I can start with my professional credentials. For over 25 years I have worked in the publishing industry. For 13 years I helped college students produce a newspaper before starting my own magazine geared toward the 55+ demographic.

I have spent most of my life as an advocate for people with disabilities. For several years I was the managing director of a society where my job was to educate the community and encourage people to develop relationships with individuals who were isolated in segregated living residences. The resulting friendships demonstrated how we can create meaningful relationships, even when we have differences, and how our communities belong to all of us, not just those we deem ‘acceptable’.  Several of the relationships I was instrumental in mentoring still exist today.

We have seen society drop many of its stances against minority groups and people who stand out as different from the masses. Yet age remains a barrier many can’t seem to get over. Age is still looked upon by many with fear, trepidation and even repulsion. We are a society that is still highly discriminatory against our older population of people.

In 2004 I decided to take a stand by creating a magazine about 55+ people that would inspire. I launched Senior Living magazine in Victoria with the mission to give credit and respect to a generation of people who I felt were inspiring and deserving of more recognition than they were getting from the existing media. I determined to profile people who were taking on aging with zest and grace.  I felt it was time for someone to stand in the gap to counter the stereotypes and beliefs that painted an unflattering picture of incompetence and diminished faculties.

In 2015, with the magazine now province-wide in British Columbia, I rebranded it to “INSPIRED Senior Living”.  After 12 years of showing consistently that people over the age of 55 were inspirational in all senses of the word, I felt we’d earned the moniker.

In 2007 I wrote a book about housing for seniors called “To Move or Not to Move”.  It has sold 7,000 copies, making it a Canadian best seller. This book provides advice for people who are considering their future housing options.  A newly revised version will be released in 2017.

I occasionally am called upon to speak about my professional as well as my personal life. In November 2016, I am chairing and speaking at a two-day Future Housing Summit in Toronto.  My presentation will be about how adult children are influential in the housing decision-making process of their aging parents, a trend we have witnessed increasing as the boomers move into their later years with parents in their 80s.  Earlier this year I spoke at Government House to a group of over 200 family caregivers about my role as a caregiver to my sister.

Spinning off from the magazine has been two annual 55+ Lifestyle Shows, one in Victoria and one in Vancouver BC. These events provide an opportunity for community businesses and organizations to interface with our readers and other members of the general public.

In 2012, we produced 50 video segments for a year-long half-hour TV show called “Senior Living On Location” about people over 50 who were living life to the fullest. This aired weekly on CHEK TV.

Although I’ve dabbled in the 55+ playground since 2004, it was only last year that I turned 55 and officially slipped into those ranks. Now I am no longer talking about other people and spouting theoretical rhetoric. I am living it.

Over the past year I have thought a lot about how I should plot my life to meet the challenges of getting older. The people I have met through the pages of my magazine have been my teachers; examples of what’s possible.  It is now my turn to put the rubber to the road and either prove or disprove what I have preached for 12+ years.

One thing I know for sure is this: I don’t want to accept the stereotype that often comes with aging.  As a baby boomer, I’ve been part of a cohort  known for setting fire to stereotypes. We have consistently pushed the boundaries of possibility, and as we move into our later years in life, I expect we will continue to do the same.  I believe that anything is possible, if you really want it.

I’ve always been someone who will take up a hammer, or a musical instrument, or an easel, or a baking utensil and say, “I can do it.”  I figure out a way to make it happen.

At age 52 I decided I’d learn how to drive a motorbike. Although I had enjoyed the sport of motorcycling for many years as a passenger, I’d never felt the urge to drive one. So it was a revelation, even to me, when one day I announced my intention to get my licence.  I’ll write more about this in another blog, but the lesson this experience taught me is that our limitations are often imaginary and self-imposed. If we challenge them, the world will expand to accommodate and support us.

Life has a way of challenging us, drawing upon our character and resources in ways we don’t always understand at the moment.

I have spent many moments of my life contemplating the way society cares for its weakest, most fragile members.  Out of that has comes a spirit of advocacy… a determination to make life better for the people in my life who are vulnerable.

I have taken on the responsibility of caring for family.  I lived with an aging mother-in-law for 13 years until she moved into a care facility in another province.  She just passed away a couple months ago.  For the past 20 years I have been the care giver of an older sister who is quadriplegic and mentally handicapped.  This latter commitment has been an interesting experience.  The challenges have been extreme, as have been the rewards.  (I will talk about this particular aspect of my life in future blogs.)

