Hard Times, Wild Times, and Suffering

What are the hard times that we have lived through? Is hardship also suffering? And what about wild times, does that equate with hard times? What are the hard times that have left a mark on us? What is that mark? How does it impact our tolerance or compassion? We take on these questions and have a compelling conversation about how our lived experiences have shaped us and what we learned from them. We are forever changed by events that affect us deeply and are always working through them on some level at different times in our lives. Retirement is one of those times that brings the unexpected resurfacing of the traumas of our younger selves at a time when we may be declining in health and experiencing new hardships. We explore how we manage and cope, the unrealistic societal expectations around hardship and loss, and how we continue to care for our retired selves and others in the face of human suffering