Waiting is life in the meantime. It is not a life on hold or serving a punitive time out (although it usually feels like it). There are many components–daily, I see more. Of these two, I am most sure: Expectancy and Mystery. Expectancy: My definition of expectancy is to look at the world in wonder. Where …more

I was recently asked to speak at a meeting for expats. It was one of those question and answer forums, which provided the opportunity for established expats to bare their souls about things that they both liked and disliked in their new lives, as well as providing an opportunity for newly arrived expats to learn …more

Many years ago when I was a single divorced man with few responsibilities and a fair amount of disposable income, (what a concept!) I came down with a severe case of something called covetismus automotibilus, commonly referred to as the “new car disease.” The first symptoms are an uncontrollable twitching of the eyes toward newer …more

All my life I wanted a puppy. So now four years into retirement I thought maybe I was ready to embark on this chapter in my life. This past December, I adopted a whole 3 pound 3 ounce puppy who is made up of three parts: Poodle, Bischon and Lhasa Apso. She is adorable. I …more

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The question I’m asked most often in retirement is, “What do you do all day?” Sometimes, the person asking is just curious. Sometimes, they are comparing their possible retirement activities to mine in order to gauge whether or not they have enough in the way of hobbies, volunteer work and other passions to replace their …more

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As I approach retirement I find myself spending more and more time reading articles about retirement income, taxes, distributions and other related things. I found the following items that may be of interest to others in the same boat: Tax breaks for seniors with dependents – seniors may be able to take a tax break …more

As I’ve gotten older, I’ve noticed that conversation in noise has become an increasingly difficult task. I find that I quickly become tired from the effort of trying to understand what one person is saying when there are a lot of other people talking, especially in the evening hours when I’m tired. When the effort …more

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Expats often write to tell me of the many and varied experiences that they face when beginning a new life in the sun. Often it is about their frustrations and misunderstandings with town halls, lawyers, as well as a lack of a decent Internet connection that prompts readers to write to me. However, a message …more