Plan for and thinking about every year as im working everyday and hoping not to work anymore but go around and introduce yourselves and then let us know if you are retired right now or like what kind of career and starting with Crystal Clear im Crystal Clear a fourth generation from california and in San Francisco. Identify himself is pronounced. One way San Francisco i taught School Educational system in the school indict and educated in San Francisco and in 37 years and went to high school and married to my wife sidney and marveled thirty years and several times because we didnt have the marriage take because of will you get and in Cameron House i live currently in sunny does the fogist part of of the city and retired since officially retired from the School District in 2005 and done a lot of Community Work with the lgbtq and focusing on as i get older in intergenerational work trying to create a Stronger Community corporatively. Did you like working with education. In the 7th grade had an incredible teacher mrs. Burke and from then on i know i was going to be a teacher in 7th grade i became a teacher so no time off. Okay. Dave. Renderings david today is any one Year Anniversary of being retired. So last september when i retired after serving three Presbyterian Churches in San Francisco and covenant presbyterian and the last one Presbyterian Church. I originally from colorado and raised our kids in denver but came to San Francisco in 2020 went to the seminar to be a presbyterian minister and done that for the last years. Before i came to california. Before i was a baptist minister. Thank you. Jimmy how about yourself. Im jimmy retired in the department of Public Health in San Francisco and served as is Deputy Director of health and for a sponsor for hiv for all in my work as deputy i retired in 2008, on a friday and monday started at nonprofit another executive director and for four years and came then officially retired retired in 2011, i served obtain Community Boards and active through retired and they dont seem healthy to me in a lot of ways i knew i wanted to be healthy im a first generation no my family and over 50 years in San Francisco and went to la for 5 years. laughter. also. Thank you. And linda how about yourself. Good morning linda parker for l t b the founder i have been in california since 1981 came out for graduate school and in for 25 years since i got married i dont consider myself required i created my own business in 2006 and i do Leadership Development and consulting. And you know, im described as a trip threat i worked for Apple Computer as an aide and then google when i was in any 40s. Which made me a only two powers of people and google were reporting american and some small percentage anyway, i was 0 unicorn and now im still doing my own business at my open pace doing the things i enjoy i serve on a few boards ill claim as served on a number of board of supervisors over the years because i enjoy working with nonprofit organizations like goodwill and spent a lot of time at goodwill in the center and tried to be an point with my purchase serving admit people and helping people do what necessary, do and my son is 21 so i learn a lot from him and on social media podium and now i use them god help me. You know, but somewhat row like it or not but have a son that age or child you feel this way too it keeps you current. Thats me. Thank you. So lets just start with an easy question. I think that you know, for me think whatever it is odd when i take a vacation i came back how will i get ready to retire to do what i want to do . I was wondering for you all at what age or who moment you start thinking about whether it is finance or health or like things you do when that what time or age or moment you have when you think about retirement . Anyone . I think for me it was a natural being in education every summer was a retirement and over september was a renewal so that i had the great principle and pleasure and not Teaching Summer School but enjoying life you know, progressives and my daughter is an education a psychiatrist and called the golden handcuffs because you have this job you work for a certain amount of time physically and emotional and supervisorial and thin you can relax for a couple of months like a retirement and come back to say that gave me a lot of practice at taking time off and doing what i needed to do recharging and coming back. So you know, i have a different view i signaled about retirement i dont think i ever thought id retire someone tell me a long time ago livestock unfolds in three stages and lastly, to safety officer. I coming from school but being a lifetime learner transition and earn bucks and make money and help my family be comfortable i moved into Service Early in any Career Service is the work i do and it is you know, whether or not i dont get paid or not a reflection of change in my values how i want to show up in the world and serve and. Huh . And if someone wants to pay me thats okay. And later on youre working in a field and i came early my family is multi generational i had a wonderful cook was the first black Women Journalist and worked for the boys and graduated for the university of mini so the so i sat with her and spent the weekend with her and she was in her 90s and passed in when she was 