Understanding the Science of Happiness

In the past few days, almost everyone who I’ve met wished me a ‘Happy New Year’.  These wishes reinforce the truism that people generally seek happiness for themselves and for others. Bookstores, bloggers, and podcasts offer countless self-help ideas to improve happiness. We’re urged to drink more water, get enough sleep, practise mindfulness, exercise regularly, […]

Nurturing Curiosity in Retirement

Last week, when my six-year-old granddaughter was visiting for her weekly ‘date’ with me, she posed questions about why leaves on trees change colour in autumn, fall off, and re-generate in spring. She asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier for the tree to keep its leaves all the time”?  We were admiring the yellow, red and […]

Have You Outgrown Yourself?

When your retirement life feels constricted, you might ask whether you have outgrown yourself. Whaaaat — you ask? How can that happen? In all likelihood, you have outgrown your retirement lifestyle.  You planned a fulfilling and exciting retirement — not one that feels smaller with each passing year. Outgrowing oneself may be a natural progression of […]

Recognize and Manage Life’s Transitions

The guided meditation at yoga class this morning began with a short discourse on how to recognize and manage transitions.  The yoga teacher referred to sudden transitions in temperature as the cold spring weather suddenly turns summer-like and then gets chilly again. She  reminded us that the change from day time highs of 10 Celsius […]

Make your life a ‘work of art’ by living well

“Art is the proper task of life“ — Friedrich Nietzsche Nietzsche’s 19th century writings on philosophy and the meaning of existence encouraged people to live artistically, attaining satisfaction with the self through adhering to aesthetic values and creating works of art and poetry that capture and convey some form of beauty. Did he mean that […]

How Will You Celebrate UNIDOP?

UNIDOP or United Nations International Day of Older Persons happens on Sunday, October 1.  In 1990, the United Nations General Assembly designated October 1 as a day to celebrate the contributions seniors make to society. Seniorszen blog https://www.seniorszen.com/blog/2017/09/26/celebrate-seniors-october-1 notes that the theme for 2017 is ‘Stepping into the Future: Tapping the Talents, Contributions, and Participation of […]