Retirement Musings and Everyday Delights
Other than financial security and choosing where to live, one of the biggest challenges of retirement is figuring out what you'll do with your time. For some people that comes easily, but for many others it takes time, and often multiple failures, to figure it out. Quilting, dog agility, and curling were all things I … Continue reading Finding your passion. If at first you don’t succeed…
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
There's nothing I love more than a good mystery...if I can solve it. Otherwise, it drives me a little crazy. I've recently been presented with two mysteries that are as yet unsolved. One of our neighbourhood rituals is the 7:00 dog walk. Several neighbours gather around the same time every evening to walk and chat. … Continue reading Choose your vibes carefully
One difference between where we lived in Ottawa and where we live now is that spring is much more visible (and audible) here. When our yard was a forest, the main signs of spring were trilliums blooming and chipmunks coming out of hibernation. Living next to a marsh, we have birds and bunnies nesting on … Continue reading Spring has sprung
I've read that most people think they're more open-minded than they are. That's partly because we conflate having liberal views with being open-minded. Open-mindedness is about being open to ideas other than our own and being curious about why people think or act differently than we do. One way to test your open-mindedness is to … Continue reading How open-minded are you?
I keep seeing ads offering to have AI write my blog posts for me, which I find rather amusing because writing the blog is definitely a case where it's the journey, not the destination. Writing isn't a means to an end, it's a way to process ideas, play with words and reflect on life. Why … Continue reading A Recipe for Friendship
It's mid-January, so that means more time spent curled up with a cup of tea, reflecting on life. I came across this quote a while ago and, even though it's from an 18th-century philosopher, it's very applicable to today's social media world, where we're constantly exposed to other people's highlight reels, making it seem like … Continue reading Is Everyone Happier Than You?
My cousin, who's the same age as me, says she feels just fine about her life until she sits down to read my blog posts over her morning coffee and I start talking about the spectre of death looming over us. I suppose I spend a fair amount of time thinking about mortality and the … Continue reading Living Life Backwards
I try to avoid becoming overwhelmed by all the doom and gloom in the world by minimizing my exposure to the news. Even for the most optimistic person, that constant influx of negativity isn't good for one's mental health. And when I ask myself whether I have any control over the situation, the answer is … Continue reading Throwing Pebbles in an Ocean
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