Category: Fundamentals

Even Sherman deserves a break.  Don’t fret—we’ll return to Sherman’s march to the sea on Friday, but for now, I want to take Easin’ Along readers to Black Mountain, NC where Helen (adorable wife) and I spent a delightful early spring weekend at a church retreat with other members of our congregation.

One of the most gratifying aspects of retirement for me has been the opportunity to spend time involved in some of the many activities of our church. This past year I was called to serve as an elder, and this has been a very rewarding and uplifting experience that has brought me great joy. I participate as an usher for our early Sunday morning service when in town which gives me a chance to meet and greet many of our members.  This is a lot of fun and I look forward to every Sunday. I also attend two meetings a month involving the business of the church and enjoy the sessions greatly.

Service as an officer allows for participation in an outward way, whereas a retreat allows for a personal and inward reflection on our journey of faith. I always come away grateful for the opportunity as well as a renewed sense of spirit.  The opportunity for fellowship in such a beautiful setting is always a delightful experience.

This is the third retreat I’ve attended at the Montreat Conference Center.  In the past, we’ve had tremendous leadership for the gatherings and this year was no exception.  This year our leader was Dr. Kathy Dawson, a professor at Columbia Theological Seminary in Atlanta, who has a long list of published works and noteworthy accomplishments. Recently she was honored as Educator of the Year by the Association of Presbyterian Church Educators.  With her soft, southern drawl and warm smile, I liked her immediately.

The theme for the weekend was to be built around what happens when God breaks into the normal course of our development and into our lives.  Our challenge was to explore those interruptions and how they function as a means of grace.  If that sounds a bit heavy to you, don’t feel alone…it did to me too. Nevertheless, Kathy presented great examples to illustrate the breaks and transitions we all face in life and how we use them to benefit from both our joys and our challenges. This topic made for lively discussions in the breakout sessions.

In our Saturday morning session, we examined seven daily faith practices and were challenged to look at how several of those practices, woven together, could show God’s intervention in our lives. We were to illustrate that intervention by creating a poster. Our group of six chose the three practices of playing, eating, and consuming.  Again, we had a fascinating discussion among ourselves before we finally let our creative juices take over and turn that discussion into art. Using newsprint, catalog pictures, glue, tape, and scissors, we created a poster about family vacations that (with all the modesty I can muster) was the best of the lot.  This exercise really was fun and very insightful.

We were free on Saturday afternoon and with the sky a deep Carolina blue, Helen and I chose to use that time to explore the City of Black Mountain, a charming village that is tucked into the mountains about twenty miles east of Asheville, NC. On this particular Saturday, the merchants and shopkeepers were holding sidewalk sales in front of their shops, and things were hopping. As I have told Easin’ Along readers before, I love to browse through antique and consignment stores and took this opportunity to head straight for Key City Antiques, a shop filled with interesting stuff.

My interests are usually narrowed to old watches, model cars, and ceramic souvenirs, but, after spending considerable time debating whether I needed a well-worn pocket watch, I passed.  Helen, however, did find some colorful necklaces that she couldn’t do without and left with four strings of Carolina collectibles.

They are pictured here. We probably walked for about a mile shopping and browsing and, while we didn’t find anything else to buy, we did get some great exercise on a splendid day. 

That evening the retreat committee served us an outstanding barbecue spread and followed it up with entertainment from a local bluegrass quartet and square dancing for all.  I’m told that the children had an evening filled with enough movement to prepare them for an early bedtime.  Not being much of a dancer, I retreated to the lobby of the conference center to watch South Carolina take on Gonzaga in the NCAA tournament.  We were joined by a group of ladies from Charlotte, many of whom were Gamecock fans, who paused during their retreat to cheer on the team in a losing effort.  They were very spirited right up to the last buzzer.

On Sunday morning, Dr. Dawson led us in our final session and someone from each breakout group gave a detailed explanation of the posters created on the previous day. Each of them was done in ways that were both thoughtfully detailed and expressed very well the ways that the seven faith practices allowed us to see our Creator presence in our daily lives.  The words inspired or enlightened do not describe completely the thoughts and feelings I took away from those presentations. Let’s just say I looked at my walk of faith a bit differently after that session…it was a learning experience.

After the final session. we held a worship service of hymns, a children’s sermon, and a brief message from our leader before we took to the road and ventured home.

All of us are challenged, and in many ways fortunate, to lead busy lives.  There are times, however, when that can get to be quite the battle—even in retirement. On this weekend I reinforced the notion that those are the times to interrupt things a bit…and to call retreat. Thanks to Montreat for blessing me with of the opportunity to do that. So, on a beautiful Sunday morning, we were able to depart refreshed and renewed and grateful that our journey of faith continues, and one in which, joyfully, we’re still… Easin’ Along.

