MisterBeasley The secret to Eternal Life is not to die until you understand everything there is to know about DCC.
The secret to Eternal Life is not to die until you understand everything there is to know about DCC.
As a wise man once said while teaching Logic 101 to undergraduates, "Nothing is better than Eternal Life."
"A hamburger is better than nothing."
"Therefore, a hamburger is better than Eternal Life."
Dave Nelson
blabrideSo any advice from you older more experienced model railroader's is very welcome. Please keep the stories coming. Steve B
Steve, One thing I've learn if you keep your mind "young" and your body will follow. Old folks here sit around like zombies getting older I on the other hand play video games on my PS4 and detail my Athearn engines this keeps my mind busy and not decaying into a "old man" in mind and body though I'll soon be 72..
Truth be told I suspect they will find me dead at my work desk or ISL with throttle in hand while cars and locomotive are found laying on the floor..
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
blabride...So any advice from you older more experienced model railroader's is very welcome. Please keep the stories coming.
My only advice would be to not get older.
CanalligatorsNo, the report does not say that the hobby activity reduces suicides. It says that there is a correlation. The study specifically says, "Therefore, the analyses do not reveal a real causal effect, but rather a correlation between type of social contact available and leisure activities." So you don't know if hobbies are the cause of reduced suicides, or the kind of people who are not inclined to suicide are also interested in hobbies....
In this house, there are days when all I do is hobby-related stuff, and it seems to me that my hobby may be sowing seeds of mariticide in SWMBO.
If my posts come to an abrupt end, well it's been fun.
Oh, and be here on garbage day, 'cause it'll all be at the roadside.
Wayne
Yes, I get why some get so frustrated that they consider calling it quits. This hobby encourages creativity. Talking to others also does that and you engage in therapy to minimize the frustrations.
I know that when the Mrs. (with the Masters in physchology) tells me that I need to go "play trains", I go.
She knows me.
Terry
Terry in NW Wisconsin
Queenbogey715 is my Youtube channel
Sorry, Paul. And thanks for coming back and correcting me.
tin can I used to say the model railroading was the only thing I could fully control, in that my trains did exactly what I wanted them to do. Of course, that was before DCC.
I used to say the model railroading was the only thing I could fully control, in that my trains did exactly what I wanted them to do. Of course, that was before DCC.
It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse.
selector I hope Paul won't mind my saying so, but I have to disagree with his statement that "...there's no payback..." when volunteering.
Uh, what I actually said is there is no paycheck. As you say volunteering carries it's own reward other than financial. I mention the paycheck only because some folks only feel what they are doing has worth if they are getting paid for it - for them volunteering may not be satisfying.
As I noted later on, my wife found volunteering in retirement as an NP very rewarding. Personally, I have found the volunteering I have done during my life to be very rewarding in and of itself.
Paul
Some widsom from people who lived long before I came along:
Qui non proficit deficit. "Who does not advance falls behind." You have to plod. Roots grow out of your soles if you stop plodding.
"It is in the giving that you receive." I hope Paul won't mind my saying so, but I have to disagree with his statement that "...there's no payback..." when volunteering. The human is very complex and finds 'compensation' many ways. Just at the basic level of physiology, one produces endorphins when one does something akin to truly altruistic behaviours...something for someone else where you stand to gain nothing concrete. IOW, volunteering has intrinsic value because it is its own reward.
"When your body wears out, where will you live?" 'Nuff said.
One needn't join a team, take up running, spend money on George Carlin's bane (he called it 'stuff')...just get on some decent walking shoes and do what they were meant for! I go out for a pretty stiff 10km walk several times each week. It's great to get you attuned to your own environment and neighbourhood, you see things, you meet others doing the same thing.
Read. I mean some difficult reading. Something like the Peloponnesian Wars by Thucidides, or Dante's Divine Comedy. How about The Illiad? These are masterworks so outstanding that to go to one's death without ever having attempted a good solid, honest, run at them is, I think, a tragedy all by itself. It is when doing things that are difficult that we begin to learn about ourselves.
