“You taught me to be nice, so nice, that I am now full of niceness; I have no sense of right and wrong, no outrage, no passion.” Garrison Keillor During the 3-hour drive home from the cottage last weekend I listened to an interview with James Hollis, a Jungian analyst discussing one of his books […]
Lifestyle
Achieving Good Karma in Retirement
‘Our deeds determine us as much as we determine our deeds’ quote from George Eliot With retirement comes the time to look back at various life events and experiences and to reflect on whether we have lived good lives. If one has lived a good life filled with generous actions, respect, hard work, kindness and […]
Do you suffer from 'brain' overload?
Our brains are constantly bombarded with stimulation. Smart phones, emails, social media, internet, television and other forms of infotainment raise the levels of physiological and nervous activity in our brains and in our bodies. Information overload, too many choices for human powers of attention, and constant demands for decisions stretch our brain-power to capacity. Technology […]
Celebrating 66 years — every birthday counts
The Days are long — The Years are Short — Gretchen Rubin, The Happiness Project I celebrated another birthday a couple of days ago — my 66th. Where do the years go? Gretchen Rubin’s comment ‘The days are long — the years are short’ rings in my ears as I think of how quickly the years […]
Retirement — How will you keep learning?
September always feels like the start of a new year. It’s amazing how the school calendar shapes the culture of North America. Thousands of children, adolescents and young adults head back to classrooms in September. Anticipation and an eagerness for learning fills their eyes. The urge to study, to take a course or to register to […]
Retirement — Time to Play
“Laughter is the sun that drives winter from the human face” — Victor Hugo With retirement comes the opportunity to swat a worried face and to swap those long ‘to do’ lists for serious fun. This is the time to re-discover play and to spend time every day just having fun — and replacing frowns […]
Imagine your Perfect Retirement
Imagine there’s no heaven It’s easy if you try No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today These lyrics, from John Lennon’s famous song ‘Imagine’ written during the Vietnam War and echoing the aspirations of the peace movement, speak to the dreams of many postworksavvy readers for a […]
Are you happy in your retirement?
Aristotle claimed that happiness is the ultimate purpose in life. Finding happiness, especially during retirement, means different things for different people. After reading Gretchen Rubin’s inspiring book The Happiness Project I have thought about the meaning of happiness — especially the meaning of happiness during retirement. I’ve also tried applying some of her tips to my […]
Your Retirement Persona — Are you an Introvert or an Extrovert?
Since retirement, I realize that aspects of my personality are gradually changing. In my former identity as a CEO I was usually at centre stage and expected to respond with out-going friendliness to everyone. I was expected to speak knowledgeably and contemporaneously, to respond with wit, and to show decisiveness in the face of uncertainty. […]
Petty Annoyances — Don't let the small stuff get to you
During the past two weeks a small contractor has repaired the 25-year-old wooden fence along the backyard. Because our house is on a crescent, the back fence spans the length of two neighboring houses. These neighbours are cooperating with the repairs and are also having repairs done to their side fences. The contractor is working […]
