Tag: Retirement

Retreat to The Modern Schoolhouse

Bernice Connell Leave a comment
The Modern Schoolhouse in Pinkerton

There is absolutely no excuse for me not finding time to write. I am newly retired, living with just hubby and our Springer Spaniel, with enough space to spread out and resources at the ready. You get the picture.

Yet, distractions pop up. Sometimes I actually invite interruptions that slow down the grind of getting words on paper, so to speak.

A retreat can be the perfect motivation to focus and make some progress on your writing projects. Imagine escaping to a beautiful location, for days at a time, with the sole purpose of writing to your heart’s content. This past week, The Modern Schoolhouse was the perfect venue for a local group of writers gathering to do just that.

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Settling Into Retirement

Bernice Connell Leave a comment
Photo Credit: Jill Wellington

It has been a couple of months since my last days of paid work but my working norm of being frantic to get things done has has just begun to ease up. I was eager to get at some big housekeeping jobs that had never reached priority status before retirement. As gratifying as it was to make progress on these chores, I realized I was tackling the jobs like I had a deadline. Having now steam-cleaned most surfaces in the house, emptied drawers and closets and purged a couple of truckloads of trash to the dump and donations to the usual organizations, it is time to shift gears.

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Memories Old & New

Bernice Connell Leave a comment

I came across a random writing prompt the other day: ‘What memory do you wish you could remember better?’

Distant memories, especially, often come to us in mere snippets of images or emotions. They can be fleeting, blurry or vague, leaving us wishing for a bit more. The author of the writing prompt was encouraging writers to unearth deeper details of favourite memories through consistent practice. This would be essential when writing memoir or creative non-fiction.

The fun about writing fiction is that memory may provoke a spark but all the story details can unfold any which way the writer conjures.

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Spring is in the Air

Bernice Connell Leave a comment

This year, more than usual, I am desperate for spring’s arrival.

A cluster of personal and professional situations has really sent me into a tailspin in recent weeks. It has been impossible to bounce back easily and quickly as I normally do. The hours spent working and worrying are seriously disproportionate to time spent having fun. I am rarely reading these days and writing has come to a full stop. Even recognizing the possibility that what I’m experiencing right now may be helpful to a future character, there is no energy for writing daily pages.

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A New Year’s Resolution to Keep!

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A New Year’s Resolution to Keep!

2018 will not be a year of resolutions to get organized, set a regular housekeeping schedule or become vegan. Similar resolutions made in the past have been dropped by the wayside by February 1st. Typically, only eight percent of resolutions are kept for the year, according to a December, 2016 Huffington Post article. There will be no more resolutions designed to change an undesired trait or behaviour, for me. No more shooting for the moon and setting myself up for failure.

I plan to be part of the eight percent success statistic this year because I am resolved to retire in 2018.

Why do I need to make a resolution to retire? Read more