98 she taught me about her life was that meant the impact of that that was her legacy i thought about what will be the legacy so put me on the path of this pretty early. For me, i had unintelligible . For my cousin and brother and sister work and came to and went to work microphone distorted always had a formation about work i thought about retirement seriously in 2008, and was in Financial Health eda is came out with that idea you were from the hi paid will give you three years in aid and three years of service i decided to retire in 2008, as of the offer but more because maybe three years older gave more service i retired based on that fact and also knew that um, and Public Health was hard the next a place was the Health Direct i knew that was not going to happen. As is i moved into my 70s a couple of years ago my wife of 50 years have you thought about retiring yet . I said no, im not ready to retire i feel like i have something to say still. Writing a sermon every week for example, and also i dont know if i can afford so ill keep on working until i cant anymore and one day i had a oh, huh . Moment maybe i said what i had to say and consider setting that aside and not making that my main thing but also, we realized that in the time we left in my live things we wanted to do travel and seeing friends in different places around the world we have done a little bit before but want to do much more and shift gears and do those kinds of things. And so about a year about two years ago i started thinking more and more what retirement will look like and being at a financial thing the pension, benefits from my Presbyterian Church and Social Security and things like that and doing in on figuring out that and i think we can doe this and however like two weeks after i retired i missed writing so i upgrade back to writing but also realized that i enjoyed doing what was was doing and right now that is temporary for the pastors so kind like the flexibility of this going to colorado in a couple of weeks and going to go to new zealand in the winter that freedom makes a big difference. I want to ask you know, obviously were sort of after post covid when that happened it go obviously did that give you an inch to do more and maybe my health i need to slow down and not do as much. Did covid slow down i know for my mom she was like more fearless shes like i dont want to be occupied up and made many light bulb moment my life is shorter now and i should do more. Well covid wasnt have that made me crazy im anyone that likes traffic and get out of country every year and i literally communitybased nuts so the ability to traffic but i started taking long walks in the park near where i live in the bayview and kicking with nature and took up mediation the two things that saved me confined you know, would have been too much for me. Im glad that is something that is very popular. Yes. Covid for me was a really looking at what had is important in our lives and any mother um, was one hundred and 4 i she was one of the pioneers and had to maintain her life she was independent until she was one hundred in check up Walking Around and doing her Grocery Shopping we had to visit her and help her out with groceries that made us less carefully we had to go out and no choice but started delivering my partner and i started delivering totes seniors and a lot of people were more senior than we were we of the they needed the help and actually, we needed to do that and the fact we are very careful and therefore, be it resolved never caught covid 19 neither one of us did but able to take care of other folks we didnt stop but my mom showed us that you know, she was fierce in her on ways and lived life show kept going. For me, i run. So i had an opportunity to run in my neighborhood in Outer Mission and st. Marys park i run in that area and go run look the marina and got me out six the house and i got to know people had the connection i run a few times a week and run 7 mile and so that for me is the way i dealt with covid by having been a Health Professional and working with hiv and aids i saw a lot of loss families destroyed in some cases so some way that is a i was able to recognize what did i need to be helpful for other folks and take care of me when it comas to helping other folks im helping them and it is not about me by about them. I like what you say. I like what you say about getting out and running i hate running though laughter but thats one of the things i realized and now in retirement is i really got sedentary in covid and sat around a lot and today, im finding that hard to maturity myself to get out and do stuff lets take a walk well. Okay. But when i do it im glad but having to unlearn that as well as that sedentary lifestyle. But the health thing identifying is very important and we have to Pay Attention to that no doubt about. That taser into a what i was going to say one of my coping thing is music i started a church, i went to church and was the one that was singing that day she sank we can be kind. And so i started a play list called we can be kind so the music is note just the music i sing but dance also i have but with 24 plays listed one is room makes sense and resistance and one is sexy whatever. But anyway, i find i love to sing and caps to the music and reminds me when i