The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed me to do some life edits. I’m thinking deeply about my life as a 75-year-old woman and what changes to make as I learn to live with restrictions Just as I edit clothes as the seasons change, doing a life edit as seasons of life change is appropriate. Some experts recommend […]
Lifestyle
Ontario’s November Weather Surprise
What a weather surprise we’ve experienced in Ontario this weekend! November temperatures are usually cool with grey skies. Days are short with little or no sunshine. This weekend we had sunny and mild temperatures. What a surprise! We took advantage of this reprieve with a long weekend at the cottage. How surprising to find that […]
The Pandemic and Courage
Last week, I listened to Brene Brown’s new podcast, Dare to Lead. You can listen to the first episode here https://brenebrown.com/dtl-podcast/ As she spoke about bravery and courage for leaders, my thoughts jumped to applying these concepts in our personal lives. As we navigate through the pandemic we need the same type of courage that she sees […]
My Mother is Me
Increasingly, I find my mother is me. As I grow older I am becoming more and more like my mother. My husband tells me that I look like her especially since my hair grew longer in the spring after the pandemic shutdown of hair salons. It curls in the same places as her hair curled. […]
The Challenge of Finding a ‘New Normal’
Are you up to the challenge of finding a ‘new normal’ as you cope with the changes brought by the pandemic? It’s a challenge for me! I relaxed a bit during the summer. I worried less. I enjoyed the occasional foray into the community that reminded me of life before March 2020. As colder weather […]
The Two Little Voices and COVID Decisions
When I make decisions about interacting with the wider world during COVID, I hear two little voices. These voices alternate between encouraging me to go out to socialize and warning me to be careful as the coronavirus lurks everywhere. Before I go to an event, the voices in my head chatter about safety. The first voice […]
75 Years Old Today
I’m 75 years old today! It’s a milestone birthday. Last week, my sister-in-law sent a large box containing several albums of pictures of my family. I looked at many photos of my mother taken in her 70s and 80s. She smiled in almost every photo. What’s more, she looked radiant, vibrant, and engaged with […]
‘To have and to hold’ — Celebrating 54 years of marriage
54 years ago today my husband and I took our marriage vows. Using the traditional language of the church we attended, we pledged ‘to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according […]
What I’ve Learned About Myself During the Pandemic
There’s been oodles of time to learn about myself during the pandemic. Hours spent isolating at home and isolating at our cottage gave time for self-reflection. It’s more than 160 days since Canada issued the ‘stay-at-home’ recommendation/order that essentially put the population — except for essential workers — under house arrest. Initially, it was a […]
My Grandchildren Taught Life Lessons at the Beach
Last week my grandchildren, aged 2 and ½ and 7 years old, were at the cottage with our son. During COVID, they are in our ‘bubble’ of 10 people. Our daughter-in-law is also in the bubble but she was working from home and taking a break from two noisy active children. At breakfast every morning […]