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 […]
Not long after we start asking whether life gets smaller when we “get it right,” another question sneaks in, usually unannounced: who decides what right even looks like now? Is it our doctors, our families, the well-meaning commercials, or the quiet voice in our own head that has learned to speak in warnings instead of […]
As we age, we’re often reminded, sometimes gently, sometimes loudly, of the risks we face: falling, cognitive decline, chronic health conditions. Cautious, “prudent” behaviour is presented as the responsible response. Sensible advice, yes, but it can also raise an unspoken question: if I get this right, will life get smaller? At lunch the other day, […]
As a group, we meet for lunch once a week. Conversation often drifts to the small aches and pains of aging, and which medications help, or don’t. One of the men who joins us lives with vascular dementia. Each week he tells the same stories, and each week we listen. He works hard to slow […]
Ah, Valentine’s Day arrives once more, With cards, and chocolates, and hearts galore. A day for love, they loudly proclaim Though our backs still ache just the same. Once, love was roses, late nights, and thrills, Now it’s shared calendars and prescription refills. We’ve traded diamonds for reading glasses, And candlelit dinners for sensible classes. […]
In the end-of-life planning workshops I facilitate, the same question comes up again and again: How do I deal with my family? More specifically, how do I tell a son, daughter, niece, nephew, or spouse what I want to happen when I can no longer speak for myself? What sits beneath that question is something […]
When I was a young teacher, I experienced burnout. I reached a point where I was genuinely prepared to walk away from the profession altogether. In the mid-1970s, burnout wasn’t something we talked about. At least not in my circle. If you were overwhelmed, exhausted, or questioning your choices, the message was simple: deal with […]
I have rheumatoid arthritis and have lived with it for several years now. So far, I’ve been lucky. The disease has shown up in my shoulders, my back, and my ankle, but with treatment I’ve been able to keep going. When I was first referred to a specialist, she was skeptical. Rheumatoid arthritis, she told […]
Golf has been part of my life for about twenty-five years. I enjoy it, though I’ll be the first to admit I’m not very good at it. and never will be, for a number of reasons. One of those reasons is simple: I don’t spend enough time on it. I play once a week with […]