was a teenager in the song and now, whatever we connect to my heart and my memories and the words of the music i think is good because i understand people with dementia can play and song and will remember the words; right . And the mules memory of the brain i think the music and the rediscovering music and reclaiming it in my life was huge and got me off the couple i didnt care before if people were looking at me before. laughter . Thats serious. One of the things we need the im part of the seniors drumming group i am we started zoom in covid but you cant drum during covid youre off and nobody can hear you, we met in the park and 10 feet away from each other and 20 people drumming that is the connection with people the were far away and keep a distance really kept us going and in a year we began drumming in the park that was really, really wonderful and kept us sane actually. That is interesting that like i guess you know, were hearing stories that made you help more people during the time like you know, downtime versus like i guess the notion that we need to help you know, the older people during covid and actually you stepped out and helped other people and youre like not about me but Everything Else and it is good you do that. One of the most important Things Health wise to be with people. Loneliness will be continue to be a really, really bad thing for our society and in america. More and more people are living by themselves without connections to other people and we need to find ways to get out of that kind of thinking and with people despite our concerns about infection disease the downsize to that to that. And a and the about 24 million a year to nonprofits in San Francisco and population is interested in serving older adults we have articulated that population and one of the reasons you said a was welcomeness and isolation and how to help others and providing nonprofit with the resources and some of the nonprofit we funds are doing emergency generational work it is critical for seniors to have interrelationships to the community and for folks to get Resources Available from us and really have to say we have to sort of push back against the devices laughter . That you know, caterer us to kind of existence im not sure wasnt the solutions are to that. I get sucked into that really easily so how we can do the community in spite of our devices or incorporate them into our lives. I want to build on what you said the community because they need to be together is critical and i was conscious of kind of being with my tribe you know, whether that was with my church group or my Community Groups you know, that i am with. And you know, for better or worse helping each other we are all in the together for the families i was conscious of you know, keeping our eye on that on my family and you know, my sister one of my sisters has not come through as well, not coming out of the house and shes literally angled 10 years in the last two years of the pandemic. And so im conscious of everyones Mental Health and the need you call people randomly three years but i pick up the phone and call them now to reconnect and check own all of that i think the conscious rebuilding and row claiming of our community and i know i refer to them as my tribe for whatever reason it is critical coming. Im curious like do you all have subcontractors with other people regularly lying share whether that is personal stories or advise or more keeping with people. Absolutely most of my work is gotten ordinarily working professionally has been intergenerational work it is important if im aging physically cant do things i mean, we have a daughter that is thirty and as many young people are doing but all my political work and Community Work is intergenerational and a conscious effort to do that and we learn from each other and especially for e pi young folks need to see theyre future can be positive and as elders in the community were not we are people see continuous and support and advise and listen and intergenerational work it is Building Community to cross over and help each other as elders and thanks or things to share as young people ideas and we teach all the Technology Things i dont know im asking how do you do this . So really, really crucial for our survival. Which was the google a woman over 40 in 2007 i started there and i was on used to be the younger permanent; right . But there was the early and the group. People over 40 so i had to learn really quickly a crash course in how to stand back and um, be okay with a toweryearold telling me what to do; right . And ill say in general you know, please dont tell me what to do ive been around long enough to know what to do but you know, whatever when we think they came out of schools i can learn something in the folks the i thought i hired me for my experience and worrisome and in google nobody looked like me but since then wonderful to have done the work, work in cross generations and having a 21yearold son was way a baby boermz but now im focused own young people the the other day there was a young africanamerican woman at another table so fm was getting up to go and this older woman i had a friendship with laughter limiting go over theyre just to get to know her i feel i we need each other; right . I know i need the i dont want to put