Retirement ain't what it use to be -

Well as many of you know I have chosen to retire from being a financial advisor and now am attempting to figure out what I want to do.  In the old days (love that saying) as farmers and ranchers we just kept doing what we were doing until we could do no more and then we did some more.  What that says is that farmers and ranchers never retire.

I remember my dad when he would get up from the chair or taking a nap he would appear to be in pain.  His response was always, "just wear and tare" then he would take about two steps then he was back to full speed just like "the good old days".  He never complained and he never talked bad about folks and he always worked harder and faster than anyone.  In fact I remember when he was in his 60's, much less than when he was in his late 80's (that is a figure of speech just in case you can't figure it out), Larry and my brother in law and myself went to work with dad and my brother in law was worried that dad would not be able to keep up.  Larry and I knew better.  After about four hours the brother in law was what I call "down in the mouth" and complaining about needing a break and dad was just laughing and kept right on going.  In fact the brother in law quit working because he was tired long before the rest of us quit for the day.  That day he learned that dad could out work anyone, anywhere and anytime.  To this day it is still funny as I look back.  There are only two people that I think come close to being like dad and that is my two nephews, Cliff Crow of Kingfisher and Richard Crow of Perry and I guess I could throw in my brother Larry.  They are all workaholics, not me, although a lot of folks claim I don't know when to quit.  Oh ya, my sister Debbie, she is a workaholic as well.  She does not know when to quit and is about the most servant orientated person you will ever find.  Guess you could say, "the nut does not fall far from the tree".

back to retirement:  Yep, I am retired but I have not quit.  I am gardening more, reading more, doing financial coaching and some seminars here and there, involved in a few more mission orientated projects like working with folks just getting out of prison, managing some real estate we have owned for a long time, and on a few boards of non-profits and then one private company we own that does trucking.  Yes, I did say trucking just to annoy a few folks like Jim Wicker (president and partner in JW Logistics).  You see we are not a trucking company but a logistics company which really means we handle trucking.  Yep, retirement is not slowing down but trading my time for something else and preferably what I choose.   If I were more spiritual, I would say doing more of what He chooses.

Maybe, if I think about it long enough, retirement has not changed much.

So what do you learn in the Osage?

• you can take the boy out of the farm but you cannot take the farm out of the boy
• if I can get up out of bed or off the couch and keep moving then I must still be living the dream
• if God meant for me to sit on my butt in retirement I think He would have had a chapter in the Bible telling me how to waste my time and not invest in other folks.  In fact I think He says in His word something about standing before God and Him saying, "well done my good and faithful servant".  Ya, that is what I want, how about you?

Well, thanks for listening,

gary

golson21@hotmail.com

if you want my book and you like adults with special needs, like Preston who has down syndrome then consider purchasing my book on Amazon, "Home On the Range by Gary Olson".  All profits go to Wings, a community for adults with special needs.  If you want a signed copy, send $25 or more (check made out to Wings), to 12501 Dutch Forest Place, Edmond, OK 73013 and I will send you a signed copy and I will pay for the book and shipping.  Wings will get the entire donation and you will get a tax deduction.  What do you think of those apples?  (metaphor)

2018 06 25 Dominican Republic 1

2018 06 25 Dominican Republic (published the first time 2020 01 15)

Here I sit on the top of a mountain in a beautiful house enjoying the fruits of a life given to me by my creator, my parents and of course growing up in the Osage. I cannot help but be amazed at the creation by God’s hands. The flowers and the trees and of course the climate in the DR are fantastic but how can anyone believe a BIG BANG created this? Just take some common-sense logic, like if it were a big bang, which is taking something that exists and exploding it into a chaos vs. a finely developed order of creation. I don’t know precisely how everything was made and absolutely no one on earth today or in the past knows. They can only guess and look at evidence but remember, that things like carbon dating is a science and absolutely no one knows for sure if it is accurate. In fact, I heard a PHD from one of the major colleges in California say that there is evidence that carbon dating is potentially off by thousands of percent. For those who remember Aunt Gladys (Gladys Snyder-science teacher extraordinaire) she was a firm believer in evolution and she was a joy to talk to and study with. I cannot explain the difference in Biblical teaching and science but no one else can, not even the smartest person out there.

The folks here in the DR are extraordinarily friendly and hospitable. They seem to desire to serve you and they enjoy life even though they do not have the luxuries we have in the states. Their families are much closer and in many respects like the "good old days" in the Osage. The evenings are spent eating together and talking while just sitting in a circle which includes all the family. That means kids as well.

I do remember the Shumate’s, the Snyder’s and the Kelsey’s would be at our house playing cards or just talking for hours. Sometimes the Arrington’s would drive down from Shidler and spend the evening and again just sit around and talk and of course eat together. Even if there was no company visiting we would sit on the porch and watch the coyotes run across the hills or at least listen to them howling back and forth. That was great fun. Life seemed much like the DR and I have to say it takes some getting use to these days. I guess I just need to slow down.

So what does all this mean?

What do you learn in the Osage?

Stuff is much less important than family and friends
Time is fleeting, and you don’t get a second chance to use it because it is already gone
Happiness is where the heart is and that is precisely why stuff does not make you happy
Thanks for listening,

gary
gary@thepioneerman.com