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Remember Your Halloween Adventures?

2026-10-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

Do you remember your best Halloween?

Not the Halloween when you got the most candy.

Not necessarily the Halloween when you had the best costume.

I'm talking about the Halloween you still remember.

Perhaps you were six years old, wearing a costume your mother made at the kitchen table. Maybe you were a ghost, a cowboy, a princess or something that was supposed to be a monster but looked more like a pile of old blankets.

Perhaps you remember going door to door with your friends, carrying a pillowcase that seemed enormous at the beginning of the evening and somehow wasn't big enough by the time you came home.

Maybe you remember the house with the best candy.

Every neighbourhood had one.

There was always a house where you knew you were going to get the good stuff.

And there may have been another house that gave you an apple.

An apple!

You probably didn't appreciate the nutritional wisdom of that homeowner at the time.

You were on a mission.

Candy was the currency.

Halloween was an adventure.

And that's what I want us to remember this Halloween.

Because there will be thousands of little adventurers heading out into our neighbourhoods today.

Some will be tiny.

Some won't be so tiny anymore.

Some will be dressed as superheroes. Some will be witches, ghosts, firefighters, princesses, monsters or characters from movies and video games we don't recognize.

Some costumes will be homemade.

Some will look as though they cost more than the house they are visiting.

Some children will be shy and barely whisper, “Trick or treat.”

Others will announce themselves as though they have been elected mayor of Halloween.

And there will be teenagers.

Some of us may be tempted to think they are too old to be going door to door.

I would suggest we give them a break.

Maybe Halloween is one of the few nights when they are still allowed to be kids.

Maybe they aren't quite ready to give up the magic.

Maybe they are creating a memory they will carry for the next 70 years.

We don't know what we don't know.

And that includes what is happening inside the head of the child standing at our door.

Perhaps that costume took weeks to put together.

Perhaps the child has been looking forward to this night for months.

Perhaps they are nervous.

Perhaps they are having a difficult year and tonight gives them a chance to forget about it for a few hours.

Perhaps this is their first Halloween in the neighbourhood.

Perhaps this is their last Halloween before they decide they are too old.

We don't know.

But we can make the few seconds they spend at our door memorable.

We can smile.

We can say, “Great costume!”

We can ask their name.

We can let them choose their candy.

We can laugh with them.

And when the teenagers arrive, we can resist the temptation to say, “Aren't you a little old for this?”

Instead, perhaps we can say, “Happy Halloween!”

Because here's the thing.

One day, those children will be sitting where we are sitting.

They'll be the ones answering the door.

They'll be the ones buying the candy.

And they'll remember the people who made Halloween special.

Maybe they'll remember the grandmother who always had the best treats.

Maybe they'll remember the man who complimented their costume.

Maybe they'll remember the house where someone handed them two pieces of candy instead of one.

We may never know that we have become part of someone's childhood memory.

That's a pretty wonderful thought.

We spend a lot of time talking about what we leave behind as we get older.

Money.

Houses.

Photographs.

Possessions.

But perhaps one of the most important things we leave behind is much smaller.

A memory.

A smile.

A kind word.

A moment when somebody felt welcome.

Halloween gives us a chance to do that.

So, this year, when the doorbell rings and you hear that familiar chorus of “Trick or treat!”, remember the child you once were.

Remember the excitement.

Remember the costumes.

Remember the pillowcase.

Remember running from house to house with your friends.

Remember believing that the world was full of possibilities.

And then open the door.

Welcome the adventurers.

Because that's what they are.

They are heading out into the darkness, knocking on doors they have never knocked on before, meeting people they don't know, wearing costumes that allow them to become somebody, or something else for a night.

They are discovering.

They are exploring.

They are making memories.

They are having an adventure.

And isn't that exactly what we were talking about?

You don't know what you don't know.

Those children don't know what adventures life has waiting for them.

Neither do we.

So, let's encourage them to explore.

Let's give them a little candy and a lot of encouragement.

And perhaps, while we're at it, let's remind ourselves that we don't have to stop having adventures just because we've accumulated a few more birthdays.

This Halloween, don't just hand out candy.

Hand out a welcome.

Smile at the little ones.

Smile at the not-so-little ones.

And when you close the door after the last trick-or-treater has disappeared into the night, take a moment to remember your own Halloween adventures.

You may discover that the magic was never really about the candy.

It was about being young, being curious, being brave enough to knock on a stranger's door and discover what was on the other side.

That's something none of us should ever outgrow.

Life Is an Adventure, If You Let It Be One

2026-10-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

There is a phrase I have come to appreciate more as I get older:

You don't know what you don't know.

It sounds obvious, doesn't it?

But think about it for a moment.

We spend much of our lives collecting knowledge. We go to school. We learn a trade or profession. We raise families. We travel. We make mistakes. We fall in love. We lose people we love. We change jobs. We buy houses. We learn how to deal with disappointment, celebrate success and somehow get through all the things life throws at us.

After eight decades, I've learned a few things.

I've also learned that every time I think I finally understand how something works, someone, or something, comes along and proves me wrong.

And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

In fact, I think that's the point.

Life isn't about confirming everything we already believe.

It's about discovering what we don't know.

When we are young, we expect to learn.

When we get older, there can be a temptation to think we've already learned enough.

We've been there.

We've done that.

We've seen it before.

We know how this story ends.

But do we?

Probably not.

Every generation experiences things that previous generations never imagined. Technology changes. Medicine changes. The way we communicate changes. The way we work changes. The way we travel changes.

And we change, too.

That last part is easy to overlook.

The person I was at 30 isn't the person I am at 80.

I've accumulated experiences, friendships, disappointments, successes and failures that have changed the way I see the world. Some things I believed strongly when I was younger have changed. Other beliefs have become stronger.

That's what happens when we remain open to learning.

One of the things I enjoy about getting older is that I no longer feel I have to know the answer to every question.

I can simply ask.

“Why?”

“How does that work?”

“What do you think?”

“What am I missing?”

Those are powerful questions.

And they can take us places we never expected to go.

That's why I still ask questions.

It's why I still talk to strangers.

You never know what story the person sitting beside you has to tell.

You never know what you might learn from someone half your age, or twice your age.

It's why I still take the occasional wrong turn.

Sometimes intentionally.

There is something wonderful about not knowing exactly what is around the next corner.

We tend to think of a wrong turn as a mistake.

Sometimes it is.

But sometimes a wrong turn becomes an adventure.

You discover a little café.

You find a beautiful walking trail.

You meet somebody interesting.

You see something you would have missed if you had stayed on the planned route.

Some of the best parts of life aren't found on the itinerary.

They happen because something didn't go according to plan.

That is particularly important in retirement.

For decades, many of us lived by schedules.

School schedules.

Work schedules.

Family schedules.

Appointments.

Deadlines.

Meetings.

Then suddenly we retire and discover that nobody is telling us where we need to be tomorrow morning.

At first, that can be unsettling.

But it can also be an invitation.

An invitation to explore.

Try something you've never tried.

Take a class.

Learn how to use technology instead of complaining that technology has ruined everything.

Go somewhere you've never been.

Talk to someone you don't know.

Read something outside your usual interests.

Volunteer somewhere different.

Try a new food.

Take a different route home.

Say yes occasionally when your first instinct is to say, “That's not really my thing.”

You might discover that it is.

And if you don't like it?

You've learned something, too.

That's the beauty of curiosity.

There is no failure in discovering that something isn't for you.

You simply know more than you did before.

The danger isn't getting older.

The danger is deciding that because we are older, there is nothing left to discover.

I don't want to live that way.

I don't want to spend my remaining years simply repeating what I already know.

I want to be surprised.

I want to learn something that makes me say, “I didn't know that.”

I want to meet people who challenge the way I think.

I want to hear stories I haven't heard before.

I want to take a few more wrong turns.

I want to leave some room in my life for the unexpected.

Because perhaps that's what an adventure really is.

It isn't necessarily climbing a mountain, travelling around the world or doing something dangerous.

An adventure can be as simple as walking through a door you've never opened before.

At our age, we have something young people don't yet have yet, decades of experience.

But young people have something we should never lose, the willingness to discover.

We need both.

Experience gives us confidence.

Curiosity keeps us growing.

So don't be afraid to say, “I don't know.”

Those three words aren't a sign of weakness.

They are an invitation.

“I don't know.”

“Tell me.”

“Show me.”

“Let's find out.”

After eight decades, I keep coming back to the same lesson:

You don't know what you don't know.

And that's not something to fear.

It's something to celebrate.

Because somewhere out there, perhaps around the next corner, in the next conversation, on the next unexpected journey, is something you haven't experienced yet.

So, keep asking.

Keep looking.

Keep exploring.

Keep going.

And continue the conversation

Take the occasional wrong turn.

Whatever you do, don't close the door on an adventure simply because you think you've already seen everything.

You haven't.

Neither have I.

And that's what makes tomorrow interesting and what makes it more interesting is all the ghosts, goblins, superheros and witches who will vist us tomorrow on Halloween.

Don't Plan Every Minute of Your Life

2026-10-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

When I was working, I had a plan for most days.