As noted previously, I have a son who lives with his lovely wife and two daughters in Charleston, South Carolina. They recently purchased a fixer upper with great potential. The home sits alongside a beautiful marsh and a creek which flows into the Charleston harbor. The home came with a dock that was repaired by the previous owner at the time of purchase, but the long walkway extending out to the dock was badly in need of some work.

When Helen (adorable wife) announced that she was going to Destin with some pals in her pottery class, I offered to help with the repairs for a couple of days then head to Florida to meet her and unwind for a few days. Details of our trip to Florida and the Panama City area are posted in recent articles on Easin’ Along.

The weather was very cold in Eastern Tennessee, but spring was about to erupt in Charleston. The redbuds and wildflowers were in bloom when I arrived and temperatures were in the low 70° range. Our lumber (twenty five – sixteen foot boards) was on site and we were up early the next morning ready to do some sawing and nailing. This would be the first time I had done much in the way of construction since I retired from home building and I was looking forward to a face full of sawdust again.

Our plan was to saw all of the sixteen foot boards into four foot lengths before removing the old boards and nailing the new ones in place. Once we set up and got rolling, we had a stack of boards that were ready to be moved to the dock area. My son had to leave for work responsibilities so I took on the task of moving the boards with the help of my granddaughter’s wagon. Activity was suspended in the late afternoon so that I could enjoy a little granddaddy time with the two girls, but I’m not certain that I could have lifted another board anyway.

On the following day we were blessed with a beautiful morning to begin the task of removing the old boards. I felt fortunate to be there.  The view of marsh and the bay was stunning. Pulling up of the old boards was the hardest part of the job and we were very grateful when John, a neighbor came over and offered to help. I owe him.

As the old boards were being removed, I followed along and nailed down the new ones.  I had retained most of my tools from my construction days, and having a compressor and a nail gun helped out considerably.  I can’t imagine doing this task with an ordinary framing hammer. By the end of the second day, we had replaced one hundred of the old boards and were quite proud of ourselves…until we realized that we still had 275 to go to complete the job. Oh well, we made plans to tackle another phase of this task in April and I’ll be ready to take it on. 

Charleston in April is something special…

My construction experience also came into play on another recent occasion.  Please read on.

In 2010 I laid down my hammer and left the home building industry after spending nearly 20 years knee-deep in mud and sawdust and having built approximately 125 homes. This was not a decision of choice. The financial crisis created by subprime mortgage lending was life changing for many home builders. Nevertheless, I was one of the more fortunate as I was able to survive and move on with many fond memories of my career. I loved the work and the work was good to me. As a result, I give back whenever I am able to contribute anything gained from that experience.

Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful organization which builds safe and affordable housing in partnership with deserving families in need a decent place to live. For many years our church has participated as one of the volunteer groups that join the construction effort to help reduce labor costs. Volunteers were needed for our 11th house and I was more than willing to assist in any way possible.  

The first day of most Habitat building projects is called “Blitz Day” where the objective is to construct the outside walls and install the roof structure and decking. I was assigned the 11 am – 4 pm shift but I couldn’t stay away so I arrived around 10 am to watch the activity and get a whiff of fresh lumber. To me, there is no better fragrance than spruce two by fours… unless there is the smell of hamburgers on the grill. Our volunteer grillmeister, B.T., was already hard at work preparing lunch for both shifts.

Blitz Day turned out to be beautiful and there were smiles all around…including the faces of the prospective new owners who were busy helping out. The morning shift had forty hard-working volunteers and three of the exterior walls had been built and put in place when I arrived. The fourth wall was being lifted when I walked up to take the picture above.

Before lunch was served, Phil, a Habitat official, addressed our group to give a short overview of the Habitat mission and to introduce the soon-to-be owners. This family consisted of a mother and three adult children who had immigrated to America from Liberia, having been displaced by civil war in their native land. Two of the family members expressed their sincere gratitude to Habitat for Humanity for allowing them the opportunity to purchase a home and be involved in the construction. The male member of the family was already working two jobs to keep food on the table, but worked as hard, if not harder, than any of us that day.

After a splendid lunch, a second shift of 35 volunteers returned to the job. My assignment was to install fascia boards on the ends of the roof trusses.  It was obvious that I was out of practice as I was continually bending nails instead of driving them straight in but, by the last board, I was back in rhythm. I climbed down from my ladder and strutted proudly while admiring my work. I still had it.  The rest of my afternoon was spent handing plywood up to the brave souls installing roof decking. I don’t walk on roofs anymore.

The dedicated Habitat professionals are excellent to work with, and their supervision insured that everything went as smoothly as clockwork.  By around 3:30 that afternoon the roof trusses and decking were installed, the unused lumber was covered up, and the new home was swept clean. I was very impressed at how smoothly, efficiently, and safely the entire project had operated.   The home is supposed to be completed in two months time, and I have no doubt that the schedule will be maintained.

