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BOOMERS KNOW: “RETIREMENT IS WORK”
Leisure Time Can Be Lonely Or Rewarding: How To Get The Most Out Of It?
Find and Enjoy A Hobby: 8 Smart Tips For Retirement Success LAGRANGE PARK, IL - September 19, 2006 - Tom Moeglein thought he’d ease into retirement. He imagined spending his day’s bass fishing, occasionally watching the grandkids and maybe take a few road trips with his wife exploring back-roads and the national parks. Oh, and there’s a hammock with his name on it out in the back yard. After all, he has plenty of time.
Healthy despite a recent back surgery, and with a national average life expectancy that continues to creep upward on his side, Moeglein, 62, and a former Chief Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force, has more than a dozen years to catch up on his leisure time, take it easy and enjoy the fruits of his 30 years of active military duty. But he found filling his free time wasn’t as easy as he thought it was going to be.
“When you get up every morning and don’t have a place to be, it’s up to you to figure out what to do with your day,” says Moeglein. “Believe me, it can get pretty boring, and boredom can lead to depression, loneliness and physical issues. Retirement isn’t for sissies. You have to work at filling your time with activities that make you feel good.”
At first, Moeglein did spent a few weeks on the couch watching TV and realized he could easily spend the next twenty years caught in this pattern, or he could put some ‘life in his life.’ He went looking for a hobby and started by making a list of all the ‘I wish I could do that’s’ he caught himself saying over the years.
He started with playing an instrument and hasn’t looked back. He found a class that said ‘no experience necessary’ and immediately knew it was for him. ‘It’ was a Lowrey class specifically for retirees that allow participants to learn the organ at their own pace, and uses the ‘one-finger’ method giving even those who never played before the opportunity to play a tune immediately. By the end of the second class, when he played for his wife their ‘first’ song ‘My Girl’ by the Temptations, it brought tears to her eyes.
That’s all he needed for encouragement and he was off and running. Today, Moeglein is a regular at the store where he learned to play, so much so, that they’ve offered him a job.
Of course that’s on top of being President of his local L.I.F.E. Chapter (Lowrey Is Fun and Easy), a nationwide music club sponsored by Lowrey, and being elected the L.I.F.E. National Chapter President two years ago. His retirement resume is adding up; so is his social calendar. Surprisingly, Moeglein’s retirement is busier than his ‘other life.’
He’s part of a growing trend of boomers and mature adults, the ‘experienced generation’ who are reinventing the third half or ‘third act’ of their lives. Not satisfied to retire traditionally, this generation is looking for ways to enhance and enrich their lives rather than allow boredom to dictate their free time.
Studies Prove Music Helps Retirees Mentally and SociallyMoeglein chose a rapidly growing hobby and with good reason. Seniors who take up music making find the benefits extend well beyond just keeping busy. A study led by the National Endowment for the Arts reported in November that musical activity carries significant health and wellness benefits for older adults, including marked improvements in depression and loneliness, less medication usage, sharper thinking and better overall health. Playing music not only extends the life span, it helps prevent Alzheimer’s disease and other degenerative brain disorders associated with aging.
“My moods and attitude are definitely better when I play,” says Dennis Kaplan, one of Moeglein’s National L.I.F.E. Chapter Members. “I’m more relaxed. I think more clearly, feel sharper, and I’m happier.” Music became a part of his life when he saw an ad for classes at a local music store. “I was bored with playing cards, going to movies and TV. I wanted something different. It’s so simple you wouldn’t believe it. That’s what hooked me. I don’t want to have to spend a lot of time learning something.”
Finding and Enjoying A Hobby: 8 Smart Tips For SuccessThe numbers are staggering. According to the U.S. Census, every seven seconds in the United States someone turns 55, and life expectancy has increased. That leaves a lot of living to do in the last third of adult lives. Lowrey says whether you pick up music as a hobby or not, boomers and retirees should look to these key factors when deciding to put some ‘living in their lives.’:
1. Make A ‘Top Ten’ List Of All The ‘I Wish I Could’s’, Or ‘I Always Wanted To’s’.This is a list of the things you spent your working life wishing for or thinking about. Don’t edit, just put down everything your heart ever wanted to do.
2. Assess Whether You Can Physically Do Them. If running a marathon is on your list and you have a bad hip, you may consider scaling back – maybe walking a 1k or 3K is more in line. You’re after a sense of accomplishment, and having fun – don’t hurt yourself in the process.
3. Start With Something You Can Accomplish.It always feels good to accomplish something, however, retirees have the wisdom of knowing that great accomplishment comes from diligence, and taking things in small bits. If your goal is to hit under par, make music for others in your community, or trade on eBay, start one putt, one class, and one sale at a time. Enjoy the experience, then step it up a notch.
4. Look For Others Who Have Similar Interests. If painting is what you’ve chosen to focus on, or gardening, or tracing your roots – find a group that is doing it. One of the best ways to keep loneliness, depression and old age from creeping in is to stay involved with others.
5. Push Past Your Boundaries.When you’re an adult, it’s more difficult to make new friends. Sharing a hobby with others who have the same pursuit makes it a lot easier. You’ll find if you open up and engage others, even when you’re not feeling your best, they’ll be there to
support you or may share similar feelings letting you know you aren’t alone and you have new friends.
6. Age Doesn’t Matter - You Can Learn AnythingNever stop learning. A new language, an instrument, a craft or game, all it takes is time, and you now have plenty of it. Don’t limit yourself to just one hobby. The world is your hobby oyster, enjoy as many as you want.
7. Shopping and Going Out To Eat Are Not HobbiesAs interesting as shopping and eating are, they are time fillers, not hobbies that will engage your mind and body. Instead, convert your restaurant visits into a cooking class, or shopping excursions into hunting for collectibles you love.
8. Have Fun!In retirement, nothing is worth doing if it isn’t fun. If you’re laughing, smiling and feel good – you’re having fun – enjoy!
“Whether you sit down to play music, walk the garden, or golf course, get on eBay or paint, it should be something you love to do and something you do for yourself, says L.I.F.E. Member Lois Farnsworth. “It should make you feel good. Everyone should have music or some kind of hobby in their lives. It’s the most rewarding thing I’ve done in my retirement.”
If you’re interested in knowing more about the music making hobby, call Frank West, Lowrey at 1-800- 451-5939 x 229. Lowrey Organ CompanyLowrey Organ Company (www.lowrey.com) is a division of Kawai Musical Instruments Mfg. Co., Ltd. Lowrey has been a leader in the recreational music making industry since the company was established by Frederick C. Lowrey. The number one selling home organ in the U.S., Lowrey’s innovation, wide-range of features and exclusive ‘Easy Play’ system make recreational music making possible for everyone. With the patented Lowrey Magic Course, classes focus on enjoyable, accessible, and personally fulfilling group music classes rather than musical performance and competition, truly bringing people together with music. For more information on Lowrey, please visit
www.lowrey.com.
Contact:Frank West, Marketing Director