There were meetings to attend, appointments to keep, deadlines to meet, projects to finish and people expecting me to be somewhere at a particular time.

That was work.

Retirement was supposed to be different.

Yet I have discovered that one of the easiest traps to fall into during retirement is continuing to live as though someone is paying us to be busy.

We fill the calendar.

Monday: appointment.

Tuesday: golf.

Wednesday: volunteer.

Thursday: lunch.

Friday: another appointment.

Saturday: something we promised to attend three weeks ago.

Before long, we need a vacation from our retirement.

I have decided that isn't the way I want to spend my retirement.

I don't have a daily or weekly plan. I keep track of my commitments, of course, because forgetting an appointment is not a particularly good retirement strategy. But I try not to schedule more than one major thing a day.

Why?

Because I want some empty space.

Empty space sounds unproductive, but it isn't.

Empty space gives life somewhere to happen.

There are two five-letter words I have learned to be suspicious of.

The first is PLANS.

I'm not against planning. Some things absolutely require planning. If I'm going on a trip, I'm going to make sure I have a ticket. If I'm having surgery, I'm going to prepare. If I have an appointment, I'm going to write it down.

But I have learned not to take my plans too seriously.

Plan A is often just something that gives me the confidence to begin.

By the end of the project, trip, event or adventure, I'm usually somewhere around Plan G.

Something didn't work.

Someone changed their mind.

The weather intervened.

An appointment was cancelled.

A better idea appeared.

Someone I didn't expect to meet showed up.

And sometimes the change turns out to be better than the original plan.

Some of the most interesting experiences in my life have happened because the original plan went sideways.

That's where the unexpected friendship can begin.

That's where the interesting conversation happens.

That's where you discover a restaurant you would never have chosen.

That's where you find yourself saying, “I never expected this.”

And those moments are difficult to schedule.

The second five-letter word I try to avoid is LATER.

“I'm going to call him later.”

“I'll read that book later.”

“I'll go for a walk later.”

“I'll get around to that later.”

I've discovered that whenever I say “later,” there is a good chance that later will turn into tomorrow, tomorrow will turn into next week, and eventually the thing disappears completely.

Retirement gives us something work often didn't: choice.

We don't have to fill every hour.

We don't have to turn every day into a productivity contest.

We can have breakfast with someone because we feel like it.

We can sit in the sun and read a few pages.

We can take the long way home.

We can stop and talk to someone.

We can say yes to an invitation we received that morning.

We can spend an afternoon doing absolutely nothing, and discover that nothing was exactly what we needed.

That can be difficult for people who spent 30 or 40 years measuring their days by what they accomplished.

But retirement isn't a project that needs to be completed.

There is no final report.

There is no annual performance review.

Nobody is going to ask whether you achieved 87 percent of your retirement objectives.

So perhaps we need to change the question.

Instead of asking, “What do I need to accomplish today?”

Try asking, “What might I enjoy today?”

There is an important distinction.

I'm not suggesting that we abandon all structure. A little routine is good for us. Having commitments, hobbies, exercise, volunteering and people to see can give our days meaning.

But don't build such a rigid schedule that there is no room for spontaneity.

Leave some doors unlocked.

Leave an afternoon open.

Leave room for the unexpected.

Because life doesn't always arrive according to our calendar.

Sometimes it walks through the door unannounced.

A friend calls.

Someone invites you for coffee.

You discover a book that changes the way you think.

You meet somebody who becomes an important part of your life.

You take a wrong turn and discover something wonderful.

You laugh at something you didn't expect to be funny.

Those moments don't usually come with a three-week notice.

They happen NOW.

That may be one of the great gifts of retirement.

For much of our working lives, we were told where to be and when to be there.

Now we have an opportunity to decide.

So don't confuse an empty space on your calendar with an empty life.

That space may be where your next adventure begins.

Make plans when plans are necessary.

But don't plan every minute.

Expect the unexpected.

And when something interesting comes along, don't automatically say, “Maybe later.”

Seize the moment.

Because **later isn't guaranteed.

Now is.**

Don't Take No for an Answer, Until You Know Who Is Saying It

2026-10-28T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here is a piece of advice I wish someone had given me years ago:

Don't take a “no” from someone who isn't empowered to give you a “yes.”

That doesn't mean you should become pushy, rude or demanding. It doesn't mean you should argue with the person standing behind the counter or make someone's day miserable because you didn't get the answer you wanted.

It means something much simpler.

Learn to ask, “Is there someone else I could speak with about this?”

There is a big difference between “No” and “I can't.”

The person you are talking to may not actually be the person making the decision. They may simply be following a policy, a procedure or instructions they have been given.

They may be telling you what they have been told to tell you.

That doesn't necessarily mean the answer is wrong. It simply means you may not have reached the person who can make the decision.

I was reminded of this recently while waiting in a medical office for a blood test.

There was a lineup at the registration desk. While we were waiting, a man came into the office carrying a stool sample. He needed to hand it in.

Instead of joining the line, he walked toward the back of the area where the testing was being done and spoke with one of the workers.

She told him to wait in line.

He didn't argue.

He went to the counter and spoke with one of the nurses. She also told him to go back and wait in the line.

Still, he didn't argue.

He simply went to another clerk.

That clerk listened to him, checked his information and took his sample.

Problem solved.

There was something else about this man that caught my attention.

He was 92 years old.

And he didn't look like someone who had spent his life accepting the first “no” he heard.

I don't know whether he understood the system better than the rest of us, whether he had done this before, or whether he simply figured there had to be another way.

But I admired his persistence.

He didn't yell.

He didn't complain.

He didn't tell the workers they didn't know what they were doing.

He simply kept looking for someone who could help him.

There is an important lesson here for all of us, particularly as we get older.

Sometimes we become reluctant to challenge decisions.

We may think, “I don't want to make a fuss.”

Or “I don't want to bother anyone.”

Or perhaps we think, “That's just the way things are now.”

Sometimes that attitude is perfectly reasonable.

But sometimes it costs us.

It can mean missing out on something we are entitled to receive, failing to get the help we need, or accepting a decision simply because the first person we spoke to didn't know how to solve the problem.

This happens everywhere.

At a doctor's office.

At a government office.

At a bank.

With an insurance company.

At an airport.

Even when dealing with a business that has provided you with a service.

The first person you speak with may have limited authority.

They may be able to explain the rules but not change them.

That's when a polite question can make all the difference:

“I understand. Is there someone who has the authority to make an exception or review this decision?”

Or:

“Who would be the best person for me to speak with about this?”

Notice the difference.

You're not demanding.

You're not attacking the person.

You're simply trying to find the right door.

And sometimes that door leads to a yes.

Of course, persistence has limits.

If you eventually reach the person who has the authority to make the decision and they say no, you may have to accept it.

But at least then you know you have reached the right person.

And if the answer is still no, you can ask one more useful question:

“Could you explain why?”

Understanding the reason behind a decision can sometimes reveal another possibility. Perhaps there is an appeal process. Perhaps there is another program. Perhaps you need different documentation. Perhaps you simply misunderstood the rule.

The goal isn't to get your way every time.

The goal is to make sure you don't give up simply because the first person you meet says no.

There is a fine line between being persistent and being a pain in the neck.

We should stay on the right side of that line.

Be respectful. Be patient. Listen. Thank the person for trying to help.

But don't be afraid to say, “Who else could I talk to?”

That 92-year-old man at the blood-testing clinic gave me a wonderful reminder.

At 92, he wasn't looking for an argument.

He was looking for a solution.

Perhaps that's the attitude we should all carry with us as we get older.

Don't fight the system. Learn how to navigate it.

Don't accept “no” simply because someone without the authority to say “yes” gave you one.

Ask another question.

Find another door.

And if you finally reach the person who can make the decision and the answer is still no, then you know where you stand.

Sometimes the most important thing isn't getting a yes.

It's making sure you asked the right person for one

Never Assume You Can Do It the Same Way Again

2026-10-27T00:00:00.000-07:00

One of the great benefits of getting older is experience.

We have been around the block a few times. We have travelled, bought houses, driven across the country, renewed passports, gone through airports, booked hotels and crossed borders. We have learned how things work.

And that experience is valuable.

But there is a trap hiding inside it.

We can begin to think, “I’ve done this before. I know how it works.”

That may have been true six months ago.

It may not be true today.

Travel is a perfect example.

You might have flown to Florida last winter. You arrived at the airport, checked your bags, went through security and boarded the plane without a problem. So, when you plan the same trip this year, you might assume you know exactly what to do.

But airports change. Airlines change. Security procedures change. Baggage rules change. Flights are cancelled or moved. Check-in procedures change. Technology changes. Entry requirements change. Borders change.

Even the neighbourhood where you are staying may have changed.

The restaurant you loved might be gone. The hotel may have changed ownership. The bus route may have changed. That little grocery store around the corner may have closed.

Your memory says, “I know this place.”

Reality may be saying, “Welcome back. Things have changed.”

And sometimes technology has a particularly nasty way of reminding us of this lesson.

I am experiencing that lesson right now.

My cell phone isn't working properly, and the solution may be to do a factory reset. If that happens, the phone will essentially be returned to the way it was when I first bought it. That means losing the information and data currently stored on it unless I can restore it from a backup.

