No matter where I go, I hear people talking about the weather. When I get to the gym in the morning, someone inevitably remarks about the weather. When my husband comes in from his daily errands, he mentions the weather. When travelling by plane, the pilot usually announces the weather forecast at the destination and gives […]
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 […]
Planning for a Successful New Year
Planning for a successful new year can happen anytime as each day signals the beginning of another year. However, most people use late December and early January for reflection about the past year and for musing about the year to come. Taking stock of the past year is useful. Looking back prepares the brain for […]
Holidays as December Diversions
Ah, December…. the month of diversions and distractions. There are holiday preparations and decorations and celebrations. Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanza, and New Year’s Eve serve as diversions from the darkest time of year in the Northern Hemisphere. There’s also the winter solstice with the longest night of the year signalling the start of winter. For some, […]
The Power of a Year-End Assessment
A year-end assessment can jump-start the new year. December is a natural time to reflect as holiday traditions bring a host memories. During the rush of holiday preparations, taking a moment to reminisce and think about the activities and experiences of the past months is valuable for providing closure. It’s a time take stock of achievements […]
Daily Encounters with Ageism
Readers who reach a certain age and stage of life are familiar with the negatives of ageism. Older people are stereotyped — to a greater or lesser degree — as frail, helpless, irrelevant, troublesome, invisible, or demanding. Ageism is part of Western culture. It is often unintentional. Once someone is no longer in his or […]
The Best Weekend of the Year
In my opinion, the best weekend of the year happens when the time changes and Daylight Saving time ends. I celebrate this weekend as I gain one delicious hour — for sleeping, relaxing, or goofing off — when the clocks turn back! I’ve never been a fan of Daylight Savings Time. Perhaps it’s because I grew […]
Canada Legalizes Recreational Cannabis
Today Canada legalizes the recreational use of cannabis. Many Canadians see legalization as an important social change while others see this as a national disaster. Ending the prohibition of cannabis aka marijuana has been discussed for decades. There is a history of stigmatization stemming from the prohibition in the 1920s and 30s when it was […]
Soul Destroying Effects of Social Media
While driving to the gym one morning last week I listened to a CBC interview with a tech expert from the UK who advocated getting off social media. The interviewer noted that social media has been characterized as ‘soul destroying’. Jaren Lanier is a scientist at Microsoft. His book, Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media […]
Clutter Creep after Down-sizing
Two years after moving and clearing 25 plus years of clutter before down-sizing and selling our ‘too big’ house, I’m noticing clutter creep. It’s subtle but the signs are undeniable. ‘Stuff’ is coming back. Closets, drawers, and shelves that were uncluttered after unpacking and settling into our new house are filling up. Is it the birthday […]