Media, especially television, is often the major form of companionship for older people. We’ve often heard that parents need to limit screen time for children. The same admonishment should apply to older people when it comes to TV viewing. Too much TV is dangerous. Why? Because television networks treat older people with disrespect. Network executives have […]
Happiness in Retirement
Retirement Happiness requires time and effort
The great things in life always take time and never come without effort and patience. A successful retirement journey needs planning, work and periodic adjustments. Retirement happiness won’t happen without some forethought. During the summer while hanging out at the cottage, I thought about how I felt about my retirement three years ago. Although I […]
Happiness in Retirement — Quick Fixes for Staying Happy
On most days I am a happy person. But sometimes joints hurt, morning coffee tastes a bit off, the sky outside is cloudy, and there are pesky tasks to complete. It’s easy to sink into a dismal mood. The promised land of retirement happiness feels elusive. On such days it’s worthwhile to do a quick […]
Happiness in Retirement — Summer After Labour Day
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
