welcome to a retirement story ...
It began May 31, 2012; the promised land and novelty of 'retirement'. Yes, no clock in the bedroom! Fewer obligations, fewer accommodations, fewer interruptions --- Yes, it was refreshing (at first).
Three months later, the big questions surfaced: "How will you contribute to the community? How will you use your time and talent?"
Drawn to social service and philanthropic intentions, a portfolio is shown below of what welcomed me in my pursuit of 'purpose' and 'contribution'.
The questions are back in full force again, realizing I still have plenty of years ahead.
RETIREMENT is an invitation to surrender what's been (let go of the old) and welcome the new (make room for the new), the unexpected, with grace." 2019.08.18 |
CLUES FROM THE PAST
This description of my relationship with my husband reads 'right on' (as written by the Enneagram Institute):
"These types understand each other from the inside as it were, and for better or worse, can see many of their own traits in the other. On the positive side, each type brings a certain idealism and desire to change the world to make it a better place. Nines bring a more interpersonal orientation than Ones to their idealism, but both can be self-sacrificial and hard working, and willing to put their personal needs and interests aside for the welfare of others. Both are also able to delay rewards for a long-term good they seek.
Ones bring clarity and rationality and the ability to articulate ideals and understandings. They strive to improve themselves and their environment, are conscientious, have high ethical and moral standards, and are fair and consistent. Nines bring a gentle, accepting quality that nurtures and supports others without as much explicit demand for self-improvement.
Nines are steady, easy to get along with, feel uncritical and undemanding, and prefer harmony and smooth relations over the pleasure of being right or of having the last word in a situation.
In short, Nines tend to take a bit of the rough edge off of the criticality and seriousness of Ones, while Ones give clarity and direction to Nines. Further, Ones feel that they have a mission in life, and they are able to inspire Nines to become aware of their own purpose and to want to follow it. This can be a highly altruistic couple who balance idealism with humanity. As a couple, they are gracious company, hospitable and generous, but they also need time to be alone with each other as a couple. They have a mutual love of nature and animals that may bring them closer together, as well as their love of their children and family. Nines soothe Ones, while Ones remind Nines to strive for excellence.
Read more ...
This description of my relationship with my husband reads 'right on' (as written by the Enneagram Institute):
"These types understand each other from the inside as it were, and for better or worse, can see many of their own traits in the other. On the positive side, each type brings a certain idealism and desire to change the world to make it a better place. Nines bring a more interpersonal orientation than Ones to their idealism, but both can be self-sacrificial and hard working, and willing to put their personal needs and interests aside for the welfare of others. Both are also able to delay rewards for a long-term good they seek.
Ones bring clarity and rationality and the ability to articulate ideals and understandings. They strive to improve themselves and their environment, are conscientious, have high ethical and moral standards, and are fair and consistent. Nines bring a gentle, accepting quality that nurtures and supports others without as much explicit demand for self-improvement.
Nines are steady, easy to get along with, feel uncritical and undemanding, and prefer harmony and smooth relations over the pleasure of being right or of having the last word in a situation.
In short, Nines tend to take a bit of the rough edge off of the criticality and seriousness of Ones, while Ones give clarity and direction to Nines. Further, Ones feel that they have a mission in life, and they are able to inspire Nines to become aware of their own purpose and to want to follow it. This can be a highly altruistic couple who balance idealism with humanity. As a couple, they are gracious company, hospitable and generous, but they also need time to be alone with each other as a couple. They have a mutual love of nature and animals that may bring them closer together, as well as their love of their children and family. Nines soothe Ones, while Ones remind Nines to strive for excellence.
Read more ...
