A few years ago I returned to knitting. This forgotten hobby was something I taught myself during pregnancy more than 30 years ago. To teach myself, I bought needles, yarn and a ‘how to’ book designed for children. I struggled with holding the needles and maneuvering the yarn to achieve consistent tension. With no online […]
Enjoying Retirement
How do you assess your life’s work in retirement?
As we grow older, it’s common to assess your life’s work. In the past six weeks as I’ve recovered from the flu and another bout of pneumonia, there’s been too much time for staring at the bedroom ceiling and thinking. I’ve assessed my life’s work since retirement six years ago. I’ve also been thinking about plans […]
What will you do with an extra hour?
What will you do with the extra hour this weekend? The gift of an extra hour with the end of daylight saving time feels like hearing from a long-lost friend, finding a $20 bill in a coat pocket, or discovering an empty drawer in the cupboard. It makes for an extra long day with every […]
Learning How a House Works
Since moving four months ago, my husband and I are busy learning how everything in our house works. Many contractors are available to support homeowners but, ultimately, some knowledge of rudimentary aspects of how a house works depends on the occupant. Living comfortably in any house in Canada means having, at minimum, a dependable furnace […]
Moving Brings Mental Challenges
Most people are aware that moving is a physical process; however moving also brings mental challenges. As we prepared to move, we anticipated an amount of disruption to our lives. We expected that the process of settling in to our new home would take several months. What we did not predict was the effect of […]
September — A month of New Beginnings
September is a month that signals new beginnings. More than January, the dawn of September feels like the start of a new year for a variety of reasons. Life settles into a routine. Vacations and lazy days of summer are over.Children and young people return to school. Days are shorter and nights are cooler. The arc of […]
Leaving a Legacy
The recent death of a dear friend who my husband and I knew for more than 50 years has turned my thoughts the meaning of leaving a legacy. His sudden death left a big hole in our hearts but we remember him because of how he lived his life. His example was a positive influence […]
Shot of Happiness
What is a shot of happiness? Other than a recipe for what seemed a very sweet drink with liqueurs and pineapple juice, I found no answers from a Google search. I found a couple of Facebook business pages, a blog with this title, but no definitions. I believe in shots of happiness. They serve as […]
Retirement Happiness — Learning to Goof Off
For a happy retirement, some of us need to learn how to goof off. After a lifetime of measuring each day in terms of productivity are you sometimes too busy with things on the ‘to do’ list to lighten up and take some time to simply enjoy the day? During our working lives we evaluated […]
Retirement Happiness — Life Intermissions
Intermissions in life usually accompany a major life change. The life change might be a marriage, the birth of a child, a promotion at work, or achievement of a milestone such as running a marathon. The life change may also result from the death of a loved one, a health crisis, a financial set back, a divorce, […]
