Catching Some Z-z-z-z’s

In the “funnies” section of the newspaper, recently the Retail™ comic strip

Showed Marla the store manager fretting about her appearance. Her anguished comment to a co-worker was that “I work too hard to look my age!” It struck me that most of us do look our age because the travails of everyday life and living are too weighty to bear without some consequential looks of “aging”.

Anyone who acts as a full-time caregiver for a chronically unwell family member can identify with the parallels between new moms and their darling babies… Refreshing sleep, sufficient downtime and unending responsibilities all take their toll – which ultimately reflects in one’s appearance. Do you see a pair of raccoon eyes looking back at you from the unforgiving mirror?

Both women and men require recommended amounts of sleep to stay well, feel rested and aware, and maintain both mental and physical health. If employment comes into the equation there is increased responsibility to not take days off, keep your performance in the workplace sharp, and don’t whine about the inequalities of life and living. Co-workers may utter sympathetic murmurs and shake their heads sagely – nevertheless it can all feel overwhelming , relentless and solitary.

If you’re wondering whether that light at the end of the tunnel you see is relief in the future, think again – maybe it’s a train! Admonitions to “take care of you first” fall on our deaf ears – though we know that this truism makes perfect sense.

For someone else!

What fun to have a mini-holiday – run away to a remote cabin with no phone and just sleep, swim and paddle my own canoe!

This gauzy dream will be fulfilled this afternoon when I catch some zzzzz’s.

According to the Straw Man……

(photo courtesy of Kenny Francis)

We’ve all heard stories of mid-life crises – both men and women have been known to self-inflict too many “what ifs” and “if only” thoughts that can feel anguishing. Stories number too many and impactful results are sometimes hard to overcome, including financial repercussions.

In the August 2, 2013 issue of the Toronto Star, columnist Carol Goar penned an article entitled Retirement choice is paramount for an aging population. She writes that “The notion of retiring at an arbitrary age – usually between 60 and 65 – is out of step with the needs and wishes of older Canadians” as stated by university economists Marcel Boyer and Sebastien Boyer. Hooray!!

The article also goes on to say that “to uphold living standards, forestall skill shortages and give older workers the flexibility they want, Canada will need policies that encourage people to upgrade their skills through their careers, take on new challenges in mid-life and curtail their hours of employment as their energy and mental acuity wanes”. Hooray!

Some of us feel that we don’t want to just put in time; we want to strive and live life to the fullest.

For me personally, the anticipation of future achievements counters the famous song lyrics from the Wizard of Oz -

          I would not be just a nuffin'
            My head all full of stuffin'
            My heart all full of pain
            I would dance and be merry
            Life would be a ding-a-derry
            If I only had a brain

…according to The Straw Man