At the end of the day I shook hands with the new owners and the Habitat staff, returned my hammer to the loop on my tool belt, and slumped into Sophie (truck). While Easin’ Along down the road I acknowledged that I was tired but content. When looking for retirement activity, there is none better than giving back.

By now, Easin’ Along readers are aware that we have used the beginning of a new year to focus on a commitment to improving our overall health and well being. I’m well into the fourth week of the Nutrisystem diet and delighted to report a loss of seventeen pounds. After a challenging start, I feel great. The exercise routine is ongoing as well and is made easier now that I’m not lugging around the extra weight I was carrying at the end of last year.

The effort to add a few hours of sleep per night is still a work in progress although I’ve had some wonderful suggestions and words of encouragement from our readers. The comments both here and by email, to last week’s article on sleep suggest that this issue is one that affects many. I plan to adopt a few of the suggestions and hope readers will continue to comment on this subject so that I may share your thoughts with others. One reader sent me an article on sleep segmentation that was especially informative and I have placed a link to it here (link).

Writing this series of articles has allowed me to focus on the fact that Helen (adorable wife) and I are truly blessed to have good health. We also know that at our age, things could change in an instant. While helping to organize my 50^th high school class reunion I made the sobering discovery that 37 of my classmates out of a class of 215 are no longer with us. Several more are not well. Therefore, being blessed as we are, we consider it almost an obligation to ourselves and to each other to maintain that good health regardless of the lifestyle we choose – active or otherwise.

Obviously, there are steps in this process other than the few that we have touched on here. It is rare that I have to see a doctor for any reason, but that is not an excuse to take my good health for granted. Without fail, I schedule a physical exam every year and eagerly await the results of any tests performed. I am astounded by the number of people that I know personally who do not do the same

Procedures to screen for diabetes, prostate and colon cancer among other illnesses are also part of monitoring my health. I see my dermatologist regularly and it’s rare when she fails to find something to remove from my body and send off to biopsy. My fair skin and my refusal to wear hats in my younger days can be blamed for that. Those visits will continue as will my semi-annual appointments with our dentist.

Medications, in relatively small doses, are necessary to augment our health program. Helen requires an assortment of pharmaceuticals for a thyroid condition, but I only take one prescription drug, Nexium, for acid reflux. I do, however, take a few daily supplements and have for many years. I’m not certain why or when I began the practice of adding supplements to my diet but it was probably at some point in my twenties. At that time I was not eating breakfast; I was eating fast food for lunch and I probably felt that I had to do something before bad things began to happen. The fact that most of the statements or claims made by supplement manufacturers are not evaluated by the FDA does not overly concern me since I tend to buy them from reputable companies like GNC.

Presently, I take a supplement for eye health; saw palmetto for men’s health and, until a few months ago, a multivitamin from GNC for men over 50. I have persisted in taking them because I assume that a history of relatively good health indicates that perhaps something is working and, since I don’t notice any side effects, there is no reason to stop. Frankly, side effects notwithstanding, I don’t notice much of anything with one exception, and it is the exception to which I want to dedicate a few words.

A few months ago I was contacted by an Easin’ Along reader who wanted to place an ad on our website. I was somewhat reluctant at first. I have never taken ads, preferring instead to share our experiences in retirement with others who might have similar interests and leave it at that. Furthermore, just as I do not write about things that do not interest me, I would not advertise a product I would not use. At any rate, I wanted to be polite, so I accepted some information and samples of the product–a vitamin and mineral supplement–while giving the assurance that I would try it.

Within a few days of receiving the samples and, having emptied the bottle of my GNC multivitamins, I opened the bottle of RestoreV (click here for link) and swallowed two capsules. Another dose followed the next morning. On the third day I went to my regular Tuesday morning exercise class at the YMCA and felt a noticeable elevation in both my mood and my energy which continued through most of the afternoon. My immediate suspicion was that the supplement contained caffeine, so I reached out to the reader who initially contacted me for some information. I was told that this supplement had no caffeine and that the energy and lift I was noticing was due to the nutritional ingredients being absorbed more efficiently than other vitamin I was using. All I know is that the product worked and, as a result, I use it in the place of the multivitamin that I have taken for years. Helen also takes it and has experienced the same result…in fact; she insisted that I order another bottle before we exhaust the sample. 

Going forward, our intention is to stay the course. By the time this article is published we will be in the second month of 2017.  All too often in the past my New Year’s resolutions would have been cast aside long before now and old habits had resumed their familiar place in the daily routine. However, age does bring wisdom and, hopefully, a smattering of discipline which is essential in the quest for improved health.  One of my favorite quotes related to the pursuit of a personal accomplishment is “If it is to be, it is up to me”. That quotation seems apropos as we continue our pursuit of an active lifestyle…and continue Easin’ Along.

Next week another retirement road trip – Florida!