I'll end with Socrates, whom I believe said something like the following:
"It is the duty of every man to keep himself physically strong and ready to serve his country at a moment's notice. The requirements of citizenship demand it likewise. How dangerous it would be for a nation of ill-trained youth in times of war or danger. Finally, what a disgrace it would be for a man to grow old without ever seeing the strength and beauty of which his body is capable." Socrates could have said the same about one's mind. When did you decide to stop learning?
blabrideThank goodness for substitute teaching which I will do at least twice a week as long as my health lets me.
That's good to hear.
I have two life long friends that both were band/drama teachers now retired. The did some substitute teaching after they retired but have both moved into the movie/TV biz big time doing a little acting but mostly working with children in helping them rehearse for there roles in film. They got into it as just something to try as the movie industry is screaming for people. They fell headlong into the deep end and are loving every minute of it and don't know what to do with all the money they are making.
It doesn't matter where the train is going, the important thing is getting on.
Brent
"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."
Do what you love doing and that includes work,
This is a big concern of mine about retirement. As the Jews say "Work makes life sweet", this is something I learned very early in life. There is nothing more special than the two week break for teachers during the holidays after a particulary tough semester. I amd worried I will lose that Euphoric feeling in retirement. Thank goodness for substitute teaching which I will do at least twice a week as long as my health lets me.
Steve B
drgwcs As a pastor a couple of observations. Time with nothing to do with many people induces worry. I think this is magnified in the case of retirement- a lot of folks go from being busy to doing nothing.
That is a very good observation. Worry/stress is really bad for your health so get back to work even if you work for free, it's called volunteering. You will be much healthier for it and meet some great people along the way.
Canalligators No, the report does not say that the hobby activity reduces suicides. It says that there is a correlation. The study specifically says, "Therefore, the analyses do not reveal a real causal effect, but rather a correlation between type of social contact available and leisure activities." So you don't know if hobbies are the cause of reduced suicides, or the kind of people who are not inclined to suicide are also interested in hobbies. This is important, friends. The first question that you ask yourself when reading about some study, is "Does it claim cause & effect, or just correlation?" The next question is, was it a well-designed experiment, with peer review? Critical thinking is an important part of being an informed citizen.
No, the report does not say that the hobby activity reduces suicides. It says that there is a correlation. The study specifically says, "Therefore, the analyses do not reveal a real causal effect, but rather a correlation between type of social contact available and leisure activities."
So you don't know if hobbies are the cause of reduced suicides, or the kind of people who are not inclined to suicide are also interested in hobbies.
This is important, friends. The first question that you ask yourself when reading about some study, is "Does it claim cause & effect, or just correlation?" The next question is, was it a well-designed experiment, with peer review?
Critical thinking is an important part of being an informed citizen.
blabrideSo any advice from you older more experienced model railroader's is very welcome. Please keep the stories coming.
My advice would be to stay busy enough that you say I wish I had more time for trains.
I loved my job a lot but after forced (medical) retirement, I found myself at the hockey rink more and more and loving every minute of getting those kids on the ice.
Nothing wrong with getting another job or keep on doing with what you were doing. Do what you love doing and that includes work, I never understood why people stay at jobs they hate.
As a pastor a couple of observations. Time with nothing to do with many people induces worry. I think this is magnified in the case of retirement- a lot of folks go from being busy to doing nothing. Having a hobby gives somthing to think about and keep busy. For me model railroading is an outlet- it relieves the pressures of the day (pastors, good ones, carry the needs and burdens of their folks with them) It gives a chance to escape and relax (except when that last kadee spring hits hyperspace. ) I think that is true of most people- you need an outlet. My two cents.
Awesome and very timely for me. I have been in Model Railroading and Scale Modeling since I was about 7. It definitely has always served me in many ways. In my younger years it was there to keep me company as being the baby of both of my parents close extended families I had to spend a lot of time finding something to do. Since I have been married the last 35 years it, as my wife says, keeps me home. It is also a lot cheaper than other hobbies that my friends have had over the years. Also as a 35 year High School teacher I can vouch for its relaxing stress relief properties.
This past month I turned 60 and as I face retiring next year I can see where it will help me in the future. I still though have begun the process of worring about my abilities to keep things going. Currently I have been spending most of my hobby time putting in decoders in the few locos I have left to convert. I am realizing the effects of age on precision soldering.
