Summer after Labour Day offers at least three weeks of the season without all the pressure of barbecues, parties, festivals, and sun tanning on the beach. As I walked the beach this week, it felt like I could re-claim it. Most of the tourists and summer people are gone. The beach is empty. I have […]
Author: Jeanette Lewis
Happiness in Retirement — The Power of a Smile
“Smile and the world smiles with you, cry and you cry alone” quote by Stanley Gordon West I’ve always been a smiler. Smiling is a natural reaction for me. I smile at my husband. I smile when I see my family, especially my grand-daughter. I smile when I talk to my cats. I smile when I’m on […]
Happiness in Retirement — Summertime, Cottage Days and Taking Stock
As the summer days gallop past I’ve been thinking about how I’m spending these precious days at the cottage. In late June, when we typically re-locate the cats and ‘move’ to the cottage, it seemed that summertime would be as endless as the horizon on Lake Huron. A change of routine excited me. I looked […]
Retirement Happiness — The everyday and the ordinary
How we spend our days is how we spend our lives. — Annie Dillard, BrainyQuote.com There is something special about enjoying the ordinary things we do every day. A cup of good coffee in the morning, cats greeting me with a purr, a joke shared with my husband, the fresh smell of clean laundry, time spent […]
Happiness in Retirement — Why Exercise increases happiness
One of the easiest ways to increase happiness in retirement is to start exercising and to do some form of exercise every day. Many postworksavvy readers already make regular exercise part of their daily retirement regime. They started exercising for weight loss, improved general health or greater body flexibility. Their doctors urged them to undertake a moderate […]
Celebrating Canada Day!
Today — July 1 — is Canada’s birthday! It’s the day we celebrate being Canadian. I am passionate about being Canadian and I am an enthusiastic supporter of my country — although at times actions of our government and behaviour of my fellow Canadians can dampen my enthusiasm. As a departure from my usual posts […]
Happiness in Retirement — Random Acts of Kindness
Random acts of kindness happen too infrequently but when a random act of kindness happens, it always brings a smile. Wikipedia defines a random act of kindness as “a selfless act performed by a person or people wishing to either assist or cheer up an individual person or people.” Whether it is a tangible gift — like […]
Happiness in Retirement — Gains and Losses in Life
Our lives are filled with gains and losses. When we look back at the successes and failures of our lives, it is not uncommon to consider that, with different life choices, the outcomes may have resulted in greater happiness or a better/easier result. That may or may not be true. Certainly different choices would create […]
Happiness in Retirement — Fighting Ageism
Ageism, discrimination based on age and usually focused on the elderly, is destructive, patronizing and exclusionary. It can lead to fear, discrimination, and damaged self-esteem. There is little doubt that older adults living in Western society fall victim to aspects of ageism. Researchers indicate that by age 40, many businesses consider men ‘too old’ to be hired […]
Happiness in Retirement — What do you ‘do’ after ‘work’?
As busy dedicated professionals think about retirement, many wonder what they will ‘do’ after ‘work’. What will make them feel worthwhile? Careers are built by focusing on goals, tasks, and rewards. Very often these are not personal goals but corporate goals — accomplishments that society affirms and rewards. You are doing ‘something’ worthwhile. A few days ago I […]
