January workshop recap— Finding meaning and purpose in retirement
The January workshop, led by Ron Anderson, chair of the UMRA Cares Committee, featured a panel of UMRA members who were asked to talk about their personal journeys into retirement and any major transitions that may have led them to reassess what gives them a sense of meaning and purpose in their lives. All the panelists—Jan Hogan-Schiltgen, Dave Naumann, Kathleen O’Brien, and David Wark—seemed to share the “purpose statement” expressed by one: “Enjoy life, do good, and try to add value.”
For some, the notion of a sense of purpose was fostered in early childhood. Hogan-Schiltgen, for example, said she grew up on a farm where there was always work to be done, and her role was to take care of the chickens. It was a lesson that served her well throughout her academic career and keeps her going today as a volunteer leader and advocate for stable housing to help families transition out of homelessness.
Wark, emeritus professor of psychology, hypnosis expert, and self-described “happy person,” led the entire assembly, both panelists and workshop attendees, through an exercise intended to uncover new ideas about what’s purposeful and meaningful.
Among the comments offered during the discussion period, one participant recommended “Living on Purpose,” a course offered by the U’s Center for Spirituality and Healing. And Earl Nolting, former chair of the Cares Committee, recommended a new book, Mindfulness for Fidgety Skeptics, by journalist and author Dan Harris.
For additional details about the workshop, please visit UMRA Cares where you will find a summary by Ron Anderson, plus the background paper he prepared for the workshop.
January 23 Workshop: Meaning and purpose in retirement
Tue, January 23 2018, 1:30pm
Conference Room ABC, Campus Club, Fourth Floor, Coffman Memorial Union
Due to longer life expectancy, many of us could live for 10 to 30 years after retiring, which means we could live through several major changes in interests, activities, and identities in later life. For each of these transitions, we can opt to take on a new primary purpose and new sources of meaning.
This workshop will explore what we know about meaning and purpose in retirement. After a short opening by Ron Anderson, former UMRA president and current chair of the UMRA Cares Committee, four panelists will talk about their own life purposes and how these changed in later life. The panelists, Kathleen O’Brien, Jan Hogan-Schiltgen, Dave Naumann, and David Wark, have all served on the UMRA Board. Their years since retirement range from 5 to 22, and their activities in retirement are quite diverse. Sharing their personal pathways into and through retirement, the panelists will identify major transitions that led them to re-assess meaning and purpose in their lives.
New research has revealed that well-being and contentment are more likely to result from purpose than from traditional routes to happiness. Therefore, to live enriched lives during our last years, we need to pay attention to our purposes and what they mean to us. This workshop has been designed to help guide this exploration.
For advance preparation, you may wish to read at least the first page of a background paper, “Meaning and Purpose in Retirement." It includes definitions of common terminology and suggestions for thinking about the topic.
Join us after the UMRA luncheon on Tuesday, January 23, for this highly interactive workshop from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. in the ABC room of the Campus Club. The final half hour will be devoted to dialogue among the workshop attendees. Multiple points of view will be encouraged!
—Ron Anderson, chair, UMRA Cares Committee
Upcoming Events
Our July 15 "hike" is going to be a kayaking adventure on Bde Maka Ska (formerly Lake Calhoun) and Lake of the Isles! If you don't have a kayak (or paddleboard), Wheel Fun Rentals, located next to the new concession stand rents single kayaks at $15 an hour and double kayaks at $25. The second hour is free if we rent before noon. Life jackets are provided with the rental.
Laura Ericksen will lead the discussion of How Stella Learned to Talk by Christina Hunger, a true story by a speech-language pathologist who taught her dog, Stella, to communicate using buttons associated with different words.
Our August 5 hike will be a reprise of our hike last summer at William O'Brien State Park. This is a beautiful park with a winding trail and a great view of the countryside. The hike is about 5.5 to 6 miles and we'll go at a moderate pace with frequent water breaks. After the hike, we will eat lunch at Rustic Roots Winery, a half mile north of the park.
Kathy Cramer will lead the discussion of The Bookbinder by Pip Williams, a book set in 1914 Oxford chronicling the life of Peggy who works in the University bindery, but craves a life beyond binding books but to being a scholar herself.
Enjoy a two-hour cruise on the Jonathan Padelford, leaving from the Harriet Island dock in St. Paul, boarding time at 5:30 p.m. We will have a brief program on board by Patrick Nunnally from the River Life Program of the Institute on the Environment.
August 31 is the due date for annual reports and updates. Annual Reports, Toolkits, web page updates, operating document updates and archives collections are all due each year on this date.
Autumn is a wonderful season in Minnesota so plan to join UMRA at the Andersen Horticultural Library at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum. Kristen Mastel, head librarian and curator, will reveal its treasure trove of publications and artifacts relating to plant history, horticulture, and natural history. After the tour, those who are interested may stay to eat lunch together, sitting outside if the weather is nice. Later, you are invited to a one-hour tram tour of the entire Arboretum that includes natural areas of flowering shrubs, bogs, and forests, family garden and landscaping showpieces, and the red barn farm
After a summer break the UMRA Photo Club will next meet September 10, 2024 in the meeting room of the Hennepin County St. Anthony Branch Library. For those interested in lunch, meet at the Great Dragon at 11:30 am. For September the THEME will be Curves
We will continue to discuss the pros and cons of Medicare Advantage. You will also hear about notable non-health plan and non-broker resources.