Music
Royce Shook
Transition to Retrement

"Music is, to me, proof of the existence of God.
It is so extraordinarily full of magic, and in tough times
of my life I can listen to music and it makes such a difference."—Kurt Vonnegut
"All deep things are song. It seems somehow the very central essence of us, song; as if all the rest were but wrappages and hulls!"--Thomas Carlyle
Music is an important part of who we are as Boomers. I once heard someone say that our musical tastes become frozen in the time of our late teens. I wonder if that is true for most of us? I know that I love the music of the 50's and the 60's. Each time I listen carefully to a song, the memories come flooding back, the sites the sounds, the smells, the atmosphere of when I first heard the music.
When my children were old enough to understand stories, and we would be in the car driving I kept the radio on, I always took the time to tell stories about most of the songs we heard. Many I made up, just to amuse my kids but others were based on what I had heard or read about the songs.
I listened to all types of music and my son said the other day that the first recollections of music he remembers were songs we played from Broadway plays. I had forgotten that we had a collection of songs that we listened to in the evenings when not much was on TV.
Music is important and will continue to be important in my life.
More articles by Royce
A Guide to Staying Calm
Let's be honest with one another. The world feels shorter now. Shorter news cycles, shorter attention spans, shorter fuses. Everywhere you look, people seem wound tight, ready to snap at the slightest...

Starting Over Part 3
So, you have to wonder what about baby boomers makes them want to start new careers late in life over the next few posts I will highlight some seniors who have made the leap, next up Claire Cook. Thes...

Starting Over Part 2
These stories illustrate that it's never too late to pursue new passions or careers. Each individual faced unique challenges and motivations but found renewed purpose and satisfaction in their later y...