I have spent years telling people, “Back up your important information.”

And to be fair, I do back up my information.

The problem?

The last time I backed up my phone to the cloud was about a month before the phone crashed.

Now I'm kicking myself.

Why didn't I back it up last week? Why didn't I do it yesterday? Why did I assume that because I had backed it up before, I was covered?

I wasn't.

The phone has given me a very personal reminder that doing something before isn't the same as doing it recently.

We learn from experience. Sometimes, unfortunately, we learn by making the mistake ourselves.

This isn't just about travel or cell phones.

Think about banking.

A few years ago, you might have walked into your bank, spoken to a teller and taken care of your business. Today, you may be encouraged to use an app, an ATM or an online service. The process has changed.

Think about health care.

The doctor, clinic or pharmacy you have used for years may have changed its procedures. Appointments may now be booked online. Forms may have to be completed electronically. New rules may have been introduced.

Think about driving.

A road you have driven for 20 years may now have a new traffic pattern, construction, a roundabout or a different speed limit.

There is a tendency as we get older to say, “I've been doing this all my life.”

And we have.

That's something to be proud of.

But the world doesn't stop changing simply because we have accumulated a lifetime of experience.

The trick isn't to throw away what we have learned. The trick is to combine experience with curiosity.

Your experience gives you a head start.

Curiosity keeps you from being left behind.

Before travelling, check the airline's current baggage and check-in requirements. Check your passport and entry requirements. Confirm your hotel reservation. Don't rely solely on what you remember from your last trip.

Before doing something, you haven't done for a while, ask a simple question:

“What has changed since the last time I did this?”

That one question can save you a lot of frustration.

It can save you money.

And, in some situations, it can keep you safe.

It can also save you from standing in an airport looking at a sign and wondering when they changed the rules!

So, the next time you are about to do something you have done many times before, pause for a moment.

Don't just ask, “How did I do this last time?”

Ask, “What's different this time?”

And perhaps add one more question, especially when technology is involved:

“When was the last time I backed this up?”

I know what I'm going to do when I get my phone working again.

I'm going to back it up.

And then I'm going to try very hard not to wait another month.

Because getting older gives us something very valuable: experience.

But staying curious makes sure that experience remains useful.

The goal isn't to know everything.

The goal is to keep learning enough to confidently find our way through whatever comes next.

Ready to Try AI? Here’s How to Get Started Try Google Gemini

2026-10-26T00:00:00.000-07:00

If you already use Google services, you may want to try Gemini.

Step 1: Open your web browser

Open Chrome, Safari, Edge or another supported browser.

Step 2: Go to Gemini

Type:

gemini.google.com

into the address bar and press Enter.

You should arrive at the Gemini website.

Step 3: Sign in if necessary

Some Gemini features can be used without signing in, depending on your device and location.

If you want additional features and the ability to save your Gemini activity, you will need to sign in with a Google Account.

If you already use Gmail, you probably already have a Google Account.

Click Sign in and enter your Google email address and password when asked.

If you don't have a Google Account, you can create one by following Google's instructions on the screen.

Step 4: Ask your first question

Once Gemini is open, look for the box where you can enter a question.

Try:

“Give me five ideas for things I can do on a rainy afternoon.”

Then press Enter or click the Submit button.

Just as with ChatGPT, you can continue the conversation.

You could ask:

“Give me five more that I can do with a friend.”

Then:

“Which one would be the least expensive?”

And there you are. You are using AI.

One More Thing: Don't Be Afraid to Experiment

Your first question doesn't have to be important.

In fact, I recommend that it isn't.

Ask AI something you're curious about.

Ask it to explain something.

Ask it for a recipe.

Ask it for gardening advice.

Ask it to suggest a book.

Ask it to help plan a day trip.

You can even ask:

“What are five interesting things you can help me with?”

Then pick one and give it a try.

There is no test. Nobody is grading your questions.

And if you don't like the answer, tell it so.

Try saying:

“That's not what I was looking for. Try again.”

Or:

“Explain that in simpler language.”

Or:

“Give me three examples.”

That's how you learn.

Start with five minutes.

You don't have to become an AI expert. You simply need to discover whether this new tool can make something in your life a little easier, more interesting or more enjoyable.

And if you get stuck, ask a friend, grandchild, neighbour or someone at a local seniors' organization for help.

Technology is much less intimidating when someone is sitting beside you.

So, give it a try.

Open the browser.

Type chatgpt.com or gemini.google.com.

Ask one question.

You might be surprised where that first question takes you.

And if you want some help getting started, organizations such as the GLUU Society are there to help older adults become more comfortable with technology.

The future isn't something we have to be afraid of.

Sometimes, we just need to learn how to use it.

Ready to Try AI? Here’s How to Get Started Try Chat GPT

2026-10-25T00:00:00.000-07:00

In my recent posts, I suggested that seniors try using Artificial Intelligence such as ChatGPT or Google Gemini. The goal of the articles was to motivate seniors to actually try AI. However, saying “open ChatGPT and ask a question” is a bit like telling someone who has never driven a car, “Get in and go for a drive.”

But if you have never used AI before, you may be wondering, “Yes, but HOW do I actually get started?”

Fair question.

So, here is a simple step-by-step guide. You don't need to be a computer expert. If you can use a web browser and type a question, you have most of what you need.

Option 1: Try ChatGPT

ChatGPT is one of the most popular AI tools. There is a free version, and you can try it without creating an account.

Step 1: Open your web browser

On your computer, tablet or smartphone, open the program you normally use to go onto the internet.

It might be called Chrome, Safari, Edge or Firefox.

Step 2: Go to ChatGPT

At the top of your screen, you will see a long box where you normally type a website address.

Type:

chatgpt.com

Then press the Enter key on your computer or tap the arrow/go button on your phone or tablet.

You should see the ChatGPT website.

Step 3: Look for the place to type

You will see a box where you can type a question or request.

That's it.

You are ready to have your first conversation with AI.

You don't need to use special computer language. Talk to it much as you would talk to another person.

For your first experiment, try something simple.

Type:

“Give me five ideas for things I can do on a rainy afternoon.”

Then press Enter or click the arrow/send button.

Wait a few seconds.

AI will give you an answer.

Step 4: Ask another question

This is where things get interesting.

You don't have to start over every time you have another question.

You can continue the conversation.

For example, after receiving your five ideas, you could type:

“Give me five more ideas that don't cost any money.”

Then:

“Which one would be good to do with my grandchildren?”

You are now having a conversation with AI.

Step 5: Try something useful

Once you've played around for a few minutes, try something that could actually help you.

For example:

“I am going to Victoria for three days. I have some difficulty walking long distances. Suggest an itinerary with activities that don't require a lot of walking.”

Or:

“Explain compound interest to me as if I were a 12-year-old.”

Or:

“Help me make a grocery list for five simple healthy dinners.”

Don't worry about getting the question exactly right.

If the answer isn't what you wanted, tell AI what you want changed.

Try:

“That's not quite what I meant. Try again and make it simpler.”

That is one of the secrets of using AI. You can keep talking to it.

Do I have to create an account?

Not necessarily.

OpenAI currently allows people to try ChatGPT without creating an account. However, conversations made while you are not logged in aren't saved as chat history. Creating an account gives you more ways to save and manage your conversations.

If ChatGPT asks you to sign in or create an account, don't be alarmed. Follow the instructions on the screen.

You may be offered the choice to sign up using an email address or another supported sign-in method.

If you already have an account with the service, you can sign in instead.

And remember never give an AI service your banking password, SIN, credit card number or other sensitive personal information.

AI for Seniors, Ten Simple Ways to Make Life a Little Easier: Part 2

2026-10-24T00:00:00.000-07:00

Last time, I looked at five practical ways seniors can use Artificial Intelligence to make everyday life a little easier.

The important thing to remember is that you don't have to become an AI expert. You don't even have to understand how AI works.

Think of it as a tool.

A very patient tool.

You can ask it a question at midnight. You can ask it to explain something again. You can ask it to simplify an answer. And unlike the rest of us, it never seems to get tired of being asked the same question twice.

Here are five more ways you can put AI to work.

6. Help Drafting Messages

Sometimes the hardest part of writing an email or letter is getting started.

You know what you want to say, but the words don't quite come together.

AI can help.

Try asking: “Draft a polite email to my strata committee about noisy neighbours.”

Or: “Help me write a birthday message for my teenage granddaughter that sounds warm but not too formal.”

You don't have to use what AI writes word for word. In fact, you shouldn't. Think of it as a first draft that you can change until it sounds like you.

The words should still be yours.

7. Making Travel Plans

Travel planning can involve hours of searching for places to stay, things to do, restaurants, transportation and accessible attractions.

AI can help you get started.

Try asking: “Plan a three-day trip to Victoria for a couple who have mobility challenges.”

Or: “Create a packing list for a seven-day Alaskan cruise.”

You can then ask follow-up questions: “Make it less expensive.” “Add accessible activities.” “Give me options for rainy days.”

That conversation can help you build a much more useful plan.

Just remember to verify current prices, opening hours, reservations and travel requirements before you leave home.

