Today I say farewell to another small town bakery that’s closing. When we recently arrived in Grand Bend for a summer of cottage life, Uncle Jimmy’s Scottish Bakery was boarded up with a For Sale sign in the front parking lot. No more will fresh sausage rolls, oat cakes, whole wheat loaves, fresh buns, pies, […]
Pursue Neglected Interests in Retirement
Retirement is a great time to pursue neglected interests. The busy years of parenting and career building often leave no time to pursue hobbies, go to movies, read best sellers, or learn new skills. These are also years where interests get postponed due to costs in terms of money and/or time. Mortgages and post-secondary education costs […]
What does it mean to be rich?
What does being rich mean to you? Being rich is an arbitrary and discretionary concept. Everyone has their own idea of what it means. For many, being rich means having a certain sum of money — like a million dollars, or, perhaps five million dollars. A large amount of money creates financial security with no […]
Nurture your inner child with playtime
Each of us has an inner child that’s waiting for a tweak to come out for some playtime. Yes, play — as in doing silly things, running, jumping, telling jokes, laughing, and having fun. As adults, especially as older adults, we often forget about play. Play is for kids! But what about the kid in […]
Personal Brands — Do you have a retirement brand?
A recent Facebook post advertising a brand updating service caught my eye. Since I don’t sell things, I wondered whether this company did personal branding. The website featured corporate brands, logos, slogans, websites, and marketing kitsch. An email inquiry acknowledged the expertise was primarily corporate branding but the company would prepare a personal branding strategy […]
Self-care or Self-indulgence?
At this morning’s yoga class, the instructor urged us to think about the difference between self-care and self-indulgence. She was urging the class to understand how to develop and nurture ourselves with yoga asanas, breathing techniques, and meditation. There is no question that yoga philosophy creates awareness of the choices we make in caring for […]
A Day With My Granddaughter
Twice in the past month, I’ve spent a day with my 5-year-old granddaughter. Professional development days for teachers mean parents must find alternate care. In our family, that means a day when grandmother duties take precedence over other events in my calendar. Bleary-eyed and tired when I pick her up in the morning, she proposes […]
What do you want ‘to be’ when you grow old?
Have you noticed that as you grow older, nobody asks what you want ‘to be’? People stop asking questions about what’s next in your life. Is there an assumption that who you are at 60 or 70 or 80 is who you want to be for the rest of your life? Do we stop learning and […]
Pi Day — will you bake a Pie?
Will you bake a pie on March 14 to celebrate Pi Day? Or will you celebrate with some calculation using the symbol π, which is the Greek letter for Pi? Until about one week ago I knew nothing about Pi Day which has been celebrated internationally since 1988. In 2009 the United States House of […]
Celebrating International Women’s Day 2019
International Women’s Day on March 8, 2019, brings another opportunity to celebrate women’s achievements. The theme of International Women’s Day in Canada is #InnovateForChange to recognize the contributions of women in science and technology. STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) occupations continue to attract a preponderance of men, a trend that needs to change. Government, industry, […]
