Musings
About retirement… and random other things!
These blogs first appear as weekly columns in the Red Deer Advocate
Follow your dreams and never give up
'Laundry day at the volunteer hut on the kibbutz, while Terry Fox was changing the world.' Like many, I feel deep admiration for Terry Fox and consider him a national treasure. Through the years, people have shared that he was an unmatched inspiration to them, including a phys ed teacher who was a teenager at the time. Describing himself as...
Over the backyard fence
Ah this peaceful season of fall, with its long-shadowed days and glorious sunsets. The ease of autumn is working its magic, encouraging everyone outside to enjoy more comfortable temperatures and deeply rich colours. This is the season of sharing summer’s bounty, no matter how big or small the plot is that you’re harvesting! The other day I heard...
Multiple sounds of music
I admit to being a Sound of Music fanatic. I mean, there are worse things to be, but I realize this movie is one of those things that divides a population. You know the drill… there are two kinds of people in the world: those who love ketchup and those who hate it; those who do the work and those who take the credit; those who love The...
The big tissue issue
I’ve been clinging to my facial tissues since hearing the news that Kleenex will no longer be sold in Canada. The huge corporation sites ‘unique complexities’ for the decision, with some saying it’s a distribution problem. That, in itself, has me mopping my brow in confusion – with a Kleenex tissue, of course. How could Canada, where we have...
Never knowing 6 o’clock again
I remember hearing once that retirement means you will never know 6:00 again. The idea was that the 6:00 morning alarm would never ring and 6:00 pm would drift by unnoticed because you’d be involved in something fun and all-consuming. Although I was kind of expecting this to come true, it never really did for me – thus far into my retirement, at...
In the blink of an eye
Well, that was fun, but did this summer ever go fast! I know we say that every year, especially since we have to wait through so many cold months for it to come around again. I am wondering, though, if time really does start to feel like it’s picking up speed as we get older. I feel like I was just starting to get into the groove and now it’s...
The time of your life
I loved the old Burt Bacharach song ‘Times of Your Life’. Many of us did, of course. It was so effective at touching our nostalgic nerve that it was picked up by the Kodak company for a big ad campaign in the 1970s. Will you remember the times of your life? I’ve thought of that question many times through the years and I still sing the song when...
A day at the lake
My mom and Dad had purchased a 16-foot trailer before I was even born, so the older three kids were already used to sardining into it by the time I came along. It was hot, cramped and basic – and it provided a base from which unbelievably happy memories grew. Dad was still busy working all summer at The General Hospital, so he would drive up from...
Reflecting on that first job
I’ve heard from some of you about your first job, or your strangest job, after my column a few weeks ago. I’ve learned there is a strict etiquette around busing tables, or more particularly the manner in which dirty cutlery gets placed slowly into the soaking tray and not tossed so as to splash everyone else in the kitchen. Lots of people had...