Increasingly, I find my mother is me. As I grow older I am becoming more and more like my mother. My husband tells me that I look like her especially since my hair grew longer in the spring after the pandemic shutdown of hair salons. It curls in the same places as her hair curled. […]
The Challenge of Finding a ‘New Normal’
Are you up to the challenge of finding a ‘new normal’ as you cope with the changes brought by the pandemic? It’s a challenge for me! I relaxed a bit during the summer. I worried less. I enjoyed the occasional foray into the community that reminded me of life before March 2020. As colder weather […]
The Two Little Voices and COVID Decisions
When I make decisions about interacting with the wider world during COVID, I hear two little voices. These voices alternate between encouraging me to go out to socialize and warning me to be careful as the coronavirus lurks everywhere. Before I go to an event, the voices in my head chatter about safety. The first voice […]
Hackers on my Site
A short post to let readers know that one of my emails was hacked. It appears to have been linked with my blog. If you receive an email titled ‘Urgent favor’ — please delete and ignore the email. I am not requesting an urgent favour! All’s well with me! Since the spelling is American, I […]
75 Years Old Today
I’m 75 years old today! It’s a milestone birthday. Last week, my sister-in-law sent a large box containing several albums of pictures of my family. I looked at many photos of my mother taken in her 70s and 80s. She smiled in almost every photo. What’s more, she looked radiant, vibrant, and engaged with […]
‘To have and to hold’ — Celebrating 54 years of marriage
54 years ago today my husband and I took our marriage vows. Using the traditional language of the church we attended, we pledged ‘to have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and to cherish, till death do us part, according […]
What I’ve Learned About Myself During the Pandemic
There’s been oodles of time to learn about myself during the pandemic. Hours spent isolating at home and isolating at our cottage gave time for self-reflection. It’s more than 160 days since Canada issued the ‘stay-at-home’ recommendation/order that essentially put the population — except for essential workers — under house arrest. Initially, it was a […]
My Grandchildren Taught Life Lessons at the Beach
Last week my grandchildren, aged 2 and ½ and 7 years old, were at the cottage with our son. During COVID, they are in our ‘bubble’ of 10 people. Our daughter-in-law is also in the bubble but she was working from home and taking a break from two noisy active children. At breakfast every morning […]
My 2020 Pandemic Summer
It’s summer — but the 2020 pandemic has changed most things about how we enjoy this season. Knowing that the virus sneakily lurks and may pounce again keeps me sheltered with my husband in our ‘bubble’ at the cottage. Rates of infection in our part of Ontario are low but that doesn’t mean throwing precaution […]
Celebrating Ten Years of Retirement
At the end of June 2020, I celebrated ten years of retirement! It’s been a time for retrospection and also for looking ahead. I remember so well walking out of my office. I was relieved to be done with achieving and striving to fulfill the multitude of expectations that comprise the work of a leader […]