words in your mouth full energy and so i thinking about my son. laughter. yeah and yeah. So, anyway that is really i cherish and a cherish kind of butt the might about elders and you know, one ev my son is surprised i say yeah on my play list and Technology Im always training people in my age group whatever the thing is to get more experience i like modern elders. One of the things i think i like about being a senior now is that i so we have worrisome a life of experiences and i thought about what those experiences mean not just experienced it took a lot about what any life is and find myself writing my memory jars but given all that i realize i have a lot to learn and to have an attitude of continually learn and not just sort of sitting back and saying i can get but for must new but having go curiosity to learn and the challenging assumes that you know, that ive you know, thought i knew that maybe i dont know but continuing to learn. Significant thing. I was going to ask linda im curious were you always out going or talk to strangers before or is that something at an age i dont care what people think of me anymore laughter . Whats the benefits of getting older he grew up she i wouldnt talk to strangers and strangers or whatever but at some point i slipped by certainly i got in any 40s and now, whatever that i want to talk to last night and you know, you know what that is why i guess part of the essence of life as you get older youre titled to that; right . And people like Tony Morrison and people you know, just who they are; right . And maybe that came with their age and being elder so i should mention people that are Story Tellers their life and connect with them and you know, i had those models. multiple voices. and when we approach as elders they sort of see us as harmless. Right. Right laughter . Thats true someone is sitting there and multiple voices . Coming up to take. Youre much more open to. My mother was like i said passed at 1 hundred and 4 but a curious person with her life and always said she may with living in north beach the First Chinese person an open authoritative but because she was curious this was a really modeling for myself and i feel like elders we just have a were able to approach 0 anyone and hey how are you . And theyre open to take with us. I think for me my challenge and career forced me to be a more public person and away from work i became more quiet and less engaged. So this pierson of being in the room and doing what i needed to do and saying what i needed to do and after a speech people will come up and Start Talking to me and forced me to engagement and that work into my life i became more and more willing to talk to folks because they didnt know me. And when i was doing my that Public Health work and but i a group of people sometimes large and maul groups of people i needed to engage with them. Which i found myself doing from the pull petty had things to say to people and i learned how to be you know, a public person with whatever congregation i was working with but sometimes would hold back in the morning that kind of thing and it takes a lot of energy to be up front you know, and so but then once i would get through it reluctance to be engaged always wonderful conversations that people seem to joy. Seems even any grandchildren bus thats pretty rare they enjoy my conversation laughter . Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay. So i want to kind of do in rapid fire questions with short answers or kind of short comments shot out questions to you guarantees. Okay. So one question is you guys regret not taking more photos or videos not having great memories documented. I have to sort of them out. I yep. I wish i had taken more of those days you know, and digitally preserved with film cameras. Yeah. About you guys sleep less and do like what you try to use more time to do stuff. It takes more time. I sleep more. I take a nap every afternoon laughter . Yeah. Huh . Thats great. Do you see the term seniors or he recalls negative or norm . Im not crazy about the terms but, yeah yeah. I agree with that and im a modern early which the thing im embraced the term he recalls. And part of what i am. With that do you like to use your senior discount or ask for a senior discount. No way laughter . Absolutely and what age and what multiple voices . You know. laughter. thats right take my 10 percent. Do you guys expect people to kind of give i more respect now youre older like how to listen but theres a seat there and they should get up or open the door for you things like that more respect. No, no. This is california. laughter thats a regional thing. Im on the bus someone gets off their seat im offended. laughter. you know, i say no i dont need it laughter . Ill take the seat multiple voices . Thank them but. Younger people but dont want them to offer it to me. I offer it to older people. And birthdays accompany do you have celebrations for each birthdays. Im having two parties 0 would think in Southern California and one here. laughter. 