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Volunteering
"Think of Everything that You Have Done..."
Aug 04, 2022 by Larry Jordan
My daughter recently said, "Think of everything that you have done since you retired. If you were still working, you would not have done any of that cool stuff." She was so right.
Kiss Your Wife, Love Your Kids, Play with Your Dog.
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
One day, we watched home movies with our children. The camera panned around a house that we no longer own, in a neighborhood where we no longer live, filled with possessions that we no longer have, and rested on some relatives and pets who are no longer with us.
Small Opportunities Surround Us
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Once a week, I don a Stetson and a green blazer and I man an Airport Ambassador booth at Gate D-22 in the international terminal at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport.
The Bobcat Whisperer
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Since I went a few weeks without running, due to poison ivy and a 5,000-mile driving trip, it has taken a few days to resume my pace, and I have been walking more than running. This has not been a bad thing, since it has given me time to visit with people in the park.
Small Things with Great Love
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
We received several comments, online and offline, on “The Angel in the Apartment Office.” I think that some people enjoyed reading it for the same reason that I enjoyed writing it — to me, the image was both powerful and subtle, striking in its ordinariness.
The Angel in the Apartment Office
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Forty years ago, a man was drafted at 19, sent to a jungle, sprayed with Agent Orange, and terrorized by sniper fire. Today, that brave young man, who served as an Army Ranger, is a dignified old man, who sometimes has trouble remembering his keys and his meds.
"You Must Get Bored, Sometimes."
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Sometimes, people assume that I must get bored, since I no longer have a full-time job, and that I must have trouble finding challenging, interesting, and rewarding things to do.
Afloat on an Ocean of Kindness
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
For the past 30 years, I spent most of my time with the mayors and council members that I worked for and with the investment bankers and securities lawyers that I worked with.
The Importance of Everyday Encounters
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Over the holidays, two passengers on my VA route died. Another driver discovered one of them, and our coordinator reminded us that we are among the few people that our less mobile and more isolated passengers ever see.
In Praise of Small Talk
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
The Desert Fathers sought silence and avoided chatter, and the Buddhists wrote about our chattering “monkey minds.” It is often more helpful to listen than to speak, but “small talk” has its place.
"I Talk to People All Day."
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Last week, a mutual friend introduced me to a disabled veteran who makes leather goods. Every day, he displays his handiwork at a small table in the cafeteria at the VA clinic.
My Daughter Wrote Me a Poem
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Our daughter, Lauren, is well known for her thoughtful “care packages,” which she regularly sends to family and friends. Her packages are so personalized that if her husband, Bear, cannot guess the recipient by examining the contents, then she starts all over again.
Plenty of Problems or Problems of Plenty
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
I was always a worrier, which was more helpful to me when we were raising kids and working for a living than it is now that we are retired.
You are the Only Person for the Job
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Every Tuesday, Jill and I volunteer at Cook Children’s Medical Center, playing with sick kids and their siblings in the Neurology and Orthopedics waiting room. This week, my Lovely Wife had a conflict, so I went alone.
"I'm Glad You're Here."
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
There is something pure and refreshing about giving my time, rather than selling my time, and more people thanked me in three months of volunteering than in 30 years of working.
The Realer World
Jul 21, 2022 by Larry Jordan
Some people stop living, figuratively or even literally, when they stop working. I think this is more likely when retirement is a surprise, due to a disability or a layoff. For me, there was no boredom and no sense of anxiety or loss or remorse.
