JIM “PAPPY” MOORE: Start Your New Year Right
By Jim “Pappy” Moore
I am a guy who observes life and comments on it. As we age, we see the world differently. As we look back on the arc of our life, we see that we don’t seem to be as “important” as we once were. When we held high positions, when we had higher income, when we were younger and more vibrant, we commanded more people in our realm.
We might have been bosses to others. We might have been highly held advisors to authority figures.
You’ve worked your whole life, now you’re retired. You want to enjoy life, including with many of your extended family members, and long time friends. The phone doesn’t ring much any more, although you to do get a text now and then.
You have all this time, but children, and grandchildren, and others, are busy much of their time. You begin to feel left out. You begin to feel like you don’t matter as much as you used to. What do you do? Do you sit at home and sulk? Do you eat a bag of chips?
This is all true in today’s world for seniors. What you do is get active. YOU have to engage your children and your grandchildren, and nieces & nephews, and grand nieces and nephews. You have to engage friends and shut-ins. You have to make the plans, you have to get out the door, and you have to be the one who goes to see others as long as you can.
I do not take long trips any more. But I’ll drive 2-3 hours one way to see old friends, to see relatives, to see shut-ins. YOU have to be willing to put real effort into keeping the coals burning in all those relationships.
If you’re over 60 and you’re not having as much interaction with younger folks as you’d like, YOU have to take the bull by the horns and change that. There isn’t two weeks that go by that I don’t get in my car and drive distances through traffic to see people I want to see regularly. What is “regularly? Might be twice, or three times, or four times a year. Might be once a month with others. Might be twice or three times a month with others. You have to make time and put in effort (and often money) to keep those connections active.
Sometimes we have to do it online, by regularly chatting with others in our family/extended family.
YOU have to be the one who keeps those relationships going. Schoolmates, same way. I have several dozen school mates from long ago that I keep in touch with because I make the effort and they make the effort.
So my message to all of us, including myself: Don’t complain. Get busy. YOU put your time, your money, and your effort into making all those relationships WORK. It is WORK, but if you’re not WORKING, you are the one who has time to do it.
Daddy used to tell me of tough tasks or hard jobs “Jim, if you can’t get out of it, get into it.” Daddy was a sage that way. Liked by many, he often went to see others more than they came to see him. Thanks, Daddy. Fifty-five years after you passed away, and I still follow your wise words and advice.
Copyright 2026, Jim “Pappy” Moore. All rights Reserved.