Briefly

Do you remember the first time in your life when you thought you might have some talent? When I was a young child, I did a crayon drawing in school of the Mayflower, similar to this drawing. It was the best art I had done, but it wasn’t really remarkable. My father didn’t pay attention, but my mother did. She didn’t live with us by then, but I showed it to her on a visit. She loved it and told me how well I had done. I was happy with the praise and she wanted to keep the drawing. The next time I was at her house, I saw my drawing on the wall — in a nice, professional frame. She had been proud of me. She wanted me to know that and she wanted visitors to her home to know that, which made me feel special. Children can tell when you give them false praise, but remember to give them sincere praise when they deserve it. Your child might still have a warm feeling in his or her heart decades later — as I do when I think about my mother’s pride in me.

Luchita Hurtado has been painting for her entire life, but she never had any public recognition until now. The 98-year-old artist is originally from Venezuela but now lives in London. She started painting at night while everybody else slept, but she never imagined she would one day get recognition from the art world. Hurtado has a showing of her work at London’s Serpentine Galleries that runs until October — and it’s the first public recognition her work has ever gotten. If there’s something you want to do — or something you need to do — you can still do it. The best time to start pursuing what you love was years ago, but the next best time is today.

When I was growing up, it seemed like a strange idea that an American would want to move to another country, even for retirement. My attitudes were provincial and naive, because I assumed this was the best place to live. When I first started running into people who retired to other places — maybe 25 years ago — it still seemed dangerous and inexplicable. But I’ve traveled enough now — in Caribbean countries and Mexico — to understand that life can be great for Americans who locate to places with a low cost of living, great medical care and plenty of people from back home. I’m more comfortable than ever with the idea of moving to a new place if it offers what I need. More Americans than ever are coming to this same conclusion and I found this article to be a fascinating look at the pros and cons of moving. Are you ready to retire early? Or work online from somewhere with a great lifestyle and low cost of living?