Lynda's Blog

 I am an introvert. My husband has more extrovert leanings. I used to work in a very social environment and craved peace when I arrived home. My husband used to work in isolation and craved conversation when he arrived home. I walked through the door and he started talking. I had to feign interest in an early television programme just to have that half hour of quiet with no conversation I so desperately desired. But we made it work! However, being retired is a whole different ball game. My husband had great plans to go fishing, work in his garden and socialise with friends. However, due to a ‘gammy’ knee he can’t manage the uneven river banks or the shingle on the beach so no fishing. He also can’t dig in his garden.  He does drive to the local park at the weekend to sail his RC boat and socialises a little with other like-minded men but it is not quite enough. Out of necessity he spends a lot of time watching television because he is unable to be as active as he planned. Un...

  One of the wonderful things about retirement is being able to go for a walk whenever I like--I don’t have to schedule it around my work or my family who are all grown now. Having said this, life is still busy but at least I have more flexibility. I arrived home around 2 pm today after a lovely long lunch with a friend, feeling as if my bucket was full. However, the day was a warm sunny autumn day so I decided to go for a walk before taking in the washing. We are blessed to have a lovely park only 10 minutes away. The park was delightfully tranquil and as I strolled along the walkway I couldn’t help reflecting on the beauty of God’s creation. That lead to me thinking about how humankind has neglected the care of our earth resulting in the devastating extreme weather events that are becoming more frequent. What part have my actions played? I confess that I have been thoughtless at times in taking care of the planet. I am getting better but am sure I can do more, even in my li...

  I am not a cat person!   In fact, I am not really a pet person because life is busy but if I decided I was ready for a pet it would be a dog. My husband is the exact opposite, loving and enjoying all animals. We have had dogs—they adored my husband and tolerated me. We have inherited a cat from our daughter. He also adores my husband and tolerates me. I try to be friendly. If my husband is out I will feed and talk to him. But mostly we keep a respectful distance from each other as I definitely don’t do cuddles! His original name was Stitch when he came to live with us as a kitten. As he grew older he grew fatter as our neighbour couldn’t resist feeding him tidbits. So Stitch became Fat Cat. Fat Cat is old now, arthritic and much skinnier. He spends a lot of time lying around inside in the warm and communing volubly with my husband. He has commandeered my husband’s work jersey and my husband hasn’t the heart to take it off him. He finds the best and most comfortable spots, ...

  I volunteer every year to collect for The Salvation Army. I’m an introvert! I hate collecting! I hate putting myself out there! I hate having social interactions with strangers—it’s exhausting! I find the time goes incredibly slowly! (I have to get over myself!) So why do I do it? Because it is a way to support those less fortunate than myself and I strongly feel the need to do so. This year as I was choosing some two hour slots to collect I distinctly felt that I needed to have an attitude adjustment. Oh boy! So as I started my first slot, I decided that instead of hating it I would start to thank God. So I did. I thanked him for the opportunity to serve. I thanked him that I could sit down in the seat provided instead of standing the whole time. I thanked him that I was inside a store rather than outside (it was very cold). I thanked him that the store was happy for The Salvation Army to collect inside. I thanked him for the friendly staff. I thanked him for the people who ...

  This year has been really difficult, sapping my strength and energy. Towards the end of last year, mum, at ninety three years old, made the decision to enter a rest home as she could no longer cope. We had organised as much help as was available and were visiting two to three times a day, but it wasn’t enough as she grew increasingly frail as well as slightly confused and lost the desire or energy to undertake basic tasks. She slowly settled into life in the rest home and was starting to join in activities when the cyclone hit. The residents were evacuated to another rest home where she caught COVID. She ended up fighting for her life in hospital where she stayed for five weeks. We then had to find a rest home that gave hospital level care as she had lost all independence, including being so fatigued she could no longer feed herself. We found a lovely place with caring and compassionate staff and felt at last that we could relax a little. Twelve days after admission she fell an...