police while driving a stolen car near Sailes, Louisiana.

May 14, 1904

The first Olympic Games to be held in the United States open in St. Louis. The 1904 Games were initially awarded to Chicago, but were given to St. Louis to be staged in connection with the St. Louis World Exposition. However, the Games were overshadowed by the world fair.

May 17, 1885

The Apache chief Geronimo again breaks out of an Arizona reservation, fleeing with 42 men and 92 women and children, and sparking panic among Arizona settlers. Geronimo surrendered in September 1886.

May 20, 1927

American aviator Charles A. Lindbergh takes off in the Spirit of St. Louis from Roosevelt Field on Long Island, New York, on the world’s first solo, nonstop flight across the Atlantic Ocean and the first-ever nonstop flight between New York to Paris.

May 19, 1588

The Spanish Armada sets sail from Lisbon on a mission to secure control of the English Channel and transport a Spanish invasion army to Britain from the Netherlands. The Invincible Armada consisted of 130 ships and carried 2,500 guns and 30,000 men.

May 20, 1873

San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with metal rivets, marking the birth of one of the world’s most famous garments: blue jeans.

May 14, 1973

Skylab, America’s first space station, is launched into orbit around the Earth. Eleven days later, U.S. astronauts rendezvoused with Skylab, repairing a jammed solar panel and conducting scientific experiments during their 28-day stay.