To improve curiosity and creativity, I’ve been making lists of what I notice. Rob Walker wrote about this topic in his book, The Art of Noticing. He encourages readers to focus on the five senses as we seek to improve how we experience the world around us. To improve noticing both the ordinary and the […]
Enjoying Retirement
Thoughts on Touch Deprivation
The pandemic has increased touch deprivation by limiting physical contact with others especially for people who live alone. Yesterday, at the liquor store, I handed my credit card to the cashier behind the plexiglass. She backed away and asked me to place the card directly into the machine — no contact! This small interaction reminded […]
Adopting A Positive Winter MIndset
Winter 2021 challenged me to adopt a positive winter mindset. In my part of Ontario, the Premier issued a ‘Stay-at-Home’ order in early January. It was finally lifted last week but vaccines for people my age are not available yet. It will likely be another 4 – 6 weeks before my turn comes up. To […]
Where’s My Lipstick Gone?
Frequently, I ask myself ‘where’s my lipstick gone?’ I have an ambivalence about lipstick these days. I remind myself that I no longer need to reach for lipstick whenever I leave the house because I wear a mask. With a mask, the lipstick gets smeared and the mask gets stained. Nobody sees my lips. The […]
Celebrate Love on Valentine’s Day
Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate love. This is the perfect time to show love and affection to those people with whom we have important relationships. Valentine’s Day is associated with cards, flowers, chocolates, and romantic celebrations. Big gestures of love often occur on Valentine’s Day. One might receive a gift of expensive jewelry, […]
Memories of Lunar New Year Celebrations
I have many memories of Lunar New Year celebrations as the Lunar New Year was a huge event in my former home of Markham Ontario. Tomorrow, February 11, marks the 2021 Lunar New Year (also known as Chinese New Year). Based on the cycle of the moon, Lunar New Year falls on different dates each […]
The Joy of a Reading a Cookbook
Some things can’t be replaced and one of these is the joy of reading and using a real cookbook. Long-time readers of this blog know that I’ve been a cookbook collector for many years. I own hundreds of cookbooks. In recent years I stopped buying 3 or 4 cookbooks a month, as all the currently […]
The ‘Bleak’ Mid-Winter
As the pandemic rages with vicious variants identified, I’m focusing on positive thoughts for getting through the 2021 ‘bleak’ mid-winter. Although Christmas is over, the words of the famous poem by Christina Rossetti, adapted into a Christmas carol, ring through my thoughts. In the bleak midwinter Frosty wind made moan Earth stood hard as iron […]
Celebrating Martin Luther King
Monday, January 18 is the day to celebrate the life of Martin Luther King. Dr. King is recognized all over the world for his contribution to racial equality through the civil rights movement in the United States. He was a strong proponent of non-violent resistance as a means of ending racial segregation. January 15, 1929, […]
Intentions for 2021
During the first week of 2021, I’ve been setting intentions for 2021. I reflected on 2020 and evaluated all that happened in a memorable year. I stopped making resolutions and setting rigid goals many years ago, but I like to start the year with some thoughts about how I want this next year of my […]