I have learned a lot about myself since I entered my second LOMO (Life On My Own) mode five years ago. This second time started with my wife’s death 1,750 days ago. My first LOMO period started in 1970 when I graduated from college and began my work-life. It ended 16 years later with my first, and only, marriage. That in-between time lasted thirty-six years.

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In this second time around, I have learned:

I Am Intellectually Hungry – All my life, but especially for the last 26 years I have made it a daily goal to “Never Stop Learning”. It’s important to keep intellectually hungry. Intellectual growth should begin at birth and end only at death. Learning isn’t just a phase you go through during your formative years. It is, or at least should be, a way of life.

I see far too many around my RetCom home who seem to have stopped learning the minute they stepped into this retirement community. They seem to just want to be entertained. Sadly, earning new things doesn’t matter to them anymore.

I Take Great Efforts To Stay Open-Minded – 

I am interested in the world around me and am not afraid of new trends or technologies. In fact, I seek them out and cherish them. This kind of openness makes my mind more flexible. 

I have learned how to deal with my daily stresses of life – Just because I’ve had a lot of birthdays doesn’t mean life stops throwing obstacles across my path. I admit that sometimes I get unnecessarily upset about things that I should now be taking in stride. To ameliorate this I have found specific ways to relax.

One of the primary ways for me is working picture puzzles. My brain seems to be constantly running at 100 mph, but when I sit down in front of a puzzle staring at one small piece and trying to figure out where it fits, my brain slows to a leisurely walk and time almost vanishes.

I do creative things every day – I have found that creativity makes my brain look for patterns and make new connections. To me, doing anything new is almost automatically fun as it is challenging.

I keep moving – People who stay intellectually sharp are adding basic, intentional activity to our lives, like going for a mile long walk every day, gardening, anything that gets the blood circulating. It helps clear my mind on busy blogging days. I can really tell a difference in my focus and mental clarity when I do vigorously walk on a regular basis.

I make daily goals and annual projects – Unlike most of the people around me, I don’t merely fill time with random things. Setting goals, no matter how big or small, keeps my brain in planning and problem-solving mode is a definite method to stay alert.

I am not there yet but my goal for this year is a more complete state of simplicity. Much more about that later.