Stay Golden in Retirement…

and the 60 years before!!

We all want to know “Simple Secrets for Being Happy for the Rest of Your Life.”

This is the tagline to Author Eric Thurman’s new book, How to Thrive in Retirement.

Remember the early years of your life? A sunny day, a school playground- do you remember jumping rope during recess? Two kids twirled the long clothesline rope as we chanted:

Billy and Susie sittin’ in a tree,

K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love,

Then comes marriage,

Then comes Susie pushing the baby carriage.

I acquired my roadmap for life in the third grade: love, marriage, baby carriage, being a grownup, or “adulting” as we now say. I followed those milestones for forty years. Then my husband and I retired. We had come to the end of the road as I knew it and there weren’t any more words in the jump rope jingle to help me. I needed a new guide.

Are you wondering about your retirement journey? Are you worried about the end of your career, your empty nest and the changes that aging will bring?

Many of the eager kids from my playground days have now made it to retirement. Don’t fret about where you are headed as the years rush by. Our rhyme from our recess days got us this far, didn’t it? It’s time to add a verse to the skipping song, set some new destinations on our internal GPS, and jump into retirement.

Turns out, I should have been planning for retirement, when I was on the playground or at least by the time I was in the “Marriage and Carriage” stage. That’s what author Eric Thurman recommends in his new book, Thrive in Retirement, releasing on February 26, 2019. Let’s see how he can help us!

Thrive in Retirement: Simple Secrets for Being Happy for the Rest of Your Life by Eric Thurman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Are you getting close to retirement? Are you amazed that the years have gone by so fast? Many people are shocked that their work life or busy home life has suddenly jolted to a slower pace. Some people are thrilled with the thought of being on “vacation” for the rest of their lives, and other folks are bored or anxious.

As Author Eric Thurman notes, we are really not children for all that long- childhood through college and early adulthood is about one-third of our lives. Our busy and productive years, which may include marriage, career, and raising a family comprise the second third of our lives. And then, one day you get the “gold watch” or the last child moves out…and you have another whole third of your life to live!

Author Thurman has written a friendly and companionable guide to “thriving in retirement.” I enjoyed reading it now, but I wish I had been able to read it forty years ago! I could have used his great advice back when I was setting up my life! But, there’s still time for me-and you- to put his principles to work.

First, we are given an overview of the Life’s Five Vital Parts- Mind, Body, Relationships, Soul, Fitness. We want to thrive in each of these areas. We also want to be happy and the author recommends that we figure out what gives us Pleasure, Purpose, and Peace.

You may already know that you should work on your relationships, friendships and your health and fitness to have a happier life. But, did you know that you should also consider the fitness of your soul?

Mr. Thurman give plenty of real-life examples and also uses humor to guide us. He shares some of his experiences and also gives us examples from history, such as the life of Victor Frankl. I liked this quote from George Burns. “You can’t help getting older, but you don’t have to get old.”

At the end of the book, the author has included an appendix with helpful forms to help you plan your death. And he leaves us with this thought. We don’t know when we will die, so we should strive to live each day to the fullest and write a great concluding chapter to our lives. And let’s hope we all live to be at least 100!

I recommend this book. I was delighted to receive and review it. I receive this book from the publisher through their book launch program. @WaterBrookMultnomah #Partner
This is my honest review.

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Eric Thurman has a history of blazing trails. He began his career as a broadcast journalist, with extensive media appearances and coverage including CNN, Fox & Friends, Wall Street Week, PBS, CBS News, Newsweek, Time, andForbes.As an early leader of the microfinance movement, he headed antipoverty programs in 30 less-developed nations. His mission now is helping people find meaning and enjoyment during the last third of life. He resides in Illinois.