robert blu
quiet photographer
John, you are correct. When I retired for a few years I volunteered to teach italian to immigrants. It was a rewarding experience and also verruy interesting. The organisation I was in used to teach face to face, not a frontal lesson. I had opportunikty to meet very different people, I remember one woman coming from a poor village in Africa: she was not able to write or count so the lessons included this as well. Of course her progress were very slow but she was also very determinated to learn. I met her by chance a few weeks ago and she spoke to me in her "primitive" italian asking if I knew if the school will open again (it was closed because of covid).
Or another women who surprised me making notes in arabic when speaking italian...
Definitely a good experience which gave me much more than I received. Cal said it right, we receive what we give...
raid
Dad Photographer
You did a wonderful thing, Robert. You helped the weak.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Calzone and Robert Blu - your words are so inspiring, to me and I am sure to many others. What you wrote expressed my own thoughts about retirement, ageing, finding new meaning in our after-work lives, and of course our photography, how we are able to enhance and expand our lives by reaching out and contributing to the world. So many good thoughts for me to consider and, I hope, act on. Many thanks.
In my small Covid-restricted world I've tried to give back to my community and society. In 2020 and 2021 I donated time and some funds to a neighbourhood volunteer center' assisting those less fortunate and in need of support. We got donations of household items and in a few urgent cases food, clothing, school books, small cash payments for expenses poor families and individuals could not cover on their own - payments for phones, electricity and gas, money to cover overdue rent or medicines not funded by our Medicare system. We had many difficulties and problems, notably when word got out that we were "soft touches" for free money and a few opportunists not really in need were travelling 50 and even 100 miles with their fabricated sad stories, looking for a handout. This was disheartening, but we made some hard decisions and disposed of these gimme-gimme shysters. Those in real need were given what help we could. All hard work, difficult at times, but satisfying.
I also volunteered time to an animal rescue shelter taking in small wildlife injured and traumatised in bush fires and other natural disasters, as well as unwanted small dogs and cats, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs and even pet rats. So many sad stories, from elderly people who loved their animals but had to give them up. More than 200 homeless creatures (even a few cuddly small koalas!) were taken in and housed temporarily, cared for (a few had been badly neglected and needed vet care, and eventually returned to the wild or placed in new homes - one mother rat gave birth to seven babies which certainly added to our challenges, but happily no animals we took in had to be euthanised.
There were some in our town who said, "they are only animals, why do you bother??" to which my answer was, "pets are people too". To those of a Buddhist turn of mind, this is a crucial life principle - all are living beings who did not ask to be born, and we have a duty and a responsibility to them.
In late April a new community group will open to assist refugees and I plan to be involved, this time on the executive committee and involved in establishing the guidelines to help locals in need, to ensure our aid is given fairly and where it will be most effective. So new challenges - and demands on my time and energy. I look forward to helping as much as I can.
In Australia know we've had devastating floods in two states with so many homeless and without possessions. Again we will help as we can, but it isn't yet clear how charities and aid groups can help. There is also the Ukraine with so many refugees. We want to do all we can, but our time and money are finite.
This thread is really about photography and how we are coping in our retirement. Let's move on.
In my small Covid-restricted world I've tried to give back to my community and society. In 2020 and 2021 I donated time and some funds to a neighbourhood volunteer center' assisting those less fortunate and in need of support. We got donations of household items and in a few urgent cases food, clothing, school books, small cash payments for expenses poor families and individuals could not cover on their own - payments for phones, electricity and gas, money to cover overdue rent or medicines not funded by our Medicare system. We had many difficulties and problems, notably when word got out that we were "soft touches" for free money and a few opportunists not really in need were travelling 50 and even 100 miles with their fabricated sad stories, looking for a handout. This was disheartening, but we made some hard decisions and disposed of these gimme-gimme shysters. Those in real need were given what help we could. All hard work, difficult at times, but satisfying.
I also volunteered time to an animal rescue shelter taking in small wildlife injured and traumatised in bush fires and other natural disasters, as well as unwanted small dogs and cats, birds, hamsters, guinea pigs and even pet rats. So many sad stories, from elderly people who loved their animals but had to give them up. More than 200 homeless creatures (even a few cuddly small koalas!) were taken in and housed temporarily, cared for (a few had been badly neglected and needed vet care, and eventually returned to the wild or placed in new homes - one mother rat gave birth to seven babies which certainly added to our challenges, but happily no animals we took in had to be euthanised.
