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Sunset Years

Making the later years the best ever!

DIVISION OF DUTIES

February 14, 2018

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 […]

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Filed Under: Retirement issues, Well-being Tagged: rituals, tips

TV TOGETHERNESS

January 7, 2018

One reader suggested I write about the changes in television and its role in our later years. He said rightly that, while a tad sedentary, TV viewing constitutes an important pastime for many/most retired people. Indeed the likelihood of being a frequent television viewer (21 or more hours per week) rises steadily with age, from […]

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Filed Under: TV THURSDAYS Tagged: rituals

THE RIGHT LOCATION

December 1, 2017

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 […]

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Filed Under: Happiness, Real estate, Retirement issues, Well-being Tagged: boomers, rituals, tips

VOUCHING FOR VOLUNTEERING

November 12, 2017

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 […]

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Filed Under: Happiness, Retirement issues, Well-being Tagged: rituals, tips

TOO MUCH TOGETHERNESS?

March 2, 2017

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 […]

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Filed Under: Happiness, Retirement issues, Well-being Tagged: rituals, tips

A PARTIAL PRESCRIPTION FOR HAPPINESS

February 20, 2017

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, […]

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Filed Under: Happiness, Well-being Tagged: rituals, tips

BUSY IS AS BUSY DOES

February 5, 2017

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 […]

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Filed Under: Happiness, Retirement issues Tagged: rituals, timing, tips

RALLY ’ROUND RITUALS

January 23, 2017

“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 […]

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Filed Under: Happiness, Retirement issues Tagged: rituals, timing, tips

ASPIRING TO PERFECTION

January 22, 2017

“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 […]

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Filed Under: Happiness Tagged: rituals, tips


Welcome to Pam McPhail's blog about the sunset years, a metaphor for the stage in life when we're no longer fully occupied in the workplace or at home. We’re free to set our own agendas. Together let's explore how to make these years our best ever.
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