“To love and to cherish, till death do us part” is a traditional wedding vow that many couples utter. But what do we make of this promise after our marriage has progressed through the years? Divorce, not death, often parts couples. According to Statistics Canada, about 38% of all marriages now end in divorce, slightly […]
DIVISION OF DUTIES
When I entered our Vancouver condo, home alone for a few days, I heard a chirping sound every 90 seconds. It didn’t take long for me to realize the hallway smoke detector needed a new battery. Okay. But that domestic duty belongs to Glen who, at 2,500 km away, wasn’t able to perform it. I […]
ROAD TRIP ANYONE?
Guest writer Linda Richardson discusses a great North American road trip in this post. In retirement my husband and I decided to combine shorter road trips into a grand circle tour of Canada and the U.S. Over 10 weeks and 21,000 km last fall, we travelled through eight provinces and 37 states. Given the new […]
OH DEAR. HE CALLED ME DEAR!
After giving us menus and a few minutes to decide on our order, a waiter arrived at our table of mature women asking “Are we ready to order?” What? I didn’t remember inviting him to dine with us. Oh. I get it. He spoke the royal “we.” Mistake number one. Then he addressed me, “What […]
THE RIGHT LOCATION
We realize being grateful for ordinary things and events in life contributes in a profound way to happiness. And I try regularly to feel — and express — gratitude. At this time of year, it’s easy for Glen and me to feel grateful for our second home in Arizona. Just when grey skies and near […]
VOUCHING FOR VOLUNTEERING
Volunteers don’t get paid, not because they’re worthless, but because they’re priceless.” When I retired in 2014, the prospect of limitless leisure did not appeal to me. I knew I would need to add something new to my life to gain pleasure, purpose and pride. Volunteering came to mind. While browsing a website for volunteers, I […]
PET PROJECT
A dog has occupied a prime position in Glen’s and my life together ever since we met decades ago. In the early years a border collie mix named Jude gave us pleasure and occasionally distress when he disappeared following the scent of another dog, likely a female in heat. Thankfully his strong instincts also brought […]
NEVER TOO LATE TO BE INTERESTING
A few decades ago at a national conference of the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education, I served as a mentor to an eager young woman, new to her job in Development at Concordia University. “Be an interesting person,” I told her. “In our profession, we will meet people of all ages, from different […]
THE NEWCOMER
Adding another voice to Sunset Years: guest writer Linda Richardson outlines one strategy in her retirement transition. When my husband and I retired and moved to Victoria BC in May, 2014, I knew I would miss family members, great neighbours and dear friends. What I really didn’t think about was how I would replace those […]
THE RELOCATION PROJECT III
“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 […]