By Howie Silver
Summertime, and the livin’ is easy,
Fish are jumpin’ and the cotton is high.
So begins the classic Gershwin Brothers ballad/lullaby “Summertime” from Porgy and Bess. While Washington state farmers grow over 300 different crops, apparently cotton is not one of them. However, the Chinook salmon and rainbow trout are jumping in the summer in the Pacific Northwest.
But there’s much more to summer than fish and cotton. It’s a time to finally put away the heavy clothing and the raincoats. It’s a time to get your Vitamin D from the Sun and not a 1000-IU softgel (but at the same time, don’t forget the sunscreen). It’s a time when you can safely cross the Cascades without worrying about putting chains on your tires.
Normally, I’d be encouraging my fellow seniors to seek out continuing education. I’m associated with the Creative Retirement Institute (CRI), which offers a wonderful array of mini courses to intellectually curious seniors. In August, I’ll be writing much more about the wide variety of courses to be offered by CRI in the fall. But it’s summer, and in addition to the 300+ crops that grow in Washington, it’s also a time when we seniors can grow, perhaps not vertically like our grandchildren, but mentally.
An obvious way to grow and to stay sharp is to read. Books, magazines, newspapers. Old-fashioned paper books/magazines/newspapers, e-books, audiobooks. Fiction, non-fiction. History, historical novels. Science, science fiction. Short stories, long Russian novels. Serious philosophy, humor, poetry. Self-help, how-to books. Just read or listen. Or watch a YouTube clip of a TED Talk or any of the other clips of people discussing quantum physics or the English language or the Civil War or just telling old jokes.
Listen. In addition to audiobooks, go back and listen to some of the music of your youth; then try to listen to some of the music of today (ask your grandchildren for help). Pick up a musical instrument that you used to play (guitar, piano, clarinet, bongos, whatever) and play one of those songs from your youth. Or be daring and finally try to learn to play the instrument you always wanted to play.
Make plans with your grandchildren (or other children you may know). Go to the zoo or a museum. Go to a baseball game; the minor-league games are cheap, often with free parking, and the kids can run the bases after the game. Go to a second-hand (thrift) store and have them find interesting bargains. Take the kids for ice cream or fast food, perhaps where they have a play area for the kids. Teach your grandchildren a card game to play: rummy, cribbage, war, fish, and so on. Sing your grandkid a lullaby or an old song from your youth. Take them to an arboretum or a state park. Take pictures of them. Then hand them your phone and let them take pictures of you and the scenery around you. Draw pictures with them.
Get out of your chair and exercise. Gently, most likely. Stretch and learn yoga. Walk (fast or slow – just keep walking). Lift very light weights; just keep lifting. Pull weeds. Wash your car. Plant a tree. Walk around an art fair, a farmers’ market, a state park. Just walk. And don’t forget your sunscreen.
Clean your house. Go through your closets and get rid of clothing you haven’t worn in a year (or two or ten). Donate the clothes. And donate books you’ve read and won’t read again. Be ruthless.
Years ago, on a trip to Scotland, I heard a young man telling a story about a conversation with an old, retired Scotsman. The old man said in a thick Scottish brogue, “Lad, when you retire, don’t be looking out the window in the morning.” The young man was perplexed and asked why. The old Scotsman replied, “If you do, then you’ll have nothing to do in the afternoon.” The joke got a big laugh. The truth is, looking out the window can be a wonderful activity, as long as it’s mixed with reading and walking and conversing with new and old friends.
In the fall, when there’s less sun and more rain, then it’s time to come inside and return to continuing education. In August, I’ll provide you with a wonderful listing of the diverse courses that will be offered through the Creative Retirement Institute. In the meantime, follow the suggestions above and have a nice summer.
