Consider volunteering in your retirement years

During your retirement years, you finally have more time to start doing what you want to do: Travel more, reconnect with past hobbies or start new ones, or spend more time with the grandkids.

But among all those competing interests, consider volunteering (if you aren’t already over-committed!), not because it is something you should do, but because it can be just as enjoyable as a Caribbean cruise and much more rewarding. Among all age groups, the highest rates of volunteering are for people 65 years and older!

You’ve probably heard the many reasons to volunteer: It provides an opportunity to make new friends, keeps you mentally sharp, and gets you off the couch and out of the house. There is clear evidence that volunteering is good for your health and well-being.

If you decide that volunteering is something you want to do, how do you decide where to volunteer? How do you find the right fit? Here are a few tips that could help in your search.

1. Look for a group that deals with a subject that you strongly care about. Could it be politics, arts, or mentoring young people?

2. Consider your special talents and look for a volunteer opportunity that can utilize them. Have you managed projects? Do you enjoy meeting strangers?

3. If you are tired of doing the same old thing, find a volunteer opportunity where you have a chance to develop new skills.

4. Think outside the box! There are probably community groups looking for volunteers you haven’t even considered.

5. When you find an organization, check it out: talk to the director and other volunteers to make sure it matches your interests and skills.

6. Find the volunteer activity that fits your schedule. Is it seasonal so you can still winter in Arizona? Is it a short-term or long-term commitment?

7. Start by volunteering with friends. It can help make the transition into a new volunteer position more comfortable.

8. Don’t wait to be asked. Find a place to volunteer and go for it!

Sometimes we are too modest; we don’t think we have anything to offer, but everyone has skills and abilities that non-profit organizations need. If you want to volunteer, I know there is a place for you. And you’ll still have time to travel, work in your garden, and visit your grandkids!

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Brain Tease: The following are six words that have the same two letters repeated at some point. Those two letters have been removed, replaced by two sets of asterisks. Can you figure out which two letters to use in each word? You use the same two letters within each word, but use a different set of letters for each word. As an example, for **scre**t the answer is di = discredit.

1. **cet**ck; 2. **me**ght; 3. **r**lade; 4. **n**urse; 5. **r**tual

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In the long-running television series Gunsmoke, the name of the marshal who attempted to keep peace in the wild west town of Dodge City was Matt Dillon. I received correct answers from Judy Kiser, Donna Mollet, Doug Nelson, Shelley Hinatsu, Lana Tepfer, Dave Lutgens, Jay Waterbury, Bruce Johnson, Kim and Jess Birge, Ken Jernstedt, Rebecca Abrams, Bev Tuttle, Sam Bilyeu, Nancy Higgins, and Keith and Marlene Clymer, who are this week’s winners of a quilt raffle ticket. And last week, Keith Clymer reminded me of Pong, developed by Atari, which was the first commercially successful video game in the U.S.

Occasionally, I still see this type of sewing machine. You may have one stored somewhere in your house, handed down by your parents or grandparents. It was powered by a foot pedal that was pushed back and forth by the operator’s foot, and was one of the first “must have” home appliances because it enabled women to make their own clothes.

For this week’s “Remember When” question, what was the name for this type of early sewing machine? Email your answer to mcseniorcenter@gmail.com, leave a message at 541-980-4645, or send it with a picture of a 1911 Singer Sewing Machine Model 27 Sphinx.

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Well, it’s been another week, enjoying the transition from summer to fall. Until we meet again, as my wife reminds me, if it’s not one thing, it’s two — or more!

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“A successful marriage requires falling in love many times, always with the same person.” 

— Mignon McLaughlin

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Nutritious home-delivered and in-person meals are available at noon Monday through Friday unless otherwise noted.

Seniors of Mosier Valley (541-980-1157) — Wednesdays with music on second and fourth Wednesdays; Mt. Hood Town Hall (541-308-5997) — Tuesdays; Hood River Valley Adult Center (541-386-2060); Sherman County Senior and Community Center (541-565-3191); The Dalles Meals-on-Wheels (541-298-8333).

For meal sites in Washington, call Klickitat County Senior Services: Goldendale office (509-773-3757) or the White Salmon office (509-493-3068), and in Skamania County call Senior Services (509-427-3990).

Answers:

1. racetrack

2. limelight

3. marmalade

4. concourse

5. perpetual