Mona Risk Talks About Retiring and Her New Career

Some people never retire because they wouldn’t know what to do with themselves. My uncle is one of them. At eighty, he still goes to work every day. But he can’t drive from Long Island to Manhattan and brave the horrendous traffic. Without him and his incredible experience as VP, the contracting company would collapse. To keep him, the CEO assigned him a car and chauffeur to bring to the office every day.

 Most seniors don’t have such luxury— or luck—to continue working while enjoying a certain comfort. If they don’t have a hobby and are forced to quit working, they often slouch in front of the TV for hours, lose interest in trying new things, and miss fantastic opportunities to be useful and active. I have another uncle in that category who ended up with Alzheimer’s disease. 

Others, like me, wish there were more hours in the day to fit my new career as a writer and the endless promotion that came with it as an unwelcome bonus. I also have to create time for exercising, socializing, traveling, doctors’ appointments, and answering my long-suffering husband when he tries to interrupt my busy schedule with a question or a request. Oh, I also try to create time for cooking.  I forgot to mention it because I often forget to cook, and end up quickly fixing a salad or grilling ‘something’.

Recently, I started a new endeavor: I publish my own ebooks. Check them on Amazon and spend an entertaining moment with two lovely romances that are priced at only $0.99.

 

NO MORE LIES  http://tinyurl.com/3lenmfd

RIGHT NAME, WRONG MAN http://tinyurl.com/85o4wg7

To which category of retirees do you belong?

Cruisin' With Spunky Senior, Mona Risk



From the Nile Cruise



Cruises are becoming the most common way to see the world and unwind in an enjoyable surrounding. My husband calculated that it was cheaper to board a ship from Fort Lauderdale and go on a week cruise than pay airfare, hotel, restaurants and entertainments.

Carnaval offers good family rate and you see a lot of children on Carnaval ships, especially around school holiday.



Royal Caribbean’s latest creation is a humongous ship called Oasis. Friends told us they felt they were in a fancy hotel with a huge market area, but they lost the special pleasure of the ocean view from every corner as many lounges are set in the middle of the ship. In addition, with so many people on board the service lacked the VIP treatment offered on smaller ships.



My favorite cruise line is Princess. We cruise with them over ten times in the Caribbean, Mediterranean Sea, South America, and Polynesian Islands. I highly appreciate their accommodations, shows and food. Beside, they have special accommodations, wider rooms and bathrooms in addition to wheel chairs for senior citizens and handicaps. Their frequent cruisers are often upgraded to better rooms or suits with vase of flowers, fruits baskets and drinks set in their rooms to greet them.



The Royal Palace in Budapest



Two years ago, we discovered the River Cruise lines: Memphis, to cruise the Nile River in Egypt and visit the monuments of Luxor, Karnack and Abou Simble—what a magnificent treat. And two weeks ago, Avalon to cruise the Danube from Bucharest, Romania, to Vienna, Austria. We also visited Bulgaria nd the Black Sea, stopped in Belgrade, Serbia, and Budapest, Hungary, an unforgettable trip I blogged about twice on www.monarisk.blogspot.com



During one of our cruises, we met a woman in her seventies who lives ten months a year on a cruise ship. She sold her house and her car, and explained that on a cruise ship she doesn’t have to fix her room, or prepare her meals. She enjoys movies and performances without having to drive to a theater. She has plenty of books to read, a laptop to connect with the world and makes friends with other travelers. The doctor on board knows her well and takes care of her little problems. Sometimes she joins a tour and visits a new place. Twice a year she spends a month at her children and goes through all her medical checkups, buys her supply of medicine and reserves the next cruise. She told me she was writing her memoirs.

Would you be able to live on a ship?

If you like to travel and love to read, come and enjoy my international romances.

I will take you around the world through stories that simmer with emotion and sizzle with passion.

http://www.monarisk.com/