Seniors in the Building

What things do we keep, why do we keep them and how do we know when it’s time to let them go? That is the question we asked ourselves today. We have gathered and acquired things over a lifetime and now, as we transition from work to retirement and start downsizing, to make it easier for our children when we’re gone, we must figure out what to do with all this stuff. When are we going to get at all...

We are socialized to be competitive from an early age and given messages about being the smartest, most athletic, or best looking. Conversely, we are told that we are not smart enough to go to university, or athletic enough to make the team or that we are average looking. Were we competitive at a younger age to prove something? Are we still competitive? Can being competitive motivate us? Perhaps s...

In earlier years we had bucket lists, things we put on a list and checked off as we accomplished them. In our 70’s we find our lists have become wishes or desires and each thing on it must be examined as to whether it is still possible. We now live under the shadow of health and financial circumstances that may be limiting, family realities and the shortening horizon of time. But that does not lim...

In our last podcast on what surprises us we discovered that we experience more fear than we had expected. So how do we thrive and live as full a life as possible in the face of things that make us fearful? What does feeling secure look like? Our discussion identified physical, financial and social components among others, that can create areas of uncertainty. We identified that knowing what our re...

Surprise! We are now in our 70’s and calling ourselves seniors. What are the surprises? What isn’t a surprise? While exploring these questions we discover that we are most surprised about how busy we are with less time than anticipated to pursue our own interests. We are also surprised that out of all the places we have once lived, we find ourselves in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. We are surprised...

Music can do many things; evoke memories, make us feel younger, connect us to others and help us express grief or joy. As we talk, we discover that music also connects us to our culture, to our parents and to our own story of a life lived. It can give us a shared experience with our children and grandchildren and serve as a vehicle to express political unrest. Music has always been there in the ba...

Is it a minefield or a walk in the park? Today we talk about navigating life’s ups and downs in the context of a long-term relationship. Starting with the dynamics that occur in the car as one person drives and the other is a passenger, we acknowledge the communication patterns that can linger as we navigate new challenges and continue to wrestle with old ones. What are we really saying when askin...

“I believe that everyone’s grief is very unique & personal. But as seniors, we may mourn differently because our life experiences have taught us a variety of coping skills that are transferable now to help us mourn our losses.” That is from today’s guest Colette Howery, answering the question, “Do seniors grieve differently?” Colette is a retired registered nurse and companion to those who gri...

What are the brave things that we do every day? We often think of bravery as huge acts of courage in times of war or national disasters instead of something we use every day. Gloria Steinem referred to bravery as outrageous acts and everyday rebellions in her book of the same name. Every time we set a boundary with someone or speak out about something we are acting bravely. When we continue to liv...

We are retired and have done a lot among the four of us to contribute to the world. Do we still owe something? We have contributed to our community, to our professions, to the economy and we have prioritized our families, continuing to contribute to the lives of our children and grandchildren. We really don’t owe anything to the world, but we are still called to continue to fight for the big thing...

What is it like navigating the health care system as we get older? Our Canadian system is different than other countries, but some aspects of caring for seniors is the same. There are typically more health issues to manage, so care can be complex. We see our doctors more, we are referred to specialists more, we get more tests and we may show up in emergency more often. Who is looking at our care w...

Do we still have an inner critic in our 70’s? After three false starts we were finally able to have the conversation. It turns out that talking about our inner critic is painful and old messages surface. So yes, we do still have an inner critic in our 70’s, one that may be even harsher because we don’t have as many distractions to keep it at bay. The deeper task is to develop a more compassionate...

Lines from a Blue Rodeo song, ‘Til I am Myself Again start off our conversation about letting go of control. There can be a lot of uncertainties in all areas of our life as we age and one of the biggest fears of aging is losing the ability to make decisions for ourselves. Do we have the option to choose what we let go of? Where do we have control? Where are we obsessive in keeping control? Being a...

Fifty Episodes of Seniors in the Building! We celebrate getting to 50 by talking about our journey and the process we use to make the podcast. We give you a sense of how we come up with topics as we brainstorm some ideas for future podcasts. We share what gets edited out and why, the dance around handling politics and religion and what it might be like to still be friends when we are in our 90s. T...

“Glory Days” by Bruce Springstein is a song from our youth that laments getting old and telling stories of the past. But do we live in the past now that we are older more than we live in the present? Memory is fickle, which can lead to romanticizing the past. But looking back in history helps remind us of the reality, like women’s fight to gain the right to vote, to work after marriage, have a cre...

Pride can take many forms, from a quiet sense of self-respect to something that looks like arrogance. As we’ve grown older and tamed some of the inner voices that warn us not to stand out or to think too highly of ourselves, we discover just how much there is to feel good about. It turns out that we have many things we are proud of including purposeful careers, raising healthy children, staying tr...

Betty White said, “Growing old isn’t for sissies”. Indeed, it is easy to focus on the things that we can no longer do, that we have lost, or on our physical ailments, but is there a flip side? Can growing older be fun? Can it have delightful moments? The answer is unequivocally yes. Whether it’s being social and laughing out loud with friends, enjoying our grandchildren, marvelling at the creativi...

We have lived over 70 years and know something about mess. We also know something about joy and laughter. Yes, the world is a mess and as children of parents who lived through World War II, we were aware of that from an early age. Conflicts, tensions and the continual rise and fall of democracies and dictatorships have been a part of our upbringing. What are the safe landing places that steady us...

As an antidote to what is going on in the world, we have a conversation about our favourite things. What are those things that we like to do, eat, listen to or look at? Can they become not so favourite things over time? Reading has been one of those things we have been doing for a long time and continues to bring pleasure. Running used to be fun, but no longer and other aerobic activities have tak...

Should we be concerned about the amount of TV that seniors watch in retirement? Are there benefits to watching TV or other media formats? What might be the down sides? Is other media also implicated? Watching TV can be entertaining and educational and It can be a window to the world. On the other hand does it reflect boredom or contribute to loss of mobility and chronic disease from sitting too lo...

What does love and romance look like when we are older? How does it change over time? What are the hurdles to overcome? The month of February brings Valentine’s Day and a highly romantic notion of love with it. As two older couples who have collectively been married for 96 years, we talk about how love has grown and changed over those years. Citing respect, companionship and a deep understanding o...

Seniors in the Building returns for Season 3! After a short break we begin with an episode on time. How do we understand time? How is time both fact and fiction? The universe unfolds in its own time while we humans create all kinds of constructs around time like a 24-hour clock, calendars and deadlines. When we retire, we move from those constructs into a more fluid, universal sense of time. We ma...

Forgiveness is a lifelong journey. Our perspective on forgiveness changes over time and when carrying our woundedness takes up too much space in our lives, we look to let go of it. What does it take to be free of the anger and hurt that we have brought along with us? Is forgiveness different than letting go? Can you forgive without reconciliation? How do we heal broken relationships? It is not alw...

In addition to the many areas of decision making that we have carried all our lives like meal planning and preparation, car maintenance, house maintenance and travel, we now must consider new areas that are unique to aging. Decisions related to medical conditions, downsizing, end-of-life planning, finances and family relationships intrude on what is supposed to be a less stressful time of our live...

A big part of the holiday season are the traditions that we keep as a family, as a culture and as a nation. What are those traditions and what do they mean to us? Shopping for meaningful gifts and making sure we find the right gift is a big part of the holiday season, not to mention when those gifts are opened. Traditional foods of the season, often cultural, are also important as are the family g...