Read!

With apologies for the declarative title of this blog post, it has occurred to me recently that reading regularly is one of the best habits seniors can cultivate throughout their retirement years.  I’m reminded of the public service campaign of some years ago that “Reading is FUNdamental.”  At the time, the campaign was directed toward youngsters—students in the elementary grades—to ensure that they developed the essential skill of reading.  As an aside, while what we read and how we read may have changed with the advent of the Internet and the explosion of social media, reading remains one of the key foundational skills upon which many other skills rest.

Now, in retirement, this essential skill takes on even greater significance.  In short, it helps us to stay engaged in the community and world around us and, at the same time, as a beneficial consequence, remain engaging as we interact with others.  Andy and I used to implore our students to read at least one newspaper every day.  And if that weren’t possible to pick up a weekly newsmagazine regularly.  We knew from long experience that it would boost their confidence in both business and social settings and distinguish them in positive ways from those less-informed, less-engaged, and generally less interesting.  Being well-informed provided them with a solid platform, particularly when interacting with people they did not know and with those senior to them in the workplace.

If you believe, as we do, that engagement is important to assuring a fulfilling retirement, we hope you will also embrace the importance of being well-read and well aware of the world around you.

After all, reading is fundamental.

Rick Hearin