One thing about retirement is that it gives you a lot of time. Suddenly you have to come up with something to occupy yourself during the hours and hours of those long retirement days. For some it’s easy. They just transition into retirement by throwing themselves into a lifelong hobby which they could only dabble …more

So here’s the thing about retirement. Somehow in thinking about it when I was still working I saw it as a monolith; just as work had meant a steady plan of start/stop times and work days vs weekends, retirement would also have an ongoing, solid shape and direction. But it doesn’t. It has been a …more

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It’s amazing how much stuff we accumulate throughout our lives. Furniture, clothes, books, pictures, electrical goods, photographs, pictures drawn by our children that just cannot be thrown away, not to mention cuddly toys! As a boy we had very little in the way of possessions (stuff). Dad was a farm labourer and, at times, Mum …more

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Green! That is what I remember most about that day; the vastness of the empty space, the long trudge to the grave site, and the green lawn sprawling out in all directions. What a lonely place, I remember thinking, for my grandfather to be laid to rest. I was seventeen years old and had just …more

My 17 year old son, Max, came home from school one day a couple of years ago, and announced, “My social studies teacher is really old.” He emphasized the word really. My curiosity piqued, I asked just how old he thought she was. His reply: “Your age, Mom!” I was 51 at the time. *** …more

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Retirement in and of itself is a dichotomy of sorts. On the one hand, it’s something that most retirees-to-be can’t wait for. Their final day at their workplace could not come fast enough. On the other hand, when the reality of what typically is the final era of the lives manifests, they feel more daunted …more

Before we get started, go get your bucket list. No, not the one in your head—the one you have written down. Oh, you don’t have one? Then let’s start in a different place. Why would you want a bucket list and why should it be written down? Most people are familiar with the concept of …more

Moving is never an easy activity. When you’ve retired and are planning the rest of your life, it becomes more of a burden—both physical and emotional. On a psychological scale, moving, divorce and death in the family are a three-way tie for being the most difficult of life’s occurrences. We were quite young (it’s all …more