PASSIONS THAT 'WELCOMED' ME:
cOMMON CAREER THEME FOR MANY YEARS:
Service for the unemployed and underemployed
VALUE: EQUAL ACCESS
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Work Shoppers Online
Abbotsford became my home in 1995 to complete my Bachelor's Degree in Adult Education at UFV. While completing my degree, legal affidavits were 'kicking my heels' as a divorce was being finalized). I volunteered for student government, representing part-time adult learners and the Dept of Adult Ed in the capacity of VP, was selected as a student representative on the university Senate, held a part-time job (Records Management for a dentist) in Aldergrove, and supported my mother and sister diagnosed with cancer within six months of each other (all happening simultaneously). UFV's four years was a lifeline! I was in one of my favorite sandboxes (higher education). When the degree ended, I fell into a full blown depression. My antidote was to choose another learning curve so completed three FrontPage HTML website courses. A few domain names were purchased and my favorite was 'WorkShoppersOnline.com' (c) 1998; designed for shut-ins who wanted access to employment programming being used in the community. As an UFV Alumni, it was promoted on the UFV website, on the University of Waterloo website, and the analytics showed individuals from around the world were benefitting. |
Makeover 2013-2014 / Original 1998
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BACHELORS DEGREE IN ADULT EDUCATION (1998) ~
COMMON CAREER THEME: Services for the UNemployed and UNDERemployed
COMMON CAREER THEME: Services for the UNemployed and UNDERemployed
2000-2001 Companion website to a workbook co-authored by Wayne Bremner and myself.
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Gifts for the Journey
One of my career highlights was being asked to co-author a workbook and a Mentor Guide for churches willing to help with employment challenges among their constituents. One of the biggest surprises, once the workbook was completed, was that some website addresses (URL) listed in the sidebar of the manuscript had changed and were now inaccurate. What a disappointing revelation! The solution was to offer a website online that provided hyperlinks that could easily be corrected if and when they were changed. FrontPage and Web Expressions were great at offering lists of broken hyperlinks, etc. The word "gifts" is used a lot in the career development practice. Our workbook and site used the word to refer to the skills, abilities, talents, personality preferences, temperament and character that we bring to the world. When this site lapsed in 2004, it was quickly replaced with one of my own so that I could add links to trends in the labour market, reducing the need for paper as more and more information became available. See WorkShoppersOnline.com below. |
Created and maintained (over a five year period) one of the first blogs in the career development industry as a way of teaching and offering sector-related information to our adult learners. This replaced the practice of filing newspaper articles or printing articles for our resource library.
LIVE BINDERS' offers an impressive template to share with online learners.
This site was created in 2010 for case managers of employment programs, then offered to an agency transitioning from the social service model to a business model. The site remains as a prototype of what is possible with this template. (This creation was popular and satisfying with co-workers). Brings back joyful memories!
This site was created in 2010 for case managers of employment programs, then offered to an agency transitioning from the social service model to a business model. The site remains as a prototype of what is possible with this template. (This creation was popular and satisfying with co-workers). Brings back joyful memories!
2015 Used 'Live Binders' template to produce a site for participants of a career decision-making program who wanted access to program materials at home.
POST RETIREMENt ~ 2012 FAST FORWARD
MAKING THE MOST OF RETIREMENT
2012 Based on the book What Color Is Your Parachute, for Retirement.
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I hadn't expected RETIREMENT to feel like such a mystery, nor did I anticipate the degree of grief: I missed my colleagues, the routine, the responsibilities, the paycheque, the camaraderie, laughter, etc. The book, What Color Is Your Parachute, for Retirement got me started on what to consider. Many other books followed, which you will see on the front page of the website, for as long as it remains active. |
Abbotsford had many 12-step programs and services, and this site was my creation to offering something just for women, based on the book A Woman's Way:
2013 The 12-Step Model of Spirituality
Richard Rohr believes that the universal addiction is our way of thinking.
The challenge with this site was to develop a faith-based site that incorporated meditations based on the online course and the book Breathing Under Water, and scripture references related to each step.
The challenge with this site was to develop a faith-based site that incorporated meditations based on the online course and the book Breathing Under Water, and scripture references related to each step.
This site has since expired.
Seniors are the grandparents of the world ... so I started a site based on the book by Richard Rohr, Falling Upward.
Expired