75 a landmark for me. laughter. i have a party every year sometimes in new york or mexico last year. I do every 35 years now they dont mean that much laughter. Thats a party. I mean do you think that acknowledging this is good or bad hindrance or i think a hybrid is good people connect through the pandemic and items if we if have you know, zoom and face time and things of that nature we feel isolated but i can call or face times someone across the world and say hello. You know, and it is not a big deal i can do it earlier i agree with three its good i mean, i guess i get confused my 13yearold granddaughter no, but thats a good tool. My mom had church at one hundred and 4 without leaving the house so attend church on sundays that is really good for her. Silicon valley and apple and google . Addicting it is a downside but putting that it brings us together but is distracts for the notifications but a i see scary im trying to stay ahead of that. The last one do you think about like your health everyday like the meals you eat . I dont know the way you move about you know, your day is that like every single kind of step you think about it or month when something happens youll figure it out. I pile there if i dont continue moving i wont you know, ill stop moving. I think that to me heavily into ti which he and i feel it is need to do that and keep on moving otherwise ill stop. I have two hip replacements one on each side and as soon as as i get back to running that is important but friends in my age group we do 5 minutes and after that laughter . We have to do something else. Im aware im moving more slowly. I dont have as much flexibility as i used to have so im trying to im aware of that and trying to move more deliberately. And then also around eating my wildlifes are deliberate how we eat and thinking much more carefully about the nutrition and we Pay Attention to that. The one thing about the. Well, do nuts laughter . And im kind of everything hurts but multiple voices . I communitybased what that didnt hurt yesterday why is it hurting today . As were dancing or whatever it didnt hurt but once you stop yeah. So another topic i want to talk about for me and my culture i know youll take care of my mom and i am right now but wondering for you who have kids when you were i guess getting up to the retirement or now are you hoping to expect youre kids will take care of you when our older or a hindrance for them to take care of you and trying to figure out a way they wont have that not a problem but a task in our lives how do you feel about that and i dont want my son to take care of me i expect to provide for my niece i dont want to sadly him with that and want to be able to dance at his we can do better or were adjourned and if he gets a Academy Awards hell help. I work with kids in my life and my wife and i have talked about we know we want them in our lives but set up our lives financially we hope we dont need them well be able to take care of ourselves and live on our own and t though, come and visit us sour grandkids. I feel the same way but 76 years with my enemy which was an incredible experience. And again, i said at one hundred she was still. At one hundred and three unintelligible . laughter. but she taught up us to be independent but i knew culturally was a gift to take care of her and i want to have my daughter have the independence and trying to set it up we dont have to be. You never know you cant plan for that. I have 4 kids that live in various parts of the country we talk about buying an r v and spending time at each kids highway in the driveway and they say dad that joke is getting really tired laughter we dont want to move where our kids are to be close to them they can come and see us, we spend our times with friends and have our kids and grandkids in our lives but not relying on that in that sense. So uk i guess i want to ask this as well as far as a topic of like come to your mind like revisit you because of friends or oat family are passed away is that on your mind kind of often or not oven at all . Every funeral at everyone i learned so much from that legacy i love to hear the stories and talking about the person and celebrated so thats how i processed that i dont think about my own debate but celebrate people what though attributed to the world and i get good are death. I think about my own death celebration my mom we celebrated her life and have several friends on the verge of transitioning but they have taught me that in life i live life until you transition youre not dying i have a celebration you know, we have drag shows and have parties and have like celebrations drumming and i think that is you know, celebrating our lives and before we transition. I have to say had i contemplated the idea of retiring one little calculations how many years to do those other things. And retirement will food me so i have been thinking more about when will i die . But yoyo want to spend the rest of my life getting ready to die but being engaged in the living and new experiences and will not jump out of open airport or par shutting but i want to living is the significant thing and not just the design. I like it reflection my work in hiv and aids spent a lot of time talking about the Little Things as as opposed to dying im ready and continue to be living apartment the quality but not dying but living. And were really, really principles at it table we have a Financial Resources in education and language and the situation but we can do what we want to do. So many he recalls and seniors you know, that dont have that. And thats where