Monday Morning - October 20 - A year later

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days!

Monday October 20, 2014

!It has been over a year since I started this blog  and a couple of months since my last post.  Another tell tale sign of growing older.... time seems to take flight ..... a year goes by in a blink and losing track of time becomes more routine.

I started my foray into social media - twitter, facebook and blog - to honour my good friend  Eleanor - her sense of adventure and being forever young.

I have enjoyed facebook...it has been fun and proved to be a great way to reconnect with some people in my life.  130 friends and I post fairly regularly.

Twitter a bit more of a challenge....I find there is a lot of useless info and  way too much so I don't follow as often and definitely don't post.  I use Twitter mostly to push by blog posts and as a result have over 400 followers.


My blog .... although I have been lapse of late, it has been an education.  I think to have picked a focus of my blog .... retirement planning....emerging senior was a good thing to do.  It is just difficult to keep this at the forefront.  My posting about letting my hair go gray has had the most interest and have had followers from all sorts of "Going Gray" groups and an invite to go to London England to participate in summit.  Who knew?

I have recently registered on pinterest but I think I will use that mostly for our new business.

So in the coming year, my goal is get better at twitter, refocus my attention on Emerging Senior blog and explore how pinterest, and other online communities such as Etsy could be helpful to the mac.gillet gallery.

In terms of retirement....not ready yet but feeling a lot more prepared.  I better review my post with my retirement checklist to see how things are progressing.....

Monday Morning July 28 - Not time yet

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days

Monday, July 28, 2014

I returned to work this week after two weeks of vacation.  I always like to take a couple of weeks in the summer just to hang around the house, the pool, catch up on some reading, gardening.  It is nice to have the luxury of time to meet friends and family for coffee, go to yoga everyday.

My few weeks kicking around town is always a litmus test for me about my retirement readiness.  I always pay attention to my feelings about going back to work.  Is it time for me to make my "at home" vacation a more permanent lifestyle?

Not yet.  I was looking forward to returning to work.  I had  no feeling of dread of going back to the office.  I missed my work and my colleagues.

However, on Monday night after a hellish day at work, my thoughts were leaning in the other direction.  But by the end of the week after I seemed to have my work life under control.... I am confident....not yet.

I will keep working on my checklist for retirement, continue my planning for this next phase of my life ... I think right now... I am still an emerging senior....

Monday Morning - July 7 - Bucket List

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days

Monday, July 7, 2014

I don't have a bucket list.  I don't really know why.  I like lists.  I have lots of to do lists - work, home, etc.  I am definitely a list person.  But a bucket list doesn't sit right with me.  A list of things to do before I die?

 I don't think life works like that.  It is more organic.  You do one thing and that leads you to another... leads you to another.   The undiscovered, the unimagined...best parts of life.

Sure there are things I want to do, places to see but I had wishes like that when I was a kid and at every stage so far. .  Why do we have to put this "before I die" label on it. 
I can understand a list of things to do before I retire (while I still have the money) or things to do while I am still fit enough. 

What happens after you have done everything on your bucket list??  Are you finished... just sitting around.... can go anytime.

No, not for me.  I will carry on bucketless

Monday Morning June 16 - Just do the right thing, Joe

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days!

Monday June 16, 2014

The Mayor of my hometown has been embroiled in a scandal over the past couple of years.  No, I am not talking about Rob Ford - this is yet another Canadian Mayor who has failed to do the right thing.

In a nutshell - our mayor was formerly a federal politician who during his time serving as a member of Parliament allegedly altered an $1700 invoice for the deposit for his sons wedding to an invoice for a cancelled political visit.  The forged document was leaked to the local newspaper spurring an RCMP investigation resulting in charges of  forgery, fraud and breach of trust.  On Friday, the court case came to conclusion and he was found guilty on all three charges.  He awaits sentencing.

It seems to me that every step along the way, he had the opportunity to do the right thing....

The most obvious was the initial crime.  How do you get to the point that you think you are entitled to have the hard earned tax contributions of Canadians pay any part of your sons wedding

When confronted by the RCMP he could have admitted his actions, confessed and accepted the consequences of his actions.  This would have saved the embarrassment of the city and saved the taxpayers the expense of the trial.