While being in great shape, as my other hobby is Mountain Biking I do have a health issue that concerns me and I find myself more often wondering how long I have left as well as how that should effect the things I have left to do. I have two stints in my right artery due to a mild heart attack back in 2012 mostly to genetic issues, as I have never had high blood pressure, been overweight, smoked or had very high cholesterol. The good news is the rest of the heart looks like a normal healthy 60 year old. This has driven my to exercise at least 30 minutes a day and be strict about my diet.
So while being very gratefull of the idea it could be much worse I still have grown leary of retirement and its affect on my Psyche. I will admit Teaching is truely a master status with me and it is something I have been very good at. Students litteraly fight to get me as their teacher. I also can't keep previous students out of my room. So the idea of leaving it all behind is kind of frightening to me.
So any advice from you older more experienced model railroader's is very welcome. Please keep the stories coming.
dknelsonI just don't know if a hobby can replace in a person's life what an important job once supplied them.
Volunteering might. There's no paycheck, but there are many organizations that need volunteers. Some of these may use former job skills some may not.
My wife who is a retired Nurse Pratitioner volunteered 1-2 days a week as an NP for 6 years at the local free clinic after retiring (that actually cost us because she still had to do all the things necessary to keep up her credentials, but it was very rewarding for her). A friend volunteers with the USO.
And of course most NMRA divisions and regions as well as the national need volunteers.
Post deleted, error.
cowman Maybe that's why a lot of us have continuous runnihg, it's therapy just to watch our trains going round and round. Have fun, Richard
Maybe that's why a lot of us have continuous runnihg, it's therapy just to watch our trains going round and round.
Have fun,
Richard
Hey Richard-
You might have something there.
One of the current fads is watching ASMR videos. If you don't know the term, google it. This isn't that, but watching and listening to the wheels go round and round is very relaxing.
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
I have two hobbies; model railroading and hot rodding. My physical health has gotten to the point where I can't build my own fast cars, anymore, but I still enjoy them. When I used to get wound up, I could take the car out and make a simulated dragstrip pass; it got the adrenaline flowing and took my mind off of whatever had me wound up. When I was involved in drag racing, one of the requirements was my full attention. Now, that I'm older, going down and working on a model railroad project is calming, usually. Sometimes, it can be frustrating as age creeps and affects our eyesight, steady hands, etc. But, another thing that helps is patience, and, I've found that as I've gotten older, I'm more patient about most things; except stupid. I have almost none for that... So, when that happens, I can fire up the Mustang or power up the layout. Luckily, I haven't had to deal with the loss of a long-time spouse, but I've had friends that have. I just let them know that if they ever need anyone just to talk to, or listen, that I'm always there for them.
Marlon
See pictures of the Clinton-Golden Valley RR
There are some obvious jokes to me made about the assertion that model railroading cuts down the risk of suicide, given the frustrations the hobby can generate, but the topic is too sensitive and important for much joking.
I have several hobbies, with model trains blended with railfanning and photography, although I also photograph nature and the outdoors and regard nature and bird watching as important hobbies in and of themselves. Listening to and making music are other hobbies. I might even take up golf again, although it is not a game I recommend if suicide prevention is am important goal. (Sorry to joke when I said I wouldn't.) My vegetable garden is a hobby I suppose.
I would be very reluctant to claim that these hobbies can ward off depression. I suspect hobbies can even be a cause of depression if and when age and infirmity cause you have to give up a beloved hobby and there is nothing to take its place. Or maybe the ill health and infirmity are enough.
I do worry about one of my former work colleagues who retired the same time I did. He frequently laments that he has no hobbies whatever, and says he envies the fact that I have so many hobbies. I know he reads and likes baseball, but it sounds like his daily routines are very uneventful. He does not exercise. I think his major retirement activity has been, frankly, snacking and he's gained weight and had some health scares relating to his heart and his diabetes. I am the last person to declare that someone else has clinical depression, but I do think taking work out of someone's life can be and is more wrenching for some than for others, and if that new free time is replaced by pure idleness, particularly for someone who was a highly educated professional and had an important position that many people relied on, it takes an emotional toll.
I just don't know if a hobby can replace in a person's life what an important job once supplied them.
selectorThe psychologist Rotter proposed a model for efficacy in living where he felt that there were essentially two kinds of people: those who feel the world happens to them, and those who feel they happen to the world. His terms, formally, were external and internal loci of control (loci being the plural of 'locus', or place).