we focus a lot of our attention others can make the choices we make because theyre not in our situation. And peoples lives maybe be fairly stable the medical thing hits and its devastating my friend will have to spend his life in a facility and multiple voices . But its costing them thousands of dollars a month and it is financial butcher is serious. So our Healthcare System can an fixed up a little bit better laughter and i agree. laughter. i want to quickly mention a tv show about this man that studied whether that is a high concentration of People Living around the older so found 5 places and i only got through two episodes and italy and loma linda and what are the rituals and how are they doing that caused that and coming up with i highly recommend watching it is spirlg i learned about things i can shift with my mind set things. We saw last night too. I dont know what podium it is on but result is facilitating and oc no was over one hundred. Music was incredibly important part of her life and continues to play and think and keeps you going. And people were walking up steps; right . multiple voices laughter . Walking up and down north beach everyday, everyday. Wow. And linda was talking about the legacy leaving it and other milestones that your trying to Community Church or i feel like for me when i say and talk to my friends and imperative or enemy whatever any milestones youre trying to achieve in the next 10 years. A bunch of criticize i want to go to and the big thing to do my memoirs and got to get my memoirs and my friend says to write my memoirs. Theres a lot of places we want to visit and have friends in various places of worlds and saw them once 20 year ago and want to see them again but the thing i found the writing was important part of legacy thing i start writing down my life. My working title my life but also realized used to have is experiences need to get back to the history of things going on and in chicago in 1968 and what things were happening and recommending it and but part of it say, i want to pass it on leave a legacy for my grand children and great grandchildren that is the life i lived and dont want to leave it but thats what happened laughter . For me, i have a bucket list of travel and absolutely want to go to africa i want to go to africa and go to ghana through the dont ever no return it is important for spiral kind of way to know that my ancestors went through that door and literally turned i wanted to go through the door of no return. And who made it and we survive. I guess mine is simpler i want to see the Northern Light and want a grandchild that is far away im already seven 7 my daughter has no interest at all that but im interested in my grandkids i was 50 before had we adopted our daughter from an older parent and we have friends with grandchildren and great grandchildren at the end of the day, if if i go to bed happy and consent and have a connection with friends and family and joy know ive done the best i could thats my milestone. Jimmy you mentioned wanting to go to guatemalan in a i came back in 2020 and 6 weeks later we were in lock down and thank god i went to guatemalan in a and discovered so many things the feeling of seeing people that look like me and have been to beautify music and clothing and just the sense of purpose and close to your heres and americans are a exodus livestock their best lives Beating Cancer and, you know, having a baby and up and running 7yearold you know, thats the baby but anyway, that i couldnt do but laughter im saying reconnecting was amazing i hope to make that trip to georgia in a soon. And lastly for someone im in any 40s and is there anything you share to me as advise for my next how many years what i should . Any advise for me, im sure i can apply it to people younger than me. Be curious be curious about new things and being willing to embrace new ideas. I find that is really is invigorating and keep drumming. laughter. yeah. laughter. i agree with that stay curious and like keep on swimming swimming in neuro month. Thank you. If you think that is possible go for that go for that and whenever you go and whatever you achieve will be yours. Continue dont be afraid to make a major change in our life i decided to become a presbyterian minister at the age of 50 and wonderful 20 plus years and best things i ever did and put aside what i did before that but i think willing to do thing embrace new things at whatever age is a good thing. And the last thing to know who you are and who you are all the time and people from a young age trying to figure out who am i and the sense you are and that; right . And if you want everyone around you to be you. Thats where all the joys is. Engagement is Critical Energy and family whatever be games spiritual and even with grujz we think well get over them laughter. sometimes you have to let things go a Family Member in work anymore let it go and say. Okay. Thats the way what it is. Thank you so much for coming today and i feel like learning and hearing your stories your life stories is encouraging and people say that it has more meaning what theyve done it themselves and what theyve done in life and very super inspiring to hear from everyone im super, super glad. Thank you for sharing our stories. Thank you. A new community. A new tribe. Yeah