When charged, he could have stepped down temporarily as Mayor until the outcome of the charges were known.  Why carry on and have the City tagged with this scandal.

When found guilty on Friday - he should have stepped down as Mayor immediately.  He no longer has the moral authority to be the steward of this citys resources or reputation. The decision to appeal is up to him and his legal team, but step down.  Stop this from being a civic issue and instead turn it into what it should be - a personal issue .

For a man that takes every opportunity to profess his love of this City....he seems to care little for what is in the best interest of our town.

Just do the right thing, Joe.

Monday Morning - June 9 - A flower pot now stands....

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days!

Monday, June 9, 2014

A flower pot now stands where a basketball hoop once did.

When we first moved into our house over twenty years ago, my father in law bought a full size basketball hoop for my son for his sixth birthday.  It was before the days of portable ones, so my husband poured bags and bags of cement to secure it in place.  

I remember when it first went up and how it towered over the driveway, I wondered if my son would ever be tall enough to use it.  

It seemed like no time at all and he was playing ball in the driveway. Eventually he grew to 6'4 and could hang off of it.

The hoop was not only a source of recreation but a navigation aide as well.   For years, it was the only hoop on our street and I would always direct people to the "house with the hoop in the driveway"

Over the years it had become rusty and an eyesore, It had to come down.  So last week, my son came over and took down  his birthday present from his grandfather from all those years ago.   They had done such a good job putting it up, it was a bit of a struggle to remove. 

Now when  I pull into the driveway,  the house definitely looks better but I will never look at that flower pot and not think of the basketball hoop.

Monday Morning - June 2 - Kitten

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days!

Monday, June 2, 2014

Meet Layla - our new Lilac -Tortie point Siamese kitten.  We have had her for a month and she is the main reason I have not been on this blog.  She is into everything and everytime I go online, she insists on sitting on my keyboard.

It has been 14 years since we had a kitten and I had forgotten how absolutely cute and courageous they are.  She is into everything and tears around our house like a mad thing.  We are having so much fun with her.  



She has at least doubled in size since she joined our family and looks more like a young cat now than a kitten.










Over the month, Beau and Layla have worked out their issues - she constantly was attacking him - Beau was a bit frightened... but now they are on the path to BFFs.  It is remarkable and a lesson in patience  for me how a 100 pound dog lets a little one pound kitten into his home and his heart.  Thank you Beau

Monday Morning - April 28 - Aging and Dementia

We do most of our living between Friday night and Monday morning.  Monday morning is the time to reflect on the weekend and get back into our week day routine . As I get older it becomes more difficult to get myself  moving on Monday morning.   I guess that is part of what retirement planning is about - letting go of the weekday routine and spreading the rest of your life over seven days!

Monday, April 28, 2014

It seems that everyday I am reminded through newspaper and magazine articles of the increasing incidence of dementia in our society.  And as we boomers grow older they are predicting an "epidemic" ---as only  boomers can sensationalize  something that has been around forever and suddenly  impacting us. 

My Mom who is 83 has dementia. My husband's father had dementia in the last year or so of his life.  I certainly am witness to the insidious nature of this condition and how it effects an  individual and their family.  

We are bombarded with awareness campaigns about the ravages of the disease ..... cries for more research.......countless recommendations on how to prevent or stave off this condition.

I am sure I am not alone in doing suduko, word search, and computer cognitive games in an attempt to keep my brain agile in hopes that various forms of puzzle solving will be the secret weapon in the war against an aging brain.  

But yesterday an article in the Toronto Star caused me to pause and to think differently. It challenged my assumption that diminished cognition means diminished growth.  

The article was about a  research centre that has opened  in Toronto- The Dotsa Bitove Wellness Academy. The focus of the centre is not on dementia as a tragic disease but  on the enrichment of  people's continuing abilities - to help them grow through creative expression, music, dance, movement, visual arts.  To reach them and build relationships based on  creative expression not cognitive expression.  

http://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2014/04/25/dotsa_bitove_wellness_academy_takes_artful_approach_to_fighting_dementia.html

With all of the science that is dedicated to the working of the brain and the  "dementia epidemic" , this article was a reminder to me not to lose sight of the more complicated and powerful part of our minds - the emotional- the creative.   Maybe it is time that I  let go of my assumption that later life dementia is solely degenerative .