Not sure when Dr Rotter made his profundity, however, way back as a young lad a man I admired very much said to me once, some people let things happen and some people make things happen. At that point, I took control over my life and have never looked back.
I do not have a lot of faith in the medical industry, while I still turn to it when needed I rely on doing my own homework especially when it comes to medications. If I get a prescription, I do a lot of reading on it before I get it filled.
I have found that diet even more than exercise affects my health more than anything. I am not on any meds and feel great for the most part, that is a big change for me from a few years ago.
I have been involved with sledge hockey and we have a lot of wounded warriors and accident victims that are enjoying an active life on the ice. These men and women are very fit and though they may be wasted away below the waist or have missing limbs they are able to eat right and workout and maintain a healthy lifestyle, go figure.
Volunteering reaps its own rewards and opens a lot of doors. Someone just gave us airfare and a five-night stay in Las Vegas saying we do so much for everyone it was the least they could do, not sure when we will get down there, we are busy.
My kid volunteers a lot and it has opened a lot of doors for him as it is the community and industry leaders that see him in action helping out with so many projects and events. Some people make their own luck.
I firmly believe that in today's world society should be able to offer everyone a full tummy, a warm place to live, good health care and education. These things benefit us all in the end. But as the old saying goes "you can lead a horse to water".
Do what you can to stay off medications. Doctors tend to over- medicate everyone, particularly seniors. Medications have side effects, and doctors ignore those. Too many of those may-cause-drowsiness pills turns seniors into TV-watching zombies who would be far better off without so many pills.
I argued strenuously to stop taking a particular drug, and finally my cardiologist relented. I now feel a lot better. I feel stronger and my mind is clearer and more alert. I have more energy and can increase my exercise, something the doctor wanted me to do but the drubgs made me too tired to do.
Hi selector,
I believe that what you say is very true. Recently I have confessed my own trials and tribulations with my club and the depression that it has brought on, but make no mistake, I am not defeated!!! I will triumph over this latest depressive episode and the people who have brought it on can go to....... Sorry, can't say the words here!
Your comments have reinforced what I need to do to help myself and my family. Thank you!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
I believe that how a person lives is based on learning and on personality. That applies to old age, widowed, separated, divorced, married, retired, employed, happy, lonely, involved, sad, or unhinged.
The psychologist Rotter proposed a model for efficacy in living where he felt that there were essentially two kinds of people: those who feel the world happens to them, and those who feel they happen to the world. His terms, formally, were external and internal loci of control (loci being the plural of 'locus', or place).
Some people feel they have little efficacy, or little 'say' in what happens to them. Others feel that it is incumbent upon themselves to effect the quality of life they want, and to generate desired experiences. Those with a strong internal locus of control are in the latter group.
People who waste away, and if they are not mentally ill and actually quite severely and intractably depressed (essentially untreatable), don't feel they are in control, or have lost their nerve, or they lose their support base, even if it's just a partner of some years. Those who are go-getters, who are keen to manage their own decline, who are not averse to learning everything there is to know about conditions they experience...these are people who are apt to outlive everything except real calamities, things that really are quite catastrophic, like cancers and other disorders brought about by sleep apnea, heart problems, poor hygiene habits, and so on...lack of excercise, lack of outside interests, bad moods, poor socialization and its attendant skills.
Life is hard. You'll go quickly after retiring if you don't continue to fight for the length of every day. If you don't walk, pet a dog, do things together with the woman or partner, volunteer your time, talents, or treasures, eat fresh fruit, and minimize the consumption of things your own mother never gave you, you at least should do the responsible thing and have a proper will made up and left with a reasonable and trusted agent/executor.
Not surprising, seeing as how many times I’ve seen folks in the MR layout articles describe their layout as away to get away from things!
Personally I find model railroading very calming! Running the train around in circles works great to calm one down! Working on the train can to, yes it can be frustrating, but given the little work I get done on my layout , getting anything done gives be satisfaction!
Regards, Isaac
I model my railroad and you model yours! I model my way and you model yours!
Everyone should have a hobby. A person needs a few hours a week to not think about work or other obligations.
Ed
Semi newbie HO scale modeler coming from the O scale world
CanalligatorsCritical thinking is an important part of being an informed citizen.