“Confessions of an Old Tuba Player”
Blogging through retirement with Mike Bellah, Ph.D.
The best is yet to be.
Stories, reflections and hard-won hope about retirement, walking for joy, faith, family and the dreams that keep us young.
Mike Bellah doesn't just write about retirement. He's living it—and inviting his readers along for the adventure. Meet Mike →
New book
Should I Retire Tomorrow? What Will I Lose If I Don’t?
How Opportunity Cost Tells You When to Retire
From the blog
Latest stories
“The Summer of 1958”
Memories & Nostalgia
The Summer of 1958
“OO EE, OO AH AH, TING TANG, WALLA WALLA BING BANG.” Ask any child or teen-ager of the ’50s what this phrase means and they will remember the summer of 1958, a summer most memorable because of its music, including “Witch Doctor” by David Seville and “Purple People Eater” by Sheb Wooley. Actually, Seville’s song…
7 comments
Walking & the Outdoors
What If?
What if the baby boom generation—who were recipients of JFK’s fitness program in schools of the ‘50s and ‘60s—could once again return walking to an everyday practice for ordinary Americans—young and old? How could that happen? Well, I’m pretty sure we won’t do it by lecturing on the subject. Similarly, Kennedy’s words in Sports Illustrated…
“How John F. Kennedy Got America Walking”
Walking & the Outdoors
How John F. Kennedy Got America Walking
In December of 1960, while still the President-Elect, JFK wrote an article for Sports Illustrated called “The Soft American.” In it he bemoaned the fact that American young people lagged far behind their European counterparts in physical fitness. Kennedy believed the “softness” of the nation’s youth portended greater consequences than the obvious health one. “The…
Teaching & Writing
Too Old to Publish?
I posed the question in my last blog. I’m closer to 80 than to 70 now so what makes me think I can go on writing something people will actually read? Don’t those creative juices dry up when you get older? Maybe not. In 1932 Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote Little House in the Big Woods,…
“The Day before the Day before Book Launch”
Teaching & Writing
The Day before the Day before Book Launch
I said there were two problems selling the first version of my book. The first I wrote about in the last blog. The title and cover did not appeal to the right audience. The second was similar. The paperback price was not acceptable to potential readers. It was way too high priced (almost $30). And…
“A Book Redo”
Walking & the Outdoors
A Book Redo
We composition teachers talk a lot about audience. If one doesn’t know who his audience is—even if he writes a persuasive argument—he will fail. Why? Because the audience may not understand or, even worse, may not care. Which is what happened on my first attempt to publish this book. It was titled Walking through Retirement:…
Explore by topic
What Mike writes about
- Walking & the OutdoorsWalking for joy: trails, mountains, canyons, beaches and the people who walked them first.97 posts
- RetirementHonest, hopeful answers to the questions retirees are asking.47 posts
- Dreams & CreativityIt takes a dream: recovering lost dreams and living them.33 posts
- Faith & HopeReflections on faith, grace and the hope that sustains us.29 posts
- Family & FriendsCharlotte, the kids, the grandkids, the Bellah brothers and old friends.68 posts
- Memories & NostalgiaThe '50s, '60s and growing up in West Texas.17 posts
- Teaching & WritingLessons from the classroom at Amarillo College and the writing life.67 posts
The bookshelf
Honest and hopeful books for the best years
From the #1 bestseller 1001 Fun Things To Do in Retirement to devotional memoir, Mike’s books share what he’s learned about recovering lost dreams—and living them.
See all books
From readers
The conversation
“In the summer of 1958 I became a newly created zygote, growing in my mother’s womb and being born April of 59!”
Phillip S on The Summer of 1958
“In 1958, my parents were living the dream. They had two boys, and a small house they rented in Seagraves, Texas. He drove a Pole Truck for Southwestern Public Service, and that was the life they had planned. He got transferred to Amarillo and got a promotion to System Dispatcher in 61. They got a SURPRISE in July of 1962, ME! They have gone on to their reward, my brothers, as well. I'm looking forward to the day when I can surprise them again!”
Tom Newman on The Summer of 1958
“Thanks for the memory. I was about a year away from our moving to Canyon. The FPPE song represented a breakthrough. It made no sense, it wasn't melodic, and our parents didn't like or understand it. They would never like our music again, and we felt we had arrived as a new force in the land. Quickly came folk-rock, Blues-R&B, US rock & roll, Beatles and Brits, drug influence, and a music explosion that consumed our generation.”
PAUL STOKER on The Summer of 1958
“Thanks for sharing Mike. I can remember sitting on the back steps of San Jacinto Elementary in Amarillo at recess singing Flying Purple People Eater. It’s funny the selective moments we (or I anyway) remember. Like a little short movie in my head.”
Tom Griffin on The Summer of 1958