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
We are fortunate to have UMRA member and former Minnesota Landscape Arboretum director Peter Moe to lead this approximately 3.7-mile hike at the Arboretum on Monday, May 6. Plan to have lunch together after the hike at the Eatery café inside the Oswald Visitor Center.
This session will continue the discussion begun in the May 8, 2023 session. See that article for details.
If you currently live in your own home or apartment, have you looked ahead to when you might want to consider a senior living option? Do you have any idea what those options might be? How much they cost? What they provide? UMRA’s May 14 workshop will provide an overview of the world of senior living and the basic information you need.
You’re invited to join the final Family History Interest Group meeting for 2023–24. This will be an opportunity to ask questions related to family history, share insights, talk about recent projects, and suggest topics for next year.
Stephanie Daily will lead the discussion of Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by best-selling author Mary Roach when the UMRA Book Club meets via Zoom at 2 p.m. on Friday, May 17.
The May 20 hike will start at the Historic Lift Bridge in Stillwater and go along the river to the new bridge, cross over and then back on the Wisconsin side, a total of approximately 5 miles. Most of the route is paved. We will eat lunch after at Brian's Bar and Grill in Stillwater. Car pooling will be available.
Climatologist and meteorologist Mark Seeley joined the U of M faculty in 1978 and has been a weekly commentator on Minnesota Public Radio since 1992. We are honored to welcome him as our guest speaker for UMRA’s May Luncheon Forum and 2024 Annual Meeting. He is always entertaining and informative.
UMRA’s Fourth Friday Book Club welcomes back, for the second time, author Julie Schumacher, U of M Regents professor of creative writing and English, for a conversation about her novel The Shakespeare Requirement.
We are in for a treat on June 3! Lynn Anderson, will lead us on trails at two parks near her Monticello home. Bring a bag lunch and we will gather in Lynn's yard along the Mississippi River for eating and socializing after the hike.
Get out to the ballpark with fellow UMRA members for the annual U of M Day at Target Field as the Minnesota Twins take on the Oakland Athletics on June 14 at 7:10 p.m.
Please join us at 9:30 on June 17, 2024 for a walk around Lake Como in St. Paul before attending the UMRA Summer Social and Picnic starting at 11 at the Como Pavilion. A perfect opportunity to get in a walk before we gather to celebrate summer.
Picnic under the covered, open-air Como pavilion, gaze at the water, spy some birds, catch up with friends and former colleagues, and meet new members. We’ll have lunch with plenty of time for visiting and then compete in teams as we are challenged by our Quiz master(s)!
Healthy aging, mindfulness, fighting ageism, and more will be the focus of the third annual Age-Friendly University Day to be held on the U of M Twin Cities campus.