8. Learning Something New

One of the great advantages of retirement is having the opportunity to become a beginner again.

Want to learn photography? Try gardening? Understand artificial intelligence? Learn another language? Improve your cooking?

AI can become a very patient tutor.

Try asking: “Teach me how to use my new smartphone one step at a time.”

Or: “I've always wanted to learn photography. Give me a simple four-week beginner's plan.”

You can ask questions whenever you get stuck.

There is something rather wonderful about being able to say, “I don't understand that. Explain it another way.”

9. Staying Connected with Family

Technology can sometimes create distance between generations, but it can also bring us closer.

AI can help you think of conversation starters, activities and ways to connect with children and grandchildren.

Try asking: “Give me five conversation starters I can use when I call my teenage grandson.”

Or: “Suggest activities I can do with my grandchildren that don't involve screens.”

You might even ask AI to explain something your grandchildren are interested in so you can understand what they are talking about.

The goal isn't to replace the conversation.

It is to help create one.

10. Exploring Hobbies and Keeping Your Mind Active

This may be my favourite use of AI.

Retirement should be about more than managing appointments and paperwork. It should also be about curiosity, enjoyment and discovering what comes next.

AI can become a companion for your hobbies.

If you enjoy gardening, ask about planting schedules. If you like cooking, ask for recipes based on what you have in the refrigerator. If you play golf, ask for ideas to improve your short game. If you love reading, ask for suggestions based on books you've enjoyed.

Try asking: “I enjoy historical novels. Recommend some authors and explain what makes their books interesting.”

Or: “Give me five simple ways to improve my putting.”

The possibilities are almost endless.

Four Golden Rules for Staying Safe

AI is powerful, but that doesn't mean we should believe everything it tells us.

First, keep private details private. Never give AI your SIN, bank account number, credit card information, passwords or other sensitive personal information.

Second, double-check important facts. AI can make mistakes. Verify medical, financial, legal and government information with the appropriate professional or official source.

Third, don't substitute AI for people. A computer can give you information, but it can't replace your doctor, financial adviser, family, friends or the people in your community. Those human connections are important to our health and happiness.

And fourth, start small.

You don't need to learn everything about AI. Pick one thing from these two articles that would make your life a little easier.

Open ChatGPT or Gemini and ask a question.

Try something.

You may discover that artificial intelligence isn't really about replacing people at all.

It can be about giving people a little more independence, a little more confidence and a little more time to do the things they enjoy.

AI for Seniors:, Ten Simple Ways to Make Life a Little Easier: Part 1

2026-10-23T00:00:00.000-07:00

You’ve likely heard plenty of talk lately about Artificial Intelligence, or AI, tools such as ChatGPT and Google Gemini.

Perhaps you have wondered what all the fuss is about.

Maybe you have even tried asking AI a question and were surprised when it actually gave you a useful answer.

If you haven’t tried it yet, don’t worry. You don’t have to become a computer expert, learn complicated programming or understand how AI works. Think of it as having a very patient assistant sitting beside you, ready to help when you have a question.

The GLUU Society is one organization helping older adults become more comfortable with technology and the digital world. Their work is a great reminder that technology should be a tool that helps us live better, not something that intimidates us.

Here are the first five of ten simple, practical ways older Canadians can put AI to work.

1. Scam Verification

There seems to be a new scam every week, and some are becoming remarkably convincing. AI can help you examine a suspicious email, text message or phone call and explain the warning signs.

Try asking: “I received an email saying the CRA owes me money. What are the signs that this could be a scam?”

Or: “How do I protect myself from a grandparent scam using a cloned voice?”

AI should not replace your common sense or an official source, but it can help you recognize the red flags.

2. Translating “Doctor-Speak”

A medical appointment can sometimes feel like drinking from a fire hose. Your doctor explains something, uses three words you have never heard before, and then moves on to the next subject.

AI can help you understand the terminology in plain English.

Try asking: “Can you explain osteoarthritis in simple terms without medical jargon?”

Or: “What three questions should I ask my doctor about a new medication?”

Remember, AI can explain information, but it cannot diagnose you or replace your doctor.

3. Navigating Canadian Pensions and Tax Credits

Government programs can sometimes seem as though they were written by people who were paid by the word.

AI can help you understand the terminology and identify questions you should investigate further.

Try asking: “What Canadian tax credits might be available to seniors for home mobility modifications?”

Or: “What is the Canadian Dental Care Plan, and who may be eligible?”

Use AI as your research assistant, then confirm important information with the appropriate government department or a qualified financial professional.

4. Understanding Government and Community Services

Sometimes the hardest part of getting help is figuring out where to begin.

You may know you need assistance with transportation, home repairs, food, caregiving or social isolation, but you may not know which organization to contact.

Try asking: “I am a senior living in British Columbia. What types of community services might help an older adult who is becoming socially isolated?”

Or: “What questions should I ask when looking for transportation services for seniors?”

AI can help you turn a vague problem into a list of possible solutions and questions.

5. Organizing Your Life

Retirement does not necessarily mean having nothing to do. In fact, many retirees wonder how they ever found time to work!

AI can help organize appointments, errands, projects and travel plans into manageable steps.

Try asking: “I have six appointments and errands this week. Help me organize them into a simple schedule.”

Or: “Create a checklist for preparing my house before I leave for a two-week vacation.”

You remain in charge. AI simply helps turn the clutter in your head into an organized plan.

And that may be one of the most useful things AI can do.

If you are curious about learning more, take a look at the GLUU Society and the resources they provide for older adults. You don't have to understand everything about technology. You just need to be willing to try one new thing.

Next time, we’ll look at five more ways AI can help with communication, travel, learning, family and the hobbies we enjoy.

Start small. Ask one question.

You may be surprised by the answer.

The Gift That Goes Both Ways

2026-10-22T00:00:00.000-07:00

Today I look at how charities help seniors give back

We often talk about charities serving seniors as places where older adults go to receive help.

There is certainly truth in that. Seniors may need assistance with transportation, meals, housing, health programs, social activities or simply a place where they can go and feel welcome. For someone who is isolated, grieving, newly retired or struggling with a change in circumstances, a seniors’ organization can become an important lifeline.

But there is another side of the story that doesn't get nearly enough attention.

Seniors aren't just the people being served by these organizations. They are also the people doing the serving.

Walk into almost any seniors' centre or community organization in British Columbia and you will find older adults behind the scenes. They are answering phones, greeting newcomers, preparing meals, organizing programs, making coffee, delivering food, driving people to appointments, sitting with someone who needs company, raising money and helping another senior figure out how to navigate a complicated system.

In many cases, they are the engine that keeps the organization moving.

Take Seniors Services Society of BC, for example. Volunteers help with medical transportation, grocery support, friendly morning calls, fundraising events and other programs designed to help older adults remain connected and independent. The organization is actively recruiting volunteers because there is simply so much work to be done.

Then there is Care BC, where volunteers play a central role in programs such as Meals on Wheels. Volunteers don't simply leave a meal at the door. They provide a friendly hello, a brief visit and an informal check on the person's well-being. For someone who may spend much of the day alone, that few minutes of human contact can be every bit as important as the meal itself. Care BC puts it rather nicely: volunteers are the "heart and soul" of its work.

Seniors First BC offers another example. Its volunteers help raise awareness about issues affecting older adults and support educational programs dealing with subjects such as financial abuse, advance planning, government benefits, fraud and scams, and residential tenancy. These are not people simply filling time. They are using their knowledge and experience to help other older adults make better decisions and protect themselves.

And this isn't a new idea in British Columbia.

The provincial government has recognized for years that older adults are an important part of the volunteer sector. Its research has pointed to the benefits of volunteering for seniors themselves, including stronger social networks, improved quality of life, greater life satisfaction and a stronger sense of purpose.

That last point deserves our attention.

Purpose.

I have met many people who enjoyed retirement enormously during the first few months. No alarm clock. No commute. No boss asking where that report is. No Monday morning meetings.

What's not to like?

But eventually, some begin to miss something they didn't realize their working life had provided: a reason to get up and go somewhere.

Retirement gives us freedom, but freedom without purpose can sometimes become isolation.

Volunteering can change that.

It doesn't have to mean committing 20 hours a week or taking on another full-time job without a paycheque. It might mean helping at a monthly event, reading with a child, welcoming people at a seniors' centre, delivering meals, making phone calls, serving on a committee or sharing a skill you have developed over a lifetime.

The important thing isn't how many hours you give.

It is that you give something.

And there is another benefit that is sometimes overlooked.

Volunteering puts us in the path of other people.

That matters.

Friendships don't always happen because we decide we need a new friend. They happen because we repeatedly show up in the same place, work alongside someone, share a laugh, solve a problem or discover that we have something in common.

A volunteer shift can become a friendship.

A committee meeting can become a social circle.

A simple invitation to help can become the beginning of a whole new chapter.

I think this is particularly important for those of us who have spent most of our lives being responsible for somebody else. We raised children. We built careers. We looked after parents. We coached teams. We served on committees. We helped neighbours.

Why should retirement suddenly mean that all of that stops?

It shouldn't.

