Retiree Joanne Byrne shares her thoughts on life after work

When, toward the end of 2010, I learned that Joanne Byrne, senior services coordinator for the Town of Orange, was about to retire, I asked if she would take some notes on her feelings as her retirement progressed and share her thoughts with me ... and by extension to my readers, after some time elapsed.

I was particularly interested in Joanne’s views, because not only had she worked for the senior center for six years, she had been one of the most dynamic leaders I had ever encountered, challenging herself and the Orange community to rethink what a senior center could offer, and what meaningful contributions its participants could make.

I was not sure how Joanne would adjust to a retirement motivated by her husband’s sale of his dental practice and his desire to spend the entire winter at their Florida home.

I caught up with Joanne recently at lunch at one of my favorite sushi restaurants in Orange, and as usual when we see each other, the conversation was upbeat and lively, each of us feeding on the other’s ideas and energy.

Here’s what Joanne had to say.

“Retirement, at first, felt like knocking on a closed door and not knowing what I would discover on the other side. It was both scary and exciting at the same time, but what I have found so far has been good.

“I guess the adjustment from a fulfilling work life can be challenging for many people if they don’t make plans for how they will use all the newfound time they will have on their hands. For me, it was an easy transition because we put our large house in Orange up for sale, and bought a smaller Connecticut residence at Oronoque Village.

“Additionally, we spent time in Florida, painting and decorating our place in a 55-plus, gated community. We also went biking, played tennis, made new friends and explored the area.

“Despite being busy with moving, however, I find I still need to have a real sense of accomplishment, and I make a ‘to do’ list on a daily basis.

“Admittedly, it is shorter and more mundane than when I was working. Now it includes such things as do the laundry, go to the post office, etc. I did sign up for yoga and tai chi classes and am learning to play mah-jongg.” Continued...


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Joanne and I share a love of travel, and she continues to coordinate some longer trips for small groups of people for a travel company with which she became associated. Recently, there was a trip to Sicily and Southern Italy with her husband and 16 other participants.

She also headed a group trip to the Rose Bowl Parade, and a Rhine River boat cruise is in the works for October. Even with a busy travel schedule, Joanne says she always needs a project to be working on.

“It can be making a quilt, painting a room, even reading a book or organizing recipes.

“However,” she adds with a smile, “I always got many rewards and much satisfaction at work when members told me how I had improved the senior center and how much they enjoyed coming there.

“I missed that feedback, and I have told my husband that he needs to compliment me each day on my wonderful meals, or how neatly the laundry is folded, or how good the garden looks without all the weeds.

“We all need to be recognized for what we are contributing to make life better.”

Joanne wisely concluded that the transition to retirement was not always so simple for everyone ... that financial or health issues can interfere with happiness in this new phase of life.

She also recognizes that she is so fortunate to have someone she loves with whom she can share her life.

We ended our lunch with plans to talk again next year. I’m willing to bet a big order of sushi that Joanne will have discovered new, exciting challenges that will make this phase of her life the most rewarding yet.

- Article by Jean Cherni, founder of the retirement advisory service, Senior Living Solutions. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds at Hotchkiss Grove, Branford 06405.

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A Should old acquaintance be forgot, just check your iPhone

The celebration of the new year on Jan. 1 is a relatively new phenomenon; it was celebrated in 2000 B.C. in mid-March, and the Egyptians and Persians began their year with the fall equinox.

The first time it was celebrated on Jan. 1 was in Rome in 153 B.C.; and in 46 B.C., Julius Caesar introduced a new, solar-based calendar, which synchronized the calendar with our planet’s journey back toward the sun.

The month of January was named for the god of all beginnings, the two-headed god, Janus.

One head looks forward, the other back, enabling him to see both the past and the future. Like Janus, at the new year, we often reminisce about the past year while at the same time resolving to try to do better in the future.

The Jewish New Year of Rosh Hashanah (sundown, Sept. 16) is a holy time when people reflect on wrongs in the past and make a promise to do better in the future.

When we lived in Japan, at Oshogatsu or New Year’s, neighbors felt it was very important to do everything as perfectly as possible on Jan 1, from having a spotless home to paying off all debts.

They feel that whatever you do on the first day sets the tone for the rest of the year.

I’ve always liked that idea; instead of making impossible-to-keep New Year’s resolutions, just try to get off to a good start.

My year has always started with two calendars — a large one that remains on the desk and a smaller version, which I carry with me and which, hopefully, I have kept updated with appointments from the desk version.

My daughter feels this system is positively medieval, and I agree that it is nowhere as efficient or impressive as her iPhone. Continued...


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Put Marianne down in the middle of any strange city, and the iPhone not only will have given her the directions by which she has arrived, but it will also find the best Chinese, Italian or French restaurant within any pre-determined radius and make reservations as well.

Additionally, she will have, the address, phone number and birthday of everyone she has known since she was 3 years old.

I mean, it is a truly impressive gadget and I see its many advantages; but in addition to the cost, the main reason I haven’t as yet, succumbed, is I think I lack the amount of time and stamina necessary just to master the basics of what it can do.

However, I recently read that the newest version will be voice-activated, and if I could just speak commands to it, I might be willing to give up my current system, although I think I might miss flipping through former calendar books to see what I was doing on, say, March 20th of any given year.

Which reminds me that “Auld Lang Syne,” the Scottish song sung at the stoke of midnight in almost every English-speaking country in the world, literally means “old long ago” or “the good old days,” so if I’m not always quite up to the minute or in step with the times, just chalk it up to the fact that I think there’s a lot to be said for a few old-fashioned ways and “the good old days.”

