: A new perspective on something familiar. Reminders for me this morning of the value of seeing …
: I’ll miss these marina views. RV season is drawing to a close. Daylight hours are shrinking and …
: Happy Thanksgiving! This weekend, I’m celebrating family, friends and all the good things that fill …
: I am such a chicken. Signs like this make me want to hightail it back to the car and just go home. …
: I had completely forgotten about this walking trail. As I walked it the other day I determined to …
: This is likely the last camp fire of the season. We bought our RV as an escape during Covid and have …
: Saw this little guy on our walk this morning. No clue what type of insect it is, but will no doubt …
: You know you’re moving slowly when …..
: I’d forgotten how nourishing it is to sit quietly and watch the city wind down.
: I know that I am prone to enthused exaggeration, but on my walk today I saw the most beautiful tree …
: Life can be a soul-sucking rush with days filled fetching and toting, going and coming, planning and …
: I’m waiting in a weaving line with crowds of people ahead of me. Rain might be coming; the air is …
: A stately old church in the heart of downtown London. Built in 1869, an architectural example of …
: I love walking in the Fall. The cool temperatures, colourful leaves and quiet stillness make me want …
: Took a ride with the family in an open car on this old diesel from the 1950s. The scenic ride from …
: Viewing the city from the top of city hall. A great reminder that a bird’s eye view provides a …
: Explored Central Library’s Rotary Garden, a secret oasis in the midst of downtown London. Lots of …
: Downtown shortcuts and passages.
: Never alone on my walks downtown.
: Walking the pathway along the Thames River. Mood upswing on its way. #10ksteps
: Current Status Yes, I’m still retired and no, it no longer sucks. Looking back at my career path, I can say, …
: Realistic Expectations I came into the administrative role with high expectations. I expected a perfect opportunity to …
: Leadership When I began my teaching career, I never thought about any type of leadership beyond the classroom. …
: A Blur I revelled in the new found freedom to try new things, switch grades, work with different colleagues …
: It’s Who You Know Finding another position seemed like a huge challenge. I sent out resumes, followed up with phone …
: A Fresh Start and a Quick Finish Networking found me another teaching position in a private elementary school in the same city. This …
: The Catalyst It was a conversation I still remember more than forty years later. The principal stopped me mid …
: Glorious Beginnings In my small private school, I had lots of freedom to teach creatively as I developed a series of new …
: Out of the Blue Once school ended and I was back home, my job search fizzled. Living rent-free with my parents, …
: Job Search Since there were few hiring prospects in the public system, I decided to target private schools. …
: Humility My first teaching placement was humbling. Any illusions that I had of being innately gifted at …
: Fortified Resolve No matter how logical our plans may be, life can easily thwart them. I was not immediately accepted …
: Laying Foundations With an eye to teaching, I chose college courses which would give me a broad background knowledge in …
: Loneliness Once the busy days of settling in were behind me, the patterns of routine began to form. Newness …
: Creeping Onwards I chose the same university as my sister. Not a surprise to anyone, I’m sure. I was already familiar …
: A Gradual Launch When it came time to leave home and head to university, I was torn. On the one hand I was excited. …
: Accessing Allies There is definitely benefit in being part of a collective. I’m not talking about a visceral need to …
: Being Large Reading the title might give the impression that I’m talking about body mass. It’s true that over …
: Acting As If Here’s a piece of advice that changed my life: act as if. I don’t recall who told me this or when I …
: A Fresh Start High school opened its doors to kids from various feeder schools. It was a chance for a fresh start, …
: Bully Magnet I was a classic bully magnet: shy, uncertain and a tad inept. Soft spoken, conflict avoiding and …
: Not Rocket Science Gradually, I recognized what most already knew: if you want to do better at school, pay attention …
: Career Steps I had the usual gamut of occupations in mind as a kid: firefighter, police officer, veterinarian and …
: Type Cast I tried acting starting with roles in kids’ musicals and then moved on to more serious productions …
: Coddled and Shy As a kid, I was the kind every old lady adored. I was quiet, polite and could sit for hours without …
: Public Speaker One of my teachers suggested I get into public speaking because I would be good at it. I thought …
: Golden Voice I sang my first solo at a Christmas concert when I was in grade 9: the wise man who brought toddler …
: Community Choir What a great idea to join the community choir: new friends with a passion for singing and lots of …
: New Paths Doing the same job you retired from is like eating leftovers. Tasty at first, but then predictably …
: A Reprieve A call from my former employer gave me a short term reprieve from my transition in the form of a …
: Lost I remember my first post retirement project: binging Netflix’s Lost series …. 6 seasons and 121 …
: Difficult Transition I’m not saying a chance to reset and repurpose isn’t a good thing. For me, the transition was …
: Retirement Sucks Two words that I never thought would fit together: retirement and sucks. But it did. Some days, …