In fact, retirement may be the first time in our lives when we can choose where our experience, energy and compassion will make the biggest difference.

That's why I believe charities serving seniors should never be thought of simply as places where seniors go to receive.

They are places where seniors can contribute, lead, teach, encourage and belong.

The relationship is not one-way.

We help each other.

The senior who receives a ride today may be the volunteer giving someone else a ride next year. The person who comes to a seniors' centre looking for friendship may eventually become the person standing at the door welcoming a newcomer.

That is how communities are built.

And British Columbia has thousands of seniors doing exactly that.

So, if you are retired, or approaching retirement, and you find yourself wondering what comes next, don't ask only, "What can I get involved in?"

Ask another question:

"What can I give?"

You may discover that the answer is much bigger than you expected.

You may also discover something else.

While you are giving your time to someone else, you may find that you have received something pretty valuable yourself, a reason to show up, people to show up for, new friendships and a renewed sense that you still matter.

Because you do

The Lifeline That Doesn't Make Headlines

2026-10-21T00:00:00.000-07:00

In this post I look at how charities help senior deal with government red tape.

Tax clinics help low-income seniors navigate complex paperwork. Unison filed 5,974 tax returns at its free tax clinic in 2024, supporting 5,568 seniors. Many Seniors Resource Centres. like us, help seniors with everything from completing government forms to choosing long-term care facilities and assists those dealing with elder abuse.

Housing and shelter is another critical area. The Old Brewery Mission in Montreal recently opened the Mirella and Lino Saputo Pavilion, a rehousing facility for 27 seniors experiencing or at risk of homelessness, with community gardens, organized activities, and supportive housing teams. The organization notes that 44% of Montreal's homeless population is aged 50 and over, and homelessness causes premature aging, meaning many are considered seniors from age 50.

Health and wellness programming extends beyond meals. The Gilmore Lodge Community Hub in Fort Erie offers group exercises, wellness education, and adult day programs alongside rehabilitation services . Across Ontario, 416 Seniors Active Living Centres (SALC) receive provincial funding to deliver recreational, social, and lifestyle activities, with 100 new centres added in the past year

Connection Over Loneliness,. The Social Safety Net

2026-10-20T00:00:00.000-07:00

In this post I look at how charities help senior deal with loneliness and isolation..

Loneliness is a quiet crisis. Charities are building the infrastructure to address it.

Friendly visiting and phone programs connect isolated seniors with trained volunteers for regular check-ins. In Edmonton, the Stocking Stuffers for Seniors program, run through the Operation Friendship Seniors Society, has grown from helping 40 low-income seniors in 2015 to supporting approximately 6,000 seniors annually across the Greater Edmonton Area .

We, at Wilson Seniors have free birthday parties every two months for our members. Guests pay a nominal fee, we have a band and birthday cake. Usually over 100 people attend.

Adult day programs provide structure, social connection, and respite for caregivers. The Saint Margaret Day Centre in Montreal offers a Virtual Inclusion Program where homebound seniors receive an iPad and join real-time activities remotely, alongside an In-Home Stimulation Project that brings cognitive games and social discussion directly to those who cannot attend in person . At the County Seniors' Centre in Prince Edward County, engagement nearly doubled compared to the previous year, 622 people taking part in 440 in-person and online events .

Dementia and Alzheimer's support includes caregiver respite, memory cafes, and specialized navigation resources. Ond of our progrqams is a caregivers program for caregivers of loved ones with Dementa so the caregivers can get some resptie and a chance to meet with others.As part of that program we run a monthly Musical Cafe for Dementia patients and their caregivers.One family member of a 95-year-old participant described how her father comes home from the Centre "energized and excited to share the experience" .

Ten Life Lessons Worth Sharing (Without Sounding Like a Lecture)

2026-10-18T00:00:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine runs a non‑profit and sends out a monthly newsletter to over 2,000 members. In the August issue, he published an article called "Some of the Greatest Lessons in Life." It listed three lessons that made me think.

They weren't complicated. They weren't new. They were the kind of truths that have been around forever but somehow feel fresh when you read them at the right moment:

If you made a mistake, you owned it.
If you wanted something, you worked for it.
Parents weren't trying to be our best friends every minute of the day. They were teaching us how to stand on our own two feet.

Those lessons weren't always easy. But they built resilience, character, and a generation that learned to keep going when life got tough. They may seem old‑fashioned to some, but they helped shape strong families, strong communities, and a strong work ethic.

I agreed with every one of them. But as I read them, I realized there were other lessons I had picked up along the way, lessons that didn't come from a lecture or a book. They came from living. They came from getting things wrong and figuring out how to get them right. They came from people I trusted, moments I survived, and choices I made when no one was watching.

Here are a few of mine.

4. Trust Your Family to Be There When Others Step Away

Not everyone will stick around. Friends drift. Colleagues move on. Even some relatives may fade into the background. But family, (and family does not need to be blood) the ones who truly show up, are the ones who will be there when the dust settles. They are not perfect. They will annoy you sometimes. But they are also the ones who will answer the phone at 2:00 AM. Trust that.

5. Find People You Can Trust and Mark Them as Special Friends

You do not need a hundred friends. You need a few you can count on. The ones who do not judge you, who do not keep score, who show up when things are hard. Find those people and hold on to them. They are rare. They are worth more than any possession you will ever own.

6. Don't Put All of Your Trust in Those in Power

Power does not automatically come with wisdom. Just because someone holds a title, sits on a board, or has influence does not mean they have your best interests at heart. Be respectful, but be discerning. And remember: the people who truly deserve your trust are the ones who earn it, not the ones who demand it.

7. Keep Your Own Counsel and Give It Only When Asked

Not every thought needs to be shared. Sometimes the most valuable thing you can do is listen. And when someone does ask for your advice, give it honestly, but gently. You can be right without being rude. You can be wise without being dismissive. And sometimes, the best counsel is the kind that helps someone find their own answer rather than giving the answer.

8. Apologize When You Are Wrong, And Mean It

This is harder than it sounds. It takes courage to say, "I was wrong. I am sorry." But it is also one of the most healing things you can do. A genuine apology can repair relationships, restore trust, and remind you that you are still growing.

9. Take the Long View

Not every problem needs an immediate solution. Not every disagreement needs a winner. Sometimes the best thing you can do is step back, breathe, and remind yourself that this moment is just one chapter, not the whole story. The long view gives you perspective. And perspective is a gift that only time can give.

10. Stay Curious

The moment you stop learning is the moment you start aging. And I do not mean aging in a physical sense. I mean the kind of aging that happens when you close yourself off to new ideas, new experiences, and new people. Stay curious. Ask questions. Try things you have never tried before. It keeps your mind sharp, your heart open, and your life interesting.

These lessons are not just for us. They are for the people who come after us. But here is the thing: they will not hear them if we lecture. They will hear them if we live them. And they will hear them if we share them in a way that feels honest, not preachy.

So, if you have a lesson that has carried you through hard times, consider sharing it. Not because you are "passing on wisdom." Not because you are the expert. But because you have lived it. Because you have earned it. And because someone out there might need to hear it.

And if you are wondering what to share, start with something like this: "I learned this the hard way. Maybe you will not have to." That is the kind of sharing that sticks. That is the kind of sharing that matters.

The Gift of Independence Staying at Home

2026-10-17T00:00:00.000-07:00

The Wilson Seniors' Advisory Association is a registered charity in Canada, and I have been thinking about how charities impact seniors in Canada. Many people believe that they do not have interactions with charities. Over the next few posts I am going to discuss how we interact with charities, and why we should support them, either through monetary donations or by volunteering. In this post I look at how charities help senior age at home.

For many seniors, the greatest fear is losing independence. Charities across Canada help them keep it.

Meals on Wheels is one of the most recognizable examples. Organizations like CHATS in York Region and South Simcoe deliver over 45,515 meals annually to 992 clients, with 99% of clients reporting they feel more supported in their communities . In Ontario, a new partnership between the Ontario Community Support Association and the Ontario SPCA now delivers pet food alongside meals, recognizing that pets are family and food security includes them .

Home maintenance and accessibility are equally critical. Charities coordinate volunteer or subsidized help for minor home repairs, yard work, and snow shovelingm small acts that allow seniors to age in place safely. Medical equipment loans, available through organizations like the Red Cross, provide wheelchairs, walkers, bath benches, and hospital beds without the high cost of purchasing .

Accessible transportation bridges the gap when seniors can no longer drive. Volunteer driver programs provide door-to-door rides to medical appointments, grocery stores, and social outings. Unison's Veiner Vintage Transport program volunteers drove 26,700 km in 2024 to transport seniors .

The Power of the Restart Button

2026-10-16T00:00:00.000-07:00

There is a reason one of the first things we do when technology misbehaves is to turn it off and turn it back on. We have all done it. A phone freezes, a computer slows to a crawl, a printer refuses to cooperate. And what do we do? We restart it. We give it a second chance.

It works on people, too. Especially the one in the mirror.

We do not always realize it, but we have a restart button. It is not a physical button. It is a decision. A decision to let go of the old, to release the weight of past mistakes, to stop carrying the version of yourself that no longer fits. It is the choice to say, "Starting now, I am going to try something different."

