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blogcutterTomorrow is back to school for most of the students in the area. There's also the beginning of a nip in the air, particularly in the evenings as the autumn equinox draws near. But fall is also my favourite season, for a number of reasons. I've always looked on it as a time of new beginnings.
For me, it marks the beginning of my life as a senior citizen, qualifying for free transit on Wednesdays and Sundays, monthly OAS and CPP payments, reduced admission fees for museums, art galleries and tickets to certain events. I'm a great believer in aging in place, remaining at home and relatively independent for as long as possible - though I'm certainly not averse to hiring certain support services to perform task I'd rather not have to bother with, like snow clearing and lawn-mowing!
Gerontologists offer plenty of advice on healthy aging, but they all seem to mention two things: being physically active and being socially active. Oddly enough, mental and intellectual stimulation seems to get shorter shrift, with the possible exceptions of learning a new language or musical instrument.
Some people manage to accomplish the physical and social components in one fell swoop - they join a fitness club or take fitness classes and work out as a group. But that's not really my thing. I do get out for a walk almost every day, whether to the park, the grocery store, the bus stop or in inclement weather just around the corner to check for mail. I also try to do a short yoga routine most days. But the idea of group exercising is really not very appealing, even though the Arthritis Society woman (whom I sometimes speak with at my rheumatologist's office) thinks it would be a good idea. I think the last time I was involved with anything like that was Lamaze classes in the early 1980s!
What about social activities? I'm certainly not a life-of-the-party type, although I do enjoy outings with friends or visiting with our kids and grandkids. As far as more structured activities go, there are my weekly Toastmasters meetings (usually followed by a series of little errands I do on my own) and my memberships in Quarter Century Club, the Retired Members Club of my union, CARP, Ex Libris, Federal Retirees, etc. - which come to think of it is quite an extensive list - but I only participate in their activities if I want to or if my schedule permits, and many of them are only annual or semiannual anyway. I also sometimes enrol in Carleton's Learning in Retirement courses or one-time lectures, and there are several coming up that look tempting.
So I guess you could say I choose social activities according to my own interests and preferences. I've never seen the point of socializing for its own sake. I'm also not very good at or not very interested in casual acquaintanceships or striking up conversations with strangers the way some people are. I really need and value my alone-time and if I don't get enough of it, I want to scream "I can't hear myself think!!!" The way I sort out a thorny problem is to really sit by myself and focus.
It's almost an article of faith that the safest neighbourhoods are the ones where you know your neighbours. But while I'm not averse to exchanging the occasional friendly word or helping out if someone is in a bind, I'm just not up to the physical, mental or emotional effort I would need to expend to maintain regular ongoing ties with other people living in the neighbourhood, people with whom I may have little in common other than geographical proximity.
And of course there are all those basic personal maintenance activities that seem to take over more and more of your life as you move up the age-ladder. I'm overdue for blood tests and should be scheduling a mammogram, and then there's that eye appointment at the Riverside coming up in October... but well, it beats the alternative!
For me, it marks the beginning of my life as a senior citizen, qualifying for free transit on Wednesdays and Sundays, monthly OAS and CPP payments, reduced admission fees for museums, art galleries and tickets to certain events. I'm a great believer in aging in place, remaining at home and relatively independent for as long as possible - though I'm certainly not averse to hiring certain support services to perform task I'd rather not have to bother with, like snow clearing and lawn-mowing!
Gerontologists offer plenty of advice on healthy aging, but they all seem to mention two things: being physically active and being socially active. Oddly enough, mental and intellectual stimulation seems to get shorter shrift, with the possible exceptions of learning a new language or musical instrument.
Some people manage to accomplish the physical and social components in one fell swoop - they join a fitness club or take fitness classes and work out as a group. But that's not really my thing. I do get out for a walk almost every day, whether to the park, the grocery store, the bus stop or in inclement weather just around the corner to check for mail. I also try to do a short yoga routine most days. But the idea of group exercising is really not very appealing, even though the Arthritis Society woman (whom I sometimes speak with at my rheumatologist's office) thinks it would be a good idea. I think the last time I was involved with anything like that was Lamaze classes in the early 1980s!
What about social activities? I'm certainly not a life-of-the-party type, although I do enjoy outings with friends or visiting with our kids and grandkids. As far as more structured activities go, there are my weekly Toastmasters meetings (usually followed by a series of little errands I do on my own) and my memberships in Quarter Century Club, the Retired Members Club of my union, CARP, Ex Libris, Federal Retirees, etc. - which come to think of it is quite an extensive list - but I only participate in their activities if I want to or if my schedule permits, and many of them are only annual or semiannual anyway. I also sometimes enrol in Carleton's Learning in Retirement courses or one-time lectures, and there are several coming up that look tempting.
So I guess you could say I choose social activities according to my own interests and preferences. I've never seen the point of socializing for its own sake. I'm also not very good at or not very interested in casual acquaintanceships or striking up conversations with strangers the way some people are. I really need and value my alone-time and if I don't get enough of it, I want to scream "I can't hear myself think!!!" The way I sort out a thorny problem is to really sit by myself and focus.
It's almost an article of faith that the safest neighbourhoods are the ones where you know your neighbours. But while I'm not averse to exchanging the occasional friendly word or helping out if someone is in a bind, I'm just not up to the physical, mental or emotional effort I would need to expend to maintain regular ongoing ties with other people living in the neighbourhood, people with whom I may have little in common other than geographical proximity.
And of course there are all those basic personal maintenance activities that seem to take over more and more of your life as you move up the age-ladder. I'm overdue for blood tests and should be scheduling a mammogram, and then there's that eye appointment at the Riverside coming up in October... but well, it beats the alternative!
