Assignment: Talk to retirees about their simple pleasures
Never underestimate the value of simple pleasures! Even savouring a steaming cup of freshly roasted coffee with a friend can strengthen a relationship, stimulate your brain and reduce feelings of isolation. It can also spark a moment of joy, which may be in short...
Assignment: Find the secrets to a happy retirement
We all assume retirement will be a natural transition, but experts say you need to learn how to be retired. My client, RTOERO, wanted to share in its quarterly magazine how its members stayed motivated when they retired. I looked for some expert advice and talked to a...
Assignment: Help readers see the value of music on mental health
Porch concerts were a thing in some neighbourhoods during the pandemic. It’s not surprising; music has been shown to lessen the effects of depression, anxiety and other mental health issues, all of which soared then and remain high. My client asked me to write about...
Assignment: Find out how association members make family reunions memorable
If you spent limited time with family over the pandemic, you probably have a new appreciation for a good old-fashioned family reunion. RTOERO asked me to talk to some of their members, who are mostly retired teachers and other education workers, about family reunions....
Dreaming about long-term travel? So is my client
This year, I had the privilege of writing for the 80,000+ mostly retired members of RTOERO and their magazine, Renaissance. RTOERO has its roots in the Ontario Teachers’ Federation although not all members are teachers. They work in or are retired from the...
All’s well that end-to-ends well
Who sets out to hike 900 km of physically demanding and sometimes treacherous terrain, with the risk of encountering unexpected storms, poison ivy, rattlesnakes, bugs, maybe even bears? The answer: Hikers who do the Bruce Trail “end-to-end,” and there are...
Finding the human side of academic research
Readers appreciate when the writer does the heavy lifting to explain the complex and figure out “what’s in it for me?” That’s a big part of what I do. In 2016 and 2017, I had the honour of interviewing brainy researchers at Western University’s Faculty of Science. My...
Road ecology steps in when animal instincts and urban sprawl collide
(Published in Niagara Escarpment Views, Winter 2017) Nature’s programming is strong. After the first rainfall following spring thaw, Jefferson’s Salamanders emerge from underground dens, determined to migrate to the ponds where they were born to lay their eggs. In...