We live in a townhouse set up for two adults of a certain age with some accomodation for casual guests. We’ve been invaded by 3 children, their parents and their on-again, off-again helper. Our daughter, because of an uncomfortable necessity, … Continue reading Pandemonium rules our home
The most emotionally devastating emotional pivotal point in stroke recovery is the moment when you discover what’s been truly lost and the realization that its not coming back. For family and friends this is a heartbreaking ‘call to action’ that so many are not equipped to answer. For the stroke victim this is a devastating epiphany. Things will never be the same again. A simple truth, yes, however, becoming aware of it and knowing it to be true shapes the future. Continue reading Stroke Recovery Distress
How do you mend a broken heart? Lately we’ve been dealing with my darling wife’s encounter with Takotsubo Syndrome and the struggle to find the way through to an actual treatment protocol for this rare condition. Takotsubo Syndrome is also … Continue reading Takotsubo Syndrome–how do you mend a broken heart?’
You have a story, everyone does. It’s your story to tell. They don’t get to tell your story. It’s yours. If you’re afraid of it, admit it, but don’t let them co-opt it. Control the narrative, manage the messaging. Continue reading Tell your own story
I was told recently about a woman who had tried to ween herself off her anti-depressants without consulting her doctor. There were consequences. She slipped back into a dark hole from which it took her a long time to find her way back into the light. She resumed taking her meds, and then discussed it with her physician. Her physician was kind, but blunt. If you were a diabetic would you decide that you felt well enough to discontinue taking your insulin? Some forms of depression are the same. You don’t discontinue something that is working to restore and maintain … Continue reading Self medicating and unilateral changes to dosages=dumb move
We are experiencing a rough start to what was intended to be my ‘retirement’. There are of course the expected concerns about cash-flow, and then the wondering what I’m supposed to do next now that I’ve replaced the structure of … Continue reading bumpy start to the retirement journey
As our granddaughters and grandsons hit their individual milestones their parents find a way to mark their birthdays with age appropriate birthday parties that conform to the North American concepts of birthday celebrations for children. I continue to find it so very interesting to watch the celebrations, comparing and contrasting the change with each successive year. It isn’t just about watching the kids grow and change. As much fun as watching the children is taking note of the evolution of the type of parties organized for them. The ways in which the parents and grandparents change over the year and … Continue reading Kids’ birthdays and the adults growing up with them
Today it feels like I’m swimming upstream, moving against the current of my life, fighting just to stay in place and not appearing to be making any headway on my journey. My retirement plans, my writing and my painting are all on hold. My darling wife has had an odd cardiac incident; Takotsubo Syndrome, also known as ‘broken heart syndrome’. There will be more on this in a new post. I have developed an abscess on the right side of my neck. My ontological head and neck surgeon had a look, did a needle biopsy and ordered a CT scan. … Continue reading Swimming Upstream…?
Retirement is a career all on its own, and if you’re taking the time to read this then quite likely retirement is going to be your next career, or you know someone who is headed down that path. I’ve written … Continue reading Retirement? 8 things to consider when Retirement is your next career move
On balance, Sir5R is a ‘home body’, not straying far beyond the easy range of his motorcycle’s fuel capacity. This isn’t entirely true. I have been known to get on a plane occasionally, and did it quite a bit for the benefit of previous employers, which isn’t to say that I didn’t love taking the occasional road trip. But as a couple we don’t make a habit out of traveling the world as much as moving through it together. Our travels to exotic locales have mostly been in our imagination. But that is starting to change. A new ‘sense of … Continue reading Sir5R prepares to go travelling