My Wife’s Choice – living with two broken backs and rejecting narcotics. When my rheumatoid arthritis was diagnosed, I was in pain and uncertain about what the future would hold. Thankfully, treatment gave me a way forward. But none of that would have happened if I hadn’t gone to my doctor in the first place. […]

 A Wake-Up Call Close to Home – how a heart scare and arthritis diagnosis reframed my retirement priorities. A year ago, I was fortunate that my doctors caught a heart issue early. It was a wake-up call: without health, everything else, retirement dreams, family activities, even day-to-day routines, becomes harder. At the same time, I […]

Today is a time for family, food, and celebrating the autumn harvest. Thanksgiving is generally a time for relaxation to take a long weekend. It is a time to start a  more relaxed pace into the fall celebrate the harvest and enjoy the crisp autumn weather. Canada has a complicated history with its indigenous people, […]

Why did the turkey cross the road on Thanksgiving? To prove he wasn’t chicken, eh! What’s a turkey’s favourite dessert? Pumpkin pie-let (pilate). How do Canadians keep their turkeys warm? They give them down jackets! Why did the cranberry turn red? Because it saw the turkey dressing! What sound does a Canadian turkey make? “Gobble, […]

 When my cousin retired, he declared, “This is my time to rest.” He lived those words, resting almost exclusively in his chair, watching television. Within a year, he had passed away. I don’t believe his rest killed him, but I do believe the lack of purpose, the absence of curiosity and challenge, took something vital […]

In the last post I talked about my cousin, and some of you thought my cousine might have been depressed. He wasn’t bitter or depressed, just resolute. My cousin believed retirement was his time to rest. He told me, “I’ve worked all my life. Now I deserve to do nothing.” And he lived by it. He […]

 In one version of the creation story, God created for six days and then rested on the seventh. That rhythm, work followed by rest, has echoed through human history. Rest is important. It restores us, helps us reflect, and allows us to recharge. But lasting fulfillment rarely comes from rest alone. It comes from redefinition. […]

 At a recent provincial Senior Summer Games, my brother had a humbling and inspiring experience. At over 75, he and his partner played in the doubles tennis event. They fought hard but came in second. The winners? A team made up of a 95-year-old and his 85-year-old partner. That victory says something powerful about aging. […]

 When my brother came home from the Senior Summer Games, he shook his head in amazement. At 75+, he competed in the doubles tennis event. He and his partner fought hard but came in second, beaten by a pair of players who were 95 and 85 years old. “It used to be easy,” he said […]

 When my brother returned from the Senior Summer Games this year, he was full of stories. At over 75, he competed in the doubles tennis tournament and walked away with a silver medal. He told me something that struck me as more than just a sports anecdote, it was a life lesson. When he first […]