There were some in our town who said, "they are only animals, why do you bother??" to which my answer was, "pets are people too". To those of a Buddhist turn of mind, this is a crucial life principle - all are living beings who did not ask to be born, and we have a duty and a responsibility to them.
In late April a new community group will open to assist refugees and I plan to be involved, this time on the executive committee and involved in establishing the guidelines to help locals in need, to ensure our aid is given fairly and where it will be most effective. So new challenges - and demands on my time and energy. I look forward to helping as much as I can.
In Australia know we've had devastating floods in two states with so many homeless and without possessions. Again we will help as we can, but it isn't yet clear how charities and aid groups can help. There is also the Ukraine with so many refugees. We want to do all we can, but our time and money are finite.
This thread is really about photography and how we are coping in our retirement. Let's move on.
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
I'm back, snacking at 3.30 AM snack on a fresh pear and feta cheese, tyyping more thoughts on my laptop. Late night insomnia is my motivator for putting new words to the keyboard...
Archiver, you wrote an excellent post (#16) with so many good thoughts - I found it stimulating to read the comments from someone who is not yet retired but actively thinking about and planning it, illustrated with your fine images. I've not been to Docklandsfor a long time, there is a fine public library there and in the days when I lived closer to Melbourne I often went there to sit at a smalll desk with good books and look out the window at the sea views. Memorable indeed. I still have my library card for the city, so who knows, maybe in the not-too-distant future...
You mentioned my earlier post about downsizing my photography. I did it, in a way - mostly film gear, parting with some of my older film cameras was difficult, but had to be done as we were moving to r another (Australian) state. For me with my indecisiveness, the effort involved in sorting, culling, packing and unpacking like trying to herd a flock of cats across a desert. Of course I took too much back to our new home, and I then spent months toredoing all that again. In the end several cameras and a lot of my home darkroom went to new owners.
As ever being me, of course then new gear, digital Nikons, a Fujifilm kit and some new lenses, which of course put the entire culling exercise firmly into the red. I did keep a minimalist darkroom - my future film work will largely be using up long-hoarded stocks of Panatomic-X and Ilford films in my Nikkormats and Rollei TLRs, and the dozen boxes of good quality FB paper I held on to.
We all have our time to do things and as we know time isn't finite. I want to do more travelling when Covid restrictions in Asia are more sensible, but due to my age and some health concerns I won't be away for up to six months like before. My time to travel is now in short supply. .
I've owned some great film cameras and I've had wonderful times working and playing with them.
all things change and eventually it will all end. I must accept this and change with accordingly.
Archiver, you wrote an excellent post (#16) with so many good thoughts - I found it stimulating to read the comments from someone who is not yet retired but actively thinking about and planning it, illustrated with your fine images. I've not been to Docklandsfor a long time, there is a fine public library there and in the days when I lived closer to Melbourne I often went there to sit at a smalll desk with good books and look out the window at the sea views. Memorable indeed. I still have my library card for the city, so who knows, maybe in the not-too-distant future...
You mentioned my earlier post about downsizing my photography. I did it, in a way - mostly film gear, parting with some of my older film cameras was difficult, but had to be done as we were moving to r another (Australian) state. For me with my indecisiveness, the effort involved in sorting, culling, packing and unpacking like trying to herd a flock of cats across a desert. Of course I took too much back to our new home, and I then spent months toredoing all that again. In the end several cameras and a lot of my home darkroom went to new owners.
As ever being me, of course then new gear, digital Nikons, a Fujifilm kit and some new lenses, which of course put the entire culling exercise firmly into the red. I did keep a minimalist darkroom - my future film work will largely be using up long-hoarded stocks of Panatomic-X and Ilford films in my Nikkormats and Rollei TLRs, and the dozen boxes of good quality FB paper I held on to.
We all have our time to do things and as we know time isn't finite. I want to do more travelling when Covid restrictions in Asia are more sensible, but due to my age and some health concerns I won't be away for up to six months like before. My time to travel is now in short supply. .
I've owned some great film cameras and I've had wonderful times working and playing with them.
all things change and eventually it will all end. I must accept this and change with accordingly.