“The danger is that in this move toward new horizons and far directions, I may lose what I have now, and not find anything except loneliness.” Sylvia Plath We left Lennoxville when people were sorry to say goodbye to us — and we to them — but our timing of moving to Vancouver in 2012 turned […]
A HOUSE ALONE IS NOT A HOME
Home is a name, a word, it is a strong one; stronger than magician ever spoke, or spirit ever answered to, in the strongest conjuration.” Charles Dickens I’ve struggled with the notion of ‘home’ ever since leaving mine in Edmonton AB at age 18. For a decade I sampled cities and towns, even the backwoods […]
COLOUR OUR LIVES HAPPY
Imagine my surprise when I discovered Goethe of Faust fame (yes, who made a pact with the Devil) is known as an early colour analyst. He published Theory of Colours, his treatise on the nature, function and psychology of colours, in 1810. In the 1980s I pitched a story about colour to the now defunct Verve magazine, which published several of my freelance articles […]
TOO MUCH TOGETHERNESS?
When our son was young, we read several books from The Berenstain Bears series, formulaic children’s stories about a family of bears confronting common concerns. The stories often dealt with excess, for example, Too Much Teasing, Too Much TV and Too Much Junk Food. Although Glen and I analyzed various aspects of retirement, we didn’t really visualize day-to-day living. Like many couples, we […]
A PARTIAL PRESCRIPTION FOR HAPPINESS
In 2011 the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing happiness as a “fundamental human goal” and called for “a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes the happiness and well-being of all people.” Since 2013 we observe the International Day of Happiness every year on March 20. At this stage, […]
BUSY IS AS BUSY DOES
About the word “busy,” we’ve all heard — or even uttered — these sentences: “I’d love to, but I’m too busy.” “Some other time, since I’m so busy.” “I’m as busy in retirement as I’ve ever been.” In 1986 sociologist David Ekerdt introduced the concept of the “busy ethic.” He claimed “retirement is morally managed and […]
RALLY ’ROUND RITUALS
“The domestic lives we live … make possible our writing lives; our imaginations are freed by the prospect of … a predictable and consoling routine.” Joyce Carol Oates Some individuals retire to escape routines yet, paradoxically, routines can form the very framework necessary for happiness in our sunset years. When I retired from my nine […]
ASPIRING TO PERFECTION
“It seems that perfection is reached not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away.” Antoine de Saint Exupéry We shy away from using the word “perfection,” given its meaning of flawlessness. Yet it’s an inspiring word, summoning the highest of aspirations. Unattainable perhaps? Not if we revise the definition. When our young son […]