Think about the last time you felt stuck. Maybe it was a project that was not going anywhere. Maybe it was a relationship that had run its course. Maybe it was just a Tuesday afternoon when you realized you had been living on autopilot for weeks, months, maybe even years.

In that moment, you had a choice. You could stay where you were, repeating the same patterns and hoping for a different result. Or you could press restart.

A fresh start does not require a grand gesture. It does not require a new job, a new city, or a new identity. It can begin with something as simple as a change in perspective. It can begin with a single thought: What if I could start over, right now, with everything I have learned?

There is a practice I have found useful over the years. When I am about to start something new, a project, a conversation, a change in direction, I take a moment to imagine all the glorious consequences. I imagine what it will feel like to succeed. I imagine the relief, the pride, the sense of accomplishment. I imagine the joy I will feel when I have done what I set out to do.

It sounds simple, but it is powerful. When you anticipate success, you are not just dreaming. You are preparing your mind for the possibility. You are telling yourself that you are capable, that the outcome is within reach, and that the effort is worth it.

This kind of visualization is not just wishful thinking. It is a form of practice. It trains your brain to recognize opportunities, to stay focused on the goal, and to keep moving forward even when things get difficult.

And it works. The research is clear: athletes who visualize their success perform better. People who imagine themselves succeeding are more likely to take the steps that lead to actual success.

But even the anticipation, the visualization, the preparation, does not compare to the power you wield when you act as if your greatest dreams have already come true.

There is a strange magic in acting as if. It is not pretend. It is not delusion. It is stepping into the identity of the person you want to become. It is behaving as if your vision is already clear, your path already certain, your success already assured.

When you act as if, something shifts. You stop waiting for permission. You stop hesitating. You stop second-guessing every decision. Instead, you move forward with confidence, because you already know who you are and where you are going.

In that space, you stop being a passive participant in your own life. You become the hero of your own story. You slay the dragons, the doubts, the fears, the voices that tell you that you cannot. You command the legions, your skills, your experience, your relationships, with the authority of someone who has already won.

You do not need to wait for a new year. You do not need to wait for a birthday, a milestone, or a perfect moment. There is no perfect moment. There is only now.

So, take a breath. Look at the person in the mirror. That is the one who needs your permission to start over. That is the one who has been waiting for you to press restart.

You have lived through hard things. You have survived. You have learned. You have grown. And you are still here. That is not nothing. That is everything.

So, go ahead. Press restart. Start now. Imagine the joy. Act as if. Slay the dragons. Command the legions.

The world is waiting for the next version of you. And it is going to be spectacular.

What is one area of your life where you could use a fresh start? What would it feel like to give yourself permission to begin again, right now, without waiting for the perfect moment?

What My Daughter Needs to Know About Retirement

2026-10-15T00:00:00.000-07:00

If I could sit down with my daughter and her friends right now, here is what I would tell them.

Retirement feels far away when you are in your forties. It feels abstract, like a distant shore you will reach someday. But someday is closer than you think. And the choices you make now, small, consistent choices, will shape what that shore looks like.

Do not underestimate how much you will need. In the first phase of retirement, you will spend more. You will travel, you will explore, you will enjoy the freedom you have earned. In later phases, spending slows down, unless health care enters the picture. Plan for the first phase, and build in a cushion for the unexpected.

If you have high-interest debt, prioritize paying it off now. Carrying debt into retirement is like carrying a heavy backpack up a steep hill. It wears you out and slows you down.

Save three to six months of essential living expenses. Start small, with regular contributions. It does not have to be perfect. It just has to be consistent.

In long-term partnerships, one person often looks after the finances. That is fine, but you need to stay engaged. Ask questions. Understand the budget. Know where your investments are and how they are performing. If something happens to your partner, illness, death, divorce, you need to be able to manage on your own.

Review your insurance and update your beneficiaries regularly. Life changes, and your coverage should reflect that.

The best time to start saving was twenty years ago. The second best time is today. You do not need to have it all figured out. You just need to start. Just some Dad advice, that I hope they will listen to as they consider the idea of retirement.

The Confidence Shift – Why Younger Women Are Doing Better

2026-10-14T00:00:00.000-07:00

Here is something that gives me hope. A growing number of younger women are becoming more self-assured in their financial decision-making. The proportion of women who feel confident in their savings and investment decisions has increased steadily over the last few years. This trend is strongest among younger women and those earning higher incomes.

The use of financial advisers is also rising, with 45% of women now seeking professional advice compared with 40% in 2023. That is a real shift, and it matters because professional advice can make a huge difference. When you have someone who can help you navigate the complexities of retirement planning, investment strategies, and tax implications, you are far less likely to feel overwhelmed.

If you are in your forties or fifties, you are in a powerful position. You still have time to make meaningful changes. You can start building additional income streams through freelancing or a small sideline business. You can boost your emergency savings to cover three to six months of essential living expenses. You can review your life, disability, and income protection insurance cover and keep your beneficiary information up to date.

But most importantly, you can give yourself permission to be a little less conservative. A balanced investment approach can help you grow your savings while still protecting against risk. It is a fine line, but with guidance, it is one you can walk.

The Financial Hurdles Women Face (And How to Overcome Them)

2026-10-13T00:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter is hitting fifty this year. So are my daughter-in-law and many of their friends. They have partners, good jobs, and a sense of financial independence. But I still worry about them, because women face distinct financial hurdles that men simply do not.

The numbers are stark. Women earn less than men over a career, which means lower saving and investment potential. They take time off work for maternity or family care, which reduces cumulative income and retirement fund contributions. They live longer than men, which means their retirement nest egg must stretch across more years. And in general, women tend to take a more conservative investment approach, preferring the safety of money-market or fixed deposit accounts. That means more safety, but often less growth.

On top of that, women are the main caregivers of dependent children and aging parents. There is a cost to this caregiving—not just emotional, but financial. Time out of the workforce means lower earnings, lower pension contributions, and less compound growth over decades.

So, what can you do?

Do not delay investing. Start now, even if you are starting small. Time in the market is your greatest asset.

Most of us underestimate what we will need. If you can contribute consistently to retirement accounts and increase your contributions whenever your income grows, you will be in a much stronger position.

Carrying debt into retirement is a heavy weight. Prioritize paying off credit cards and personal loans while continuing minimum payments on others.

Whether you manage the day-to-day finances or not, stay involved in budgeting, investments, taxes, insurance, and long-term planning. Knowledge is power, and it also gives you peace of mind.

The Moment the Panic Sets In (And What to Do About It)

2026-10-12T00:00:00.000-07:00

I remember the exact moment. I was in my early fifties, sitting at the kitchen table, staring at a spreadsheet that was supposed to tell me if we would be okay in retirement. We had some savings. We had a good defined benefit plan. And yet, something felt off. The numbers looked fine, but the knot in my stomach said otherwise.

That was the moment I realized: I needed to start building our own savings. Not because we had to, but because I wanted to. I wanted to know that we would be okay, no matter what happened.

If you are in your forties or fifties and reading this, you might be feeling that same knot. You might be wondering if you have saved enough, if you have started too late, or if you will ever be able to retire comfortably. And you are not alone.

A recent survey from Money Stress Tracker reveals that women are 10–15% more financially stressed than men. Financial anxiety is rising, especially as women shoulder heavier burdens across home life, personal health, and workplace demands. The weight of caregiving, the reality of living longer, and the persistent wage gap all contribute to that stress.

But here is the good news: building savings isn't about perfection. It is about making consistent, informed decisions over time. I did not start early, but I started. And that is the most important step you can take, starting.

The best time to start saving for retirement was twenty years ago. The second-best time is today. If you have not started, do not wait. Start now, even with a small amount. Time in the market is often more important than trying to find the perfect moment to invest. And for women, who on average live longer than men, time is both a challenge and an opportunity. Your money needs to stretch further, but it also has more time to grow.

Life Is a Game, But Don't Forget to Play

2026-10-11T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have always liked games.

Maybe that is because games make life seem a little easier to understand.

There are rules.

There is usually a goal.

There are ways of getting there.

And, if you are lucky, there are other people sitting around the table or standing on the field with you.

Life, unfortunately, doesn't come with quite such a useful instruction manual.

Bernard Suits, the philosopher who wrote The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia, spent a great deal of time thinking about games. His definition is complicated enough to make you wish you were playing Scrabble instead, but his central idea is wonderfully simple.

A game has a goal. It has rules. It has ways of achieving the goal. And, most importantly, we agree to accept the rules even when they make achieving the goal harder.

Think about golf.

The object is to get the ball into the hole.

If that were the only thing that mattered, I could walk up to the green, pick up the ball and put it in the cup.At times I may have done that just to end the hole, bujt don't tell anyone.

Goal accomplished.

Except it wouldn't be golf.

Golf is golf because we agree to make it difficult.

We stand on a tee hundreds of yards from the hole and attempt to hit a tiny ball with a club. We then chase it around the course, occasionally finding water, sand, trees and other places where golf balls go to disappear.

We voluntarily accept all those unnecessary obstacles.

That is what makes it a game.

Suits calls this attitude toward the rules the "lusory attitude."