I have another sister who died when she was in her 30s.  I cared for my mother in the last weeks of her life. She passed away over 20 years ago.  My father passed away when I was 17.  I accept death and grief as a component of our human condition – it’s not an easy thing to deal with but it is an inescapable reality. My belief is that the spirit lives on eternally and ever present.

I navigated a divorce in my early 50s and have forged an amicable friendship with my ex-husband built on the intention to honor the person who stood with me throughout 30 years of married life.  It’s been an interesting and eye-opening experience to navigate my life as a single person; again, I’ll have more to say about this in future blogs.

I am a person with a strong sense of independence. I seek choice and freedom. I am determined and resilient.

I am a spiritual person, but I’m not struck on religion.  I believe in a higher power, a immense loving Source from which all life issues forth. I am a seeker of wisdom and knowledge. I want to know why I am here, how I came to be here and what the meaning is of this life and the life hereafter. The hunger to find answers has taken me through organized religion and on to more esoteric offerings.

I enjoy the company of people who aren’t afraid to ask questions much more than those who have all the answers.

I continue to grow and evolve. I’m my best version of me right now. And tomorrow, there will be an even better version of me available.  Talk about upgrading your software and operating systems! That’s me!

My leisure activities are kind of like riding the Hop-On Hop-Off bus. I do something for a while, then move onto something else.  Someone once typed me as a “grazer”;  a person who samples all kinds of things at the buffet, but never gets stuck on any one kind of food… always looking for something else to engage in.  While that is true for me in many senses I also have elements of my life that are very consistent and where I am intensely dedicated for long periods of time. I am a bit of a paradox that way.

I am musical – I learn everything by ear.  I resent practicing and abiding by structure.  So while I have taught myself to play several instruments after a fashion, I’ve never mastered any fully.  I’m told I have a good voice – I’ve sung in a couple bands (and played instruments) but when the opportunity wasn’t there or I became busy with other things, I moved on.  (BTW: I’d love to connect with musical people who enjoy jamming together.)

I am artistic. I can paint or draw or sculpt almost anything – realism is my forte. I paint when the passion and interest is there, leave it when it’s not.  (I’ll post a few pieces of artwork so you can judge for yourself if there’s any talent there.)

I am handy with tools. I took up carpentry for a while and built several pieces of furniture including a large display cabinet. I love the smell of wood.  I spent several years working with my brother in construction, building homes. I would design the houses to a point where an architect could take the drawings and render them into plans to submit to city hall and the trades. I learned how to schedule and run trades and track budget expenditures. I love architecture to this day. When I travel, I am always assessing design, structure, lines, and textures. They somehow appeal to a part of my senses.

I am a creator. Nothing satisfies me more than putting my hand or mind to something that doesn’t exist, and make it appear.

I am equally left brain and right brain.  I operate in both the practical and the imaginative.  I am analytical and creative at the same time. I have an appreciation as much for detail as I do for spontaneity. I can appreciate tradition, while enjoying modern invention.  Here’s the paradox of my nature again.

I am not usually quick to make an assessment or judgment. I take time with my decisions. I like to mull things over. I appreciate input from all sides. Before I make a move, I want to fully digesting all the elements, consider the consequences… and then… I choose and move.

Following my intuition, my gut instincts, is something I believe I’ve done at many points in my life, but it seems to be happening more often. While I appreciate my intelligence, I have come to understand the limitations of my mind. My current fascination and exploration is about tapping into intelligence I believe exists beyond our regimented thoughts and beliefs.

I eschew brands, opting for what makes the most sense based on quality, performance and looks. I’ve never been one to follow the crowd.  Although I admire Harleys, I ride a Hyosung because it meets my criteria for performance, looks and affordability.

I read voraciously. As a kid I would pack five books home from the library almost every night.  As an adult, I gravitated toward non-fiction – reading history, biographical accounts. I eventually moved on to spy novels and legal thrillers. I even had a couple years of historical, medieval mysteries. Today my taste runs more to action novels – the Jack Reacher kind, and books about successful business strategies and practices, and spiritual awareness.

I enjoy reality TV over scripted series. Not saying that a lot of reality TV isn’t scripted as well… it’s just that I prefer the raw drama of real life over acting.  Does the USA politics qualify as real drama or acting?  Hmmm.   🙂

I love animals. I have a houseful of cats. I have some that I’ve given permanent homes to and I also help animal shelter groups by fostering kittens until they are ready for adoption. Animal abuse breaks my heart.

There, now you have a glimpse of who I am and what makes me tick. At least my version of it.

The rest you’re going to have to find out by reading my blogs.