A toast to the past and hopes for a bright, peaceful tomorrow.

- Article by Jean Cherni, founder of the retirement advisory service, Senior Living Solutions. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds at Hotchkiss Grove, Branford 06405.

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A holiday note to those of you who might not have gotten my card

Do you remember when you were very young, how long it took for Christmas to arrive?

The weeks seemed to drag by until the day finally came. As I write this, as I do all my Sunday columns, a full week prior to publication, I can’t believe there are only six more days until Christmas.

Like the bits of red ribbon peeking out from my wrapping box, I still have a few trailing odds and ends to finish up. Two very big gifts bestowed upon me this past week are Val’s return home from a several-week nursing home stay at Apple Rehabilitation in Guilford and a delightful visit with my daughter, Marianne, who was briefly in New York following a business trip to Washington and before flying back to her home in San Francisco.

Along with what seemed to be the entire Shoreline population, I grabbed a train for New York this past Saturday. The day was cold but clear, and I snagged a last-minute discounted ticket to the matinee performance of “Follies,” an entertaining trip down memory lane for the senior set with some rousing numbers that brought the house down.

Literally, tap dancing my way out of the theater, I met Marianne for dinner, and then we proceeded to Rockefeller Center where I was able to show her this year’s magnificent tree and share with her the memory of my own mother explaining the story of the beautiful golden statue of Prometheus who, in defiance of the god Zeus, stole fire to give to earthly mortals so that we would not perish.

Then, after looking at the Saks 5th Avenue windows, we made our way from 50th Street down toward Lord & Taylor at 38th Street (a long walk on a cold night), passing street dancers and pretzel hawkers along the way. This area is now a wasteland in so far as nice department stores are concerned.

Gone are Peck & Peck, Russeks, Best & Co., De Pinna and, of course, beloved B. Altman at 34th. Lord & Taylor’s windows as always, tell a story, are animated and the very spirit of Christmas. By now, my feet and legs were giving out and with no taxis in sight, Marianne spied one of those bicycle pedi-cabs and overcoming my hesitancy with the perfect logic that I had, after all, ridden in one while in Thailand, we climbed inside and snuggled under the welcome warmth of a blanket. Despite my misgivings, our bicycle driver skillfully negotiated careless pedestrians and aggressive cabs, and we did arrive safely at Grand Central where I bid good-bye to my daughter.

And, dear reader, I must now do the same to you, with warmest wishes to you and yours for a happy, healthy holiday season.

- Article by Jean Cherni, founder of the retirement advisory service, Senior Living Solutions. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds at Hotchkiss Grove, Branford 06405.

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Once seniors start clicking away on computers

Today’s families seem to be busier than ever, and more and more families are also separated by long distances. While it can be true that certain technology such as cellphones and the Internet can make meaningful conversations obsolete, it is just as true that these devices can be a wonderful means of allowing families to be in frequent touch with another, to share news and pictures, thus bringing everyone closer together.

Recent advances such as Skype even allow us to see one another as we chat. Trouble is, many seniors feel intimidated by some of today’s technology, and even though more and more information will appear exclusively via the Web, too many people have no easy way to learn how to use a computer for their own special needs.

Many lucky seniors are being introduced to the virtual world through an innovative program created by the visionary company Connected Living, and launched here in Connecticut in 15 Benchmark Senior Living communities, including The Village at Mariner’s Point in East Haven.

Last week, I watched a demonstration at Mariner’s Point in the computer lounge where a visiting Connected Living “ambassador” was helping residents send and receive email, share photos and even watch and discuss some old-time favorite television comedians.

The group was not only learning how to connect with their loved ones, but becoming more familiar with one another, an especially helpful way for new residents to become part of the community effortlessly and quickly.

The Connected Living ambassador was doing an outstanding job of determining what each senior hoped to gain by using the computer, and then guiding him or her through the steps to reach their goal. Residents are provided with a customized home page, and the resident decides who they wish to invite into the network. Family and friends receive an email invitation to join, and there is no cost to families or to residents.

Terri Sullivan, Connected Living’s Senior vice president of sales, explained that the company also uses a variety of technologies to help the varied needs of seniors, from screen magnification software to touch screens with large buttons. The system also helps family members feel part of the facility, as they are kept aware of special events, news and announcements that they can then share and discuss with their loved one.

Sullivan impressed me with her enthusiasm, knowledge and understanding of senior issues. She says it is so important that seniors realize how the world opens up once they gain access and knowledge about the Internet.

The company also knew that it needed to provide continuing help, not just put computers out on tables. One 88-year-old resident in an Illinois community became so thrilled when he learned how to scan a photograph and send it to his family, it re-ignited a long-dormant interest in photography.

Founded in 2007 in Quincy, Mass., Connected Living is a modern success story of seeing a need and filling it in an intelligent, caring way. New projects include the introduction (through some government grants) of a program in public housing where it could help residents earn their GED diploma and find jobs, and partnering with local high school students who earn community service credits by working with seniors on technology.

Sarah Hoit, CEO of Connected Living, feels, “Access to technology is social justice. This is the 21st century. It’s not OK to not be connected.”

- Article by Jean Cherni, founder of the retirement advisory service, Senior Living Solutions. Contact her at jeancherni@sbcglobal.net or 15 The Ponds at Hotchkiss Grove, Branford 06405.

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