Sometimes the most reasonable answer is not the one I consider first, when faced with a problem. I like to tell myself stories first. This just leads me to jump to conclusions that are not helpful and don’t solve the problem. The other day, I wrongly blamed a neighbour for a chemical smell. But today,… Continue reading No Information? I’ll Make Up A Story
Author: Caroline@retiredandnowwhat.ca
I'm a life coach discovering the opportunities and growth in midlife and beyond.
Big Top Emotions
As I have the privilege of growing older, I gather more loss. Grief is difficult to talk about and something many people shy away from, but it truly is a fact of life. Learning how to cope with death is something we have to do. We have no choice. Like taxes, death will not be… Continue reading Big Top Emotions
Letting Go Of Worries About Important Tasks
There are things that are urgent and important. I will do those immediately. But then, there are things that are not urgent but important, like taxes and medical tests. I will delay those things as long as possible. I don’t like to do them and I don’t want to face them. So, I play the… Continue reading Letting Go Of Worries About Important Tasks
Forgetting To Remember To Be Present
I’m trying to use my time wisely and that’s more challenging now that I don’t have a regular work schedule to plan around. You’d think that having more time would make it easier, but often it doesn’t. Time gets frittered away on numerous things during the day and suddenly it’s dinner time again. Being mindful,… Continue reading Forgetting To Remember To Be Present
Where In The World Is…
Considering that I’ve always lived on the same planet, I have managed to stay remarkably ignorant of its countries. Sure, I can find where I am on the globe, and the places that I’ve visited, but that’s about it. Sadly, most of my knowledge is extremely North American and Euro-centric. Challenging My Ignorance. A year… Continue reading Where In The World Is…
Do What Scares You
It’s easy to become complacent and settle when you retire. You get pushed along by the rhythm of the day, and suddenly a week, a month and a season has rolled by. I could feel it happening to me and I didn’t like it. In an attempt to grow, I chose to do something that… Continue reading Do What Scares You
Healing My Relationship With Plants
I found myself talking regularly to the orchid in my bathroom, when it bloomed during the dead of winter. Its bright yellow and fuchsia blooms lifted my spirits when everything outside was frozen. I know they say that talking to your plants is good for them, but I’ve found that it’s been good for me… Continue reading Healing My Relationship With Plants
Why persistence matters when you don’t see any gains
It’s hard to start new things, but it’s often even harder to persist with them, especially when it doesn’t look like you’re achieving anything. As a teacher, I had a career of persistence: I showed up and did my best without many signals that I was achieving anything. Teaching Is Persisting. No Extra Money. No… Continue reading Why persistence matters when you don’t see any gains
Truly Listening
I don’t know why it surprises me, but I still have so much to learn. Often the stuff I have to learn is not new stuff. It’s not stuff that I’ve never heard about before. It’s the basics: easy things that are hard to follow through on. This past week, it was listening. Listening. Yup,… Continue reading Truly Listening
State Your Age
It’s a little disconcerting to be at a family gathering and be faced with the fact that you’re part of the oldest generation there. I remember attending big family get-togethers when I was in my late teens and I was asked to sit at the kiddies’ table. Then, the oldest generation walked with canes, sat… Continue reading State Your Age
Retired, And Now What? 