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Renee Langmuir was an educator for 34 years in public schools and at the university level. After an unplanned retirement, Renee chronicled her transition in a series of personal essays on the website, https://www.therookieretiree.com/. Her writing has appeared on the websites Agebuzz, Next Avenue, Forbes and in The AARP Ethel Newsletter.

Latest Posts By Renee Langmuir

1 year ago

What’s Your Jewelry Story?

Until just last week, I had a jewelry tree festooned with about 50 necklaces circa 2017 (the year I retired) on my bedroom bureau. Although most days find me in jeans and “athleisure” clothing, my work-necklaces were ready to go! It wasn’t until I found a small bag…

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2 years ago

Reunion Invitations… Accept or Decline?

The word “reunion” usually evokes the dreaded (or beloved) high school reunion. For some, it might also refer to family reunions. There are also other common reunions such as military, workplace, cultural/ethnic, and those related to social groups. A reunion can…

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2 years ago

Don’t Tell Me What to Do: Our Quest for Autonomy

One of the hallmarks of women “of a certain age” is a great need for autonomy. After a lifetime of catering to others’ needs in the realms of family and work, some women would fight to the death to preserve their autonomy when those yokes are removed…

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2 years ago

Fix It and Forget It: A Cookbook and a Helpful Ideology

To be perfectly honest, I am always on the lookout for challenges. Because of my history (and probably yours!), I feel ill-suited to placid times. I just know something terrible and unexpected is on the horizon. Somehow, the title of one of the very first crockpot…

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2 years ago

The Art of Accomplishing Your Heart’s Desires

In the retirement years, you might find yourself on a metaphorical see-saw, displaying your style of “getting things done.” Possibly, you are bogged down on the ground, which is the side for people with an infinite “to do” list – or, you could be poised up…

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2 years ago

The Hamster Wheel of Former Helping Professionals

One of the most startling images of the pandemic was the common sight of health professionals working around the clock treating the victims of COVID. Banging pots, musical tributes, and other forms of gratefulness probably did not touch the depth…

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2 years ago

What Happened to Your Reading Life?

My husband and I were a Match.com pair made in heaven. Twenty years ago, when we met, I was a public school reading specialist, and he was a rare book dealer. We clicked immediately at our first rendezvous, and we’ve been going strong ever since!

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2 years ago

1000 Weeks: How Should We Use Them?

If you are fortunate enough to reach the age of 65, according to the latest research on aging, your destiny might enable you to live approximately 20 more years, or exactly 1,040 weeks. Oliver Burkeman, the British/American author of 4000 Weeks…

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2 years ago

Meaning and Purpose in Retirement: A Surprising Sage!

Retirement Syndrome is a term used globally to describe the common feelings one might have upon retirement: disorientation, loss of identity, the fear of too much time on one’s hands, and possible feelings of isolation…

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2 years ago

Ancestry Travel: A Sobering Experience

It is not unusual for folks of retirement age to complete a bucket list visit to one’s ancestral home. My husband initiated this practice even before he knew me. In those days before the internet, on a trip to Scotland, he relied on the common phonebook…

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