Ageism doesn’t usually begin with cruelty. It begins with assumptions. When younger people believe that seniors are unhappy, wealthy, confused, resistant, or irrelevant, those beliefs quietly shape decisions, about hiring, health care, housing, transportation, technology, and community design. Language changes. Patience shortens. Voices are dismissed. These myths create an environment where ageism can flourish without […]
The Top 10 Myths About Seniors in B.C. (Myths 6–10) Less obvious myths that quietly reinforce ageism Myth 6: Seniors are a burden on the health care system Fact: Seniors are also major contributors to care, prevention, and community support. Older adults provide unpaid caregiving, volunteer in hospitals and communities, and actively manage chronic conditions […]
The Senior Advocate for the province of BC recently released the top 5 myths that his office found many younger people believe about seniors in BC I did some research and came up with a few more myths. In the next three posts, I will discuss the myths. Post One: The Top 10 Myths About […]
For a long time, our culture sent an unequivocal message about wanting more for yourself, and it wasn’t a kind one. Back in the 1980s, there was a popular movie that championed the idea that “greed was good.” Over time, that idea fell out of favour, and rightly so. But something else happened along the […]
If you feel stuck, you’re not failing. You’re pausing. That distinction matters, especially after retirement or during the years leading up to it. There’s a lot of quiet pressure to “figure it out,” to replace one full life with another just as full, just as productive, just as impressive. When that doesn’t happen quickly, people […]
Purpose is often misunderstood. We tend to think of it as something large and dramatic, a calling, a mission statement, a bold declaration of what comes next. For many people in midlife and early retirement, that expectation alone can feel paralyzing. If purpose has to be big, public, or life-defining, what happens when all you […]
We are good at talking about change. We are far less comfortable talking about transition. Change is what happens on the outside. Retirement dates arrive. Jobs end. Routines shift. Calendars suddenly open up. Change is visible and often measurable. Transition, on the other hand, happens on the inside. It’s the emotional and psychological process of […]
Letting go of old identities is easy to talk about and very hard to do. We live in a world that encourages us to introduce ourselves by what we do. “I’m a teacher.” “I’m a nurse.” “I’m an accountant.” Over time, those labels stop being descriptions and start becoming definitions. They tell us who we […]
Turning 50 has a way of quietly changing the conversation you have with yourself. For many of us, it’s the first time we realize we are closer to the end of life than the beginning. Not dramatically or gloomily, but in a practical, honest one. You start to look back and take stock. For what […]
I started this series with a snowflake, a sunlit mountain, and a memory of skiing, desires that my body can no longer chase as it once could. Along the way, I have looked at knees that ache, choices that ask us to accept limits, burnout that teaches patience, and quieter adventures, such as writing a poem […]
