Song: Arwen's Vigil
Artists: The Piano Guys
My mother's old home was okay...
but living life is not about just being okay.
She was living a life without exercise...
without a good diet...
and without experiencing deep restorative sleep.
I have been living in Reno for over four years now.
Just under five months ago...
I had my mother visit me at my home...
and I convinced her to start living a better life...
not only by living by the basic three
(Nutritious and Delicious Diet / Exercise / Deep Restorative Sleep)...
but by making other positive changes in life.
I had her look at homes near where I live...
not only so I could visit her on a daily basis...
but so she could start life anew in a beautiful setting.
We had looked at many houses before my mother bought a house just a few minutes from mine...
and one which she had fallen in love with.
Her neighborhood is a small community atop a flattened hill top.
On one side, there are mountain trails to walk...
and on the other side lies beautiful city views below.
She closed the deal...
and soon became a proud owner of her new home
(she is shown here with my son, Alex...
and her realtor).
Notice how the shower is stumble free...
and has a built in bench seat.
My mother filled her new home with items which made her house...
a home.
I took her shopping for new beds.
This is a Queen European Pillow Top.
Notice that there is not bed frame.
The box spring lies directly on the floor.
This is by design...and has a very specific purpose.
A major hazard among the elderly is a fall hazard.
A bed on a frame is too high.
Getting out of a raised bed...
especially when groggy or otherwise unstable...
can lead to a fall which can cause a hip fracture.
The bed height is perfect for her to just rotate right into a sitting position
with her feet on the floor.
I had also put night lights throughout the house so she would never
have to stumble around the house at night in search of a light switch.
My mother had not only bought this house free and clear...
she had just bought 2 more houses free and clear
(to rent out...no mortgages...fully paid in cash).
I say this to show the importance of minding your money throughout your lifetime.
As senior citizens...
there is no time to build a nest egg.
That is why a person should build his wealth with retirement in mind...
while he/she is still young.
My mother has a comfortable retirement...
and I have a comfortable retirement...
because we had thought ahead.
You must remember...
if you allow the grasshoppers of life to whisper into your ear...
you will become one...and you will freeze and starve
during the winter of life.
Retirement is the time of life to fully enjoy
the fruits of your labors.
It is my hope that younger people will read this blog...
so they may see that being smart in life...
does not mean being bored.
The key is fully enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
The first house I had bought was over twenty six years ago.
It was on a quarter acre...
it had large trees, and I had made a garden area.
It was a simple house (however, it had character)...
which was located right on the edge of the country.
I was very happy there.
I lived simply...
and I enjoyed life tremendously.
It was also a one and a half hour drive into work.
Being in the country made it worth it.
I readily made sacrifices in my earlier years...
to achieve what I am now enjoying.
I fully retired at the age of 51 because I had planned things ahead...
and I made the necessary sacrifices earlier on...
with retirement in mind.
However...
had I not...
I could still be happy by buying a modest home in the country...
and by living simply.
So long as your future is secure...
so long as you don't have to worry
about food, clothing, shelter, health care...
then most of the best things in life...
are almost free.
I still live modestly...
but my life is rich in many of the simple pleasures of life.
My mother is also learning to enjoy the simple pleasures of life
by embracing the basic three
(most of the time...I am still working on her getting more sleep...
she loves watching TV late into the night :).
With the basic three...
all of life is enhanced...
and all of life becomes a grand adventure.
Soon...
I will be taking my mother to enjoy some of the many activities
available through one of the nearby senior centers.
As one of the simple pleasures in life
is the formation of close and deep friendships...
it is my hope that my mother will find and form some deep friendships.
It was one of my mother's dreams to have a nice house
in which she could entertain her friends.
She now has all of the basics covered...
and she may now start really living life.
My mother is already feeling very happy everyday.
However, her happiness is going to multiply
as she explores more and more of life.
I must say this again...
the key lies in the living by the basic three...
and by enjoying the simple pleasures in life.
You do not need to be wealthy to do this.
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