Musings
About retirement… and random other things!
These blogs first appear as weekly columns in the Red Deer Advocate
Be your own superhero against cyber crime
Did you hear the one about the lady whose phone started ringing while she was having lunch out? The voice on the other end exclaimed that it was someone calling on behalf of her granddaughter, who had been in a serious accident and credit card details were required before the ambulance would take her to hospital. Funny, the lady replied, I’m...
Be informed when visiting someone in hospital
I had written recently about getting lost after visiting my dear friend at the cancer centre in Calgary, but the part I left out was how lost I felt preparing to go in the first place. As can happen, her situation moved startlingly fast from a fun lunch together to full intensive cancer treatment in less than three weeks. No one is prepared for...
Remember what you learned in yoga class
I watched with some confusion as the G7 group meandered here and there in southern Alberta recently. At first I was hopeful there might be a chance those meetings of the world’s powerful people might shine a light on where we’re all going. But I watched as they stood together and then apart, smiling and scowling, agreeing and ignoring, and...
Siblings share a unique experience
(Grainy photo from around 1965, as the four of us gleefully surround my poor grandfather during a hospital visit. I'm second from left) My daughter often comments that she’s glad she doesn’t have siblings. She has seen her friends’ responsibility for younger brothers and sisters all her life, she sees siblings fighting and needing to learn to...
Challenge to self: be a regular blood donor
I’ve had a long-held desire to be a blood donor, but an equally long fear of it. It’s not a concern of fainting that intimidates me, which my personal research has revealed is a common reason people hesitate. For me, it’s a fear of possible pain as the needle goes in. This all stemmed from the time I needed a blood transfusion in my early 20s and...
Lost in a sea of cars
I often lose my way, which I’ve written about quite a bit. But I don’t often actually lose my car! Really only once before, when the first snow of the season covered it at the airport park & jet while I was away. The valet driver had to go round and round the parking lot before I spotted it, but really there was no harm done. This recent lost...
What would you do with 20 bucks?
If I gave you $20, what would you do with it? I asked various people and just sat back to see what they’d say. It’s a fairly inconsequential amount to many of us, while to others it represents bread and milk and enough gas to make it into work for a few more days. I found it such an interesting activity that I might just keep going with it, but...
The permission principle
Today I heard a radio announcer utter the phrase ‘the certainty of confusion’ and immediately fell in love with its irony. It was made in reference to the leader of the country to the south, but it was uttered during a week when I was diving deep into a reflection of my own relationship with the concept of permission. Certainty of confusion is a...
Challenge to self: make space for silence
A walk with Sheldon. If you’re out and about in Red Deer, you’ve seen Sheldon. He’s everywhere and he’s always walking. Slow and steady, through the pathways and streets of Red Deer in every season – usually wearing a hockey jersey or t-shirt. He’s a giant of a man, a friendly giant. He’s quick to smile and remove his earphones when you approach...