Retirement Musings and Everyday Delights
Something I've become more aware of lately is the fine line between comfort and complacency. A major factor in unhappiness is the inability to be content with what you have, so finding joy in the everyday moments without always wanting or needing things to be different, is critical. The flip side, though, is that you … Continue reading Tidings of Comfort and Joy
Years ago, I read The Happiness Hypothesis, and one of the author's arguments was that there were three ways to raise your baseline happiness level: medication, meditation and cognitive behaviour therapy. Two out of three of those involve paying attention to your thoughts. Meditation is about mindfulness, becoming aware of the constant chatter in your … Continue reading Thinking About Thinking
I've always loved to travel. Travel was #1 on my list of things to do in retirement. And not just the occasional trip. I wanted to buy a sailboat or an RV or a canal boat and do long-term adventure travel. It was the reason we didn't get another dog after our chocolate lab passed … Continue reading Throwing out the Bucket List
Deciding where to live in retirement can be a difficult decision. Part of my parents' retirement plan was that they'd downsize, but when it came time for it, they stayed where they were because of the neighbours. When we moved to Ontario in the 70s, our neighbours became our family. We spent holidays together and … Continue reading Community
But the thing about the last timeIs you don't know that it's the last time 'til it is The Last Time, Tenille Townes For most of the last decade or so, Rob & Sue have opened their cottage to our gang for a weekend every summer. Often that's meant fitting 21 of us around the … Continue reading The Last Time
Ray just turned 65 and, although he doesn't normally like a big deal made of his birthday, he made an exception this year because it's 'payback time'. After many years of contributing, he can finally start collecting CPP and OAS. He said I could plan a birthday celebration for him and that he liked the … Continue reading Old Age Pensioner in the House
It was our turn to host games night and Ray came up with the idea of a gingerbread house contest. He spent the weekend making and measuring gingerbread, and planning how the contest would be judged and scored. He loves that kind of thing. Each team got the same amount of gingerbread pieces and candy … Continue reading You lose some…you lose some
At a certain point, aging starts to feel surreal. You have these moments of, "wait...when did...how did...?" Ray will be eligible for Old Age Security in a few months, and several of our friends have already reached that milestone. All around us, people our age are having grandchildren. Grandchildren! When did...how did...we become part of … Continue reading Too soon old and too late smart
A few weeks ago I posted about Ray and Bill driving to Ottawa to help Heather and Murray after the storm. We've known Heather and Murray for 23 years. Unbeknownst to us at the time, Heather and I gave birth in the same hospital two days apart. We lived in the same neighbourhood and met … Continue reading Sharing fun, friendship and…sadly, covid
Adventure vs stability, novelty vs routine...where are you most comfortable on that spectrum? I wrote a while ago about identifying my core values in retirement - purpose, connectedness and adventure. The first two are pretty universal, but the third one is more individual. Some people thrive on change, while others prefer the comfort of routine … Continue reading Adventure vs Comfort
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