In plain English, we agree to play by the rules because we want to play the game.

And that got me thinking.

Maybe life works the same way.

We spend an enormous amount of time trying to make life easier.

We want fewer obstacles.

Fewer disappointments.

Fewer complications.

Fewer things going wrong.

But without obstacles, there is no game.

The difficulty is part of what gives the game meaning.

A chess player doesn't complain that the opponent is making things difficult. That's the point.

A golfer doesn't object to the fact that the hole is too far away. That's the point.

A Scrabble player doesn't complain that the letters are inconvenient. That's the point.

Perhaps life is much the same.

The obstacles are not always interruptions to the story.

Sometimes they are the story.

There is another important distinction in Suits' thinking. There are people who participate in a game without really playing it properly.

The trifler recognizes the rules but ignores the goal.

The cheat recognizes the goal but ignores the rules.

And the spoilsport recognizes neither.

We have all met them.

The person who changes the rules when they start losing.

The person who will do anything to win.

The person who doesn't care whether anyone else is having a good time.

And then there is the true player.

The true player understands both the goal and the rules.

But here is the part I find most interesting: the reward is not simply winning.

The reward is playing.

That may be one of the most useful ideas we can carry into retirement.

We have spent much of our lives being measured by outcomes.

Grades.

Promotions.

Paycheques.

Titles.

Houses.

Savings.

Awards.

Achievements.

We became very good at keeping score.

Then one day retirement arrives and many of the old scorecards disappear.

There is no boss waiting to tell you that you had a productive Tuesday.

There is no annual performance review.

Nobody gives you a promotion because you finally learned how to make sourdough bread.

You have to create a new definition of success.

Perhaps that definition is less about winning and more about playing well.

Did you help somebody today?

Did you learn something?

Did you laugh?

Did you spend time with someone you care about?

Did you try something you had never tried before?

Did you make somebody else's day a little better?

Did you get out of the house and into the world?

Did you enjoy the game?

I think this is why games have stayed with me.

They remind us that life isn't simply about reaching the final score.

It is about what happens between the opening whistle and the final one.

The conversations.

The surprises.

The mistakes.

The comebacks.

The people we meet.

The stories we collect.

The occasions when we thought we had lost but discovered another opportunity.

When I was young, I thought I played games because they were fun.

Now I suspect I played them because they were teaching me how to live.

Softball taught me to recover from an error.

Football taught me to keep moving.

Scrabble taught me to make the best of what I was given.

Checkers taught me to anticipate.

Chess taught me patience.

And all of them taught me that you cannot play alone.

Life is a game, but it is not a game we play simply to win.

We play because we are alive.

We play because there are people beside us.

We play because the rules give shape to the experience.

We play because obstacles make the journey interesting.

And, eventually, we learn that the greatest prize isn't the trophy sitting at the end of the game.

It is the game itself.

So, if you are retired, don't ask yourself only, "What have I accomplished?"

Ask a different question.

"What game am I playing now?"

And then, whatever your answer, make sure you are actually playing.

The Grasshopper, the Ant and the Trouble with Tomorrow

2026-10-10T00:00:00.000-07:00

There is an old story about a grasshopper and an ant.

You probably know it, and told it to your children and grandchildren, today I want to take a slightly different look at the fable.

All summer long, the grasshopper sings, dances and enjoys himself while the ant works away, storing food for the winter. When winter arrives, the grasshopper discovers that dancing doesn't put food on the table.

So, he goes to the ant for help.

The ant refuses.

The traditional moral is pretty straightforward: work hard, prepare for the future and don't expect somebody else to rescue you when the consequences of your choices arrive.

There is some wisdom in that.

I have spent enough years around seniors to know that preparing for the future matters. Saving money matters. Looking after your health matters. Building friendships matters. Having somewhere to live matters. Thinking about what you will do when you retire matters.

But I have always been troubled by the simple version of this story.

It seems to suggest that we have to choose.

Are you an ant or a grasshopper?

Do you work or do you play?

Do you prepare for tomorrow or enjoy today?

Perhaps the answer is: neither.

Or, more accurately, both.

The philosopher Bernard Suits took the Grasshopper story and turned it upside down. In his book The Grasshopper: Games, Life and Utopia, he uses the grasshopper to challenge the idea that work is automatically more valuable than play.

The argument is surprisingly uncomfortable.

We spend much of our lives working so that we can eventually have the freedom to do something else. We save money so that one day we can retire. We work to create leisure.

In other words, the ant may be working so that he can eventually become a grasshopper.

And there is something worth thinking about here, particularly for those of us who have entered retirement.

For years we were told to prepare for retirement.

Save.

Invest.

Pay off the mortgage.

Build a pension.

Look after your health.

Plan ahead.

All good advice.

But then retirement arrives and we discover that preparing for retirement is different from knowing how to live it.

You can spend forty years preparing for Saturday and then discover you don't know what to do when Saturday finally arrives.

I have met people who were incredibly successful at being ants. They worked hard, saved carefully and did everything they were told they should do.

Then they retired.

And they discovered that nobody had taught them how to be a grasshopper.

That is where games and play become important.

Play is not simply the opposite of work. Play is one of the ways we make sense of ourselves.

Think about a group of seniors sitting around a table playing cards. There may be laughter, teasing, arguments about the rules and somebody insisting that everyone else is cheating.

It looks like a game.

But something much more important is happening.

People are talking.

They are remembering.

They are competing.

They are laughing.

They are belonging.

The game has become a reason to be together.

That is why I worry when we treat play as something frivolous, something we should have grown out of when we became adults.

We haven't.

We still need it.

Perhaps especially as we grow older.

The grasshopper and the ant are not enemies. They are two parts of a balanced life.

The ant reminds us that tomorrow matters.

The grasshopper reminds us that today matters.

The ant says, "Put something aside."

The grasshopper says, "Don't put everything aside."

The ant says, "Think about winter."

The grasshopper says, "It is summer now."

Wisdom may be knowing when to listen to each of them.

There is another lesson hidden in the story.

We should be careful about judging people whose lives look different from ours.

The grasshopper may be irresponsible. Or perhaps he understands something the ant has forgotten.

The ant may be responsible. Or perhaps she is so busy preparing for tomorrow that she has forgotten to live today.

Most of us are somewhere in between.

We work. We save. We plan.

And we also dance, play cards, read books, go fishing, play golf, visit friends, listen to music and tell stories.

That is not a failure of discipline.

That is life.

The older I get, the more convinced I am that the goal isn't to become a perfect ant or a perfect grasshopper.

It is to know when to work, when to prepare and when to put down the tools and enjoy the afternoon.

Winter will come.

It always does.

But that is precisely why we should appreciate summer.

The lesson isn't simply to prepare for winter.

It is to make sure that, while preparing for winter, we don't miss the summer.

The Games That Taught Me How to Live

2026-10-09T00:00:00.000-07:00

In 1969 a singer named Joe South had a hit song called “The Games People Play” I heard it on the radio, and it got me thinking about the games I used to play.

When I was young, I played a lot of games.

I played softball and football. I played Scrabble, checkers and chess. Some were games of speed and strength. Others required patience, strategy and the ability to sit quietly and think while your opponent was trying to figure out what you were thinking.

I played most of them pretty well.

Looking back, I realize that I was learning much more than how to hit a ball, throw a pass or put the right letter on a triple-word score. I was learning how to deal with life. That may sound like a stretch, but think about what happens when you play a game.

You don't always win.

Sometimes the ball takes a bad bounce. Sometimes your opponent makes a move you didn't expect. Sometimes you make a spectacularly stupid decision and spend the next few minutes wondering what on earth you were thinking.

And then you have a choice.

You can complain about the bounce, blame the umpire, argue with your opponent or simply walk away.

Or you can get on with the game.

Life has a habit of doing much the same thing.

We make our plans. We think we know where we are going. Then something happens. A job disappears. A marriage ends. Someone we love becomes ill. A friend dies. Retirement arrives and suddenly the identity we carried for forty years is no longer part of our daily routine.

The ball takes a bad bounce.

What matters then is not that the bounce was unfair. Sometimes it was. What matters is what we do with the next play.

I think that is one of the great gifts of games. They give us a safe place to practise being human.

Softball taught me that you can't spend the whole game worrying about the last error. Football taught me that sometimes you have to move forward while people are trying to stop you, and that you will have people to help you move forward. Scrabble taught me that a small advantage can become a big one if you know how to use it. Checkers taught me to think ahead. Chess taught me that every move has consequences, and that sometimes the move you make today won't reveal its importance until much later.

Those lessons have stayed with me.

We are shaped by what happens to us, including the difficult things. The poet and philosopher David Whyte has written about how suffering can become part of the making of a person. I like the idea that the things that harrow us can also help us mature.

Even the word "harrow" has an interesting history. It is connected to the idea of preparing the soil. Before a field can produce a harvest, the earth must be broken up and worked.

Perhaps people are not so different.

Life occasionally breaks up the comfortable soil of our existence. We experience loss, disappointment, failure and uncertainty. None of us would volunteer for most of these experiences. Yet somehow, over time, we can use them to grow.

That doesn't mean suffering is good. It isn't.

It means we have the remarkable human ability to decide what we will do with what has happened to us.

And perhaps that is where hope enters the picture.

Hope is a strange thing. We continue to hope even when experience tells us that things may not work out. We plant gardens knowing winter will come. We make plans knowing they may change. We fall in love knowing that one day someone will have to say goodbye.

John Steinbeck described hope as a kind of tragic miracle of consciousness. It is miraculous because we continue to imagine what might be possible, and tragic because the world doesn't always cooperate with our hopes.

But we keep playing.

That may be one of the defining characteristics of being human.

We lose a game and come back tomorrow.

We fail and try again.

We grieve and eventually discover that we can laugh again.

We retire and discover that although one chapter has ended, there are still pages left to write.

The games of my childhood didn't prepare me for every twist and turn of life. Nothing could.

But they taught me something important: you cannot control everything that happens during the game. You can control how you respond to it.

Sometimes you win.

Sometimes you lose.

Sometimes you make a brilliant move. Sometimes you wonder what possessed you.

But the game continues.

And perhaps the real lesson of all those games is this:

Don't spend your life standing on the sidelines complaining about the score.

Get back in the game.

Music Has a Way of Sneaking Past Dementia

2026-10-08T00:00:00.000-07:00

There is something almost magical about music.

We don't fully understand why, but time and again researchers have found that music can reach people living with dementia in ways that conversation often can't. A familiar song can calm anxiety, lift a person's mood, reduce agitation, and, for a few precious moments, reconnect them with the people they love.

That's one of the reasons we offer our monthly Music Café for caregivers and people living with dementia. We've seen the smiles, the tapping feet, the singing, and sometimes even the conversations that follow a favourite song.

The research backs up what families have been noticing for years. Study after study has shown that music is one of the most effective non-drug approaches for reducing agitation and distress in people living with dementia. Other research has found that listening to personally meaningful music can stimulate parts of the brain that remain relatively untouched by Alzheimer's disease.

The key isn't just any music.

It's their music.

Researchers at the University of Utah found that songs connected to important life events light up parts of the brain that hold on the longest. One researcher described music as "an anchor" that helps ground a person back in their world. Another study found that nursing home residents who listened to personalized playlists often needed fewer antipsychotic medications.

Think about the music that mattered when your loved one was between the ages of 10 and 25. Those are often the songs that stay with us for life.

Creating a playlist doesn't take much time, and it could become one of the greatest gifts you give someone. Build it free. Any streaming app, 20 to 30 songs. Or try m4dradio.com, ( a Britishi free 24/7 station sorted by birth decade). Incredible resources right there.

Start by figuring out the years that shaped their musical memories. If they were born in 1946, look for songs from about 1956 to 1971.

Then become a musical detective. Ask brothers, sisters, old friends, or family members about wedding songs, favourite singers, church hymns, dances, or music that was always playing in the house. You can even ask simple questions like, "Were you an Elvis fan or did you prefer Sinatra?" You may be surprised by the smile that appears.

Build a playlist with 20 or 30 songs using your favourite streaming service, or explore one of the many free online stations that play music by decade.

When it's time to listen, choose a quiet moment. Comfortable headphones often work well, but speakers are fine if they're preferred. Watch for a tapping foot, a smile, or someone quietly singing along.

And here's one little suggestion that can make a big difference.

Instead of asking, "Do you remember this song?" simply ask, "Do you like this one?" There's no memory test to pass. Just enjoy the moment together.

This isn't a cure. The door may only open for a few minutes. But those minutes can be priceless.

A friend once told me that the song that always brought him back was "Viva Las Vegas." People joke that Elvis has left the building, but for three wonderful minutes, Elvis brought my friend right back into it.

The next time you visit someone living with dementia, don't worry about finding the perfect words.

Bring the music instead.

You may discover that the song says everything that needs to be said, except "Two cell towers got married. The ceremony wasn’t great, but the reception was perfect."

Retirement a road to discovery

2026-10-07T00:00:00.000-07:00

I have written about preparing for retirement since 2010, and I have spent considerable time exploring the emotional adjustment that comes with this major life transition. When we retire, many of us leave behind an identity that has been shaped by our work, our responsibilities, and the roles we have proudly carried for decades. The challenge, and the opportunity, is discovering who we want to become in this next chapter. When I retired, I gave it about 10 minutes of consideration. My wife had decided to retire after a two-year medical issue. Once she was fully recovered, she decided to retire. She told me, I thought it would be a good idea, so I wrote my retirement letter and gave it to HR on the same day. I still had five years to go before I was eligible for full retirement. So, I did not think about, longevity, money, or who I wanted to become in the next chapter. Four years later, I realized that I had missed some important conversations with myself, I started to have them. I started this blog for many reasons, and one is to encourage others to have these important conversations before they retire. Don’t make my mistakes.

The experts spend so much time asking whether we have saved enough money for retirement that we are rarely asked whether we have prepared ourselves for the person we are about to become. I believe that is the conversation we need to start having.

This chapter of life is not defined by decline. It is defined by possibility. Retirement is the first time many of us have the freedom to separate who we are from what we did. That freedom can feel unsettling at first. After years of schedules, deadlines, and responsibilities, having unlimited choices can almost feel overwhelming. But uncertainty is often the beginning of transformation, not a sign that something has gone wrong.

The most meaningful preparation for the years ahead will not be found only in another financial projection or retirement calculator. It will come from asking ourselves deeper questions:

What brings me joy now that I have more time?

What interests or dreams have I postponed?

How do I want to contribute and make a difference?

What relationships do I want to strengthen?

What new experiences do I want to explore?

The conversation about retirement needs to move beyond "Can I afford to retire?" and include "How do I want to live when I retire?"

We don’t simply retire from the lives we’ve built. If we are willing to be curious, embrace change, and redefine success on our own terms, we have the opportunity to finally meet the person we have been waiting to become.

Many of us avoid retirement conversations because they think they need to have all the answers. Instead, encourage curiosity.

A few conversation starters:

For couples:

"When we retire, what do we hope our days will look like?"
"What are three things we want more time for?"
"What parts of our current routine will we miss?"
"How will we create purpose when work is no longer filling our calendar?"

For friends approaching retirement:

"What are you looking forward to most?"
"What is something you've always wanted to try?"
"How do you want people to describe this next chapter of your life?"
"What do you want retirement to give you that working life couldn't?"

For individuals:

"Beyond financial security, what does a successful retirement look like for me?"
"What parts of myself have I neglected while building my career?"
"What legacy do I want to continue creating?"

Once method of preparing for retirement is to take a "retirement rehearsal." Before leaving work, take a few weeks or months and experiment: volunteer somewhere, take a class, reconnect with friends, explore a hobby, or change your daily routine. Retirement should not be a cliff we step off, it should be a bridge we begin building before we cross it.

The real question is not "What am I retiring from?" but "What am I retiring to?" Ask the questions befoe you retire, you will save time. It took me six years of an interesting journey before I felt I had found what I needed.

Happy October! Don't forget the Foodbank!

2026-10-06T00:00:00.000-07:00

May your coffee stay hot, your pumpkin pie have extra whipped cream, your golf ball avoid the leaves, and your laughter echo louder than any ghost.

October is one of my favourite months. The air is crisp, the trees put on a spectacular show of colour, families gather around Thanksgiving tables, and we are reminded of just how much we have to be grateful for.

Gratitude, however, is more than counting our blessings. It is also about sharing them.

While many of us will enjoy a traditional Thanksgiving dinner this upcoming weekend, thousands of our neighbours will quietly wonder how they will put food on the table this month. Rising grocery prices have made life difficult for young families, seniors living on fixed incomes, and people facing unexpected hardships. More and more people are turning to their local food bank for help.

That's where each of us can make a difference.

You don't have to donate a truckload of groceries to change someone's day. A few cans of soup, a jar of peanut butter, a box of cereal, pasta, rice, canned vegetables, or other non-perishable items can help someone enjoy a meal they might otherwise have gone without.

But there is another important way to help: cash donations.

Many people don't realize that financial donations are incredibly valuable to food banks. With donated dollars, food banks can often purchase food in larger quantities, take advantage of wholesale pricing, and buy the items that are most urgently needed. A dollar donated can often provide more food than a dollar spent at the grocery store.

Cash also gives food banks the flexibility to respond quickly when needs change. Whether it is helping more families during difficult times, providing fresh produce, or filling gaps in their shelves, financial support allows them to make every donation go further.

One bag of groceries or one financial gift may not seem like much.

To someone who is struggling, it can mean hope.

As we admire the beauty of autumn and gather with those we love, let's also remember those whose tables may be a little emptier this year.

This October, when you're doing your grocery shopping, consider picking up one or two extra items for your local food bank. If you're able, make a financial contribution. Your generosity—whether it comes in a grocery bag or an envelope—helps ensure that more people in our community have enough to eat.

October reminds us that nature is generous. Trees share their beauty without expecting anything in return. Perhaps we can do the same.

May your coffee stay hot, your pie be delicious, your golf ball stay out of the leaves, and may your generosity warm someone's heart long after the Thanksgiving leftovers are gone.