Dying for Convenience

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Dying for Convenience

I received a disheartening piece of mail today. It’s a brochure advertising a 55+ facility nearby that boasts services including:

  • Meal preparation
  • House cleaning 
  • On-site convenience store
  • An activity room
  • Well-appointed grounds 
  • Hair styling services
  • Scheduled transportation to shopping centres

Of course, along with the promise of taking all the inconvenience and work out of life come the glossy pictures of what looks like healthy, vibrant fifty-five to seventy-year-olds enjoying said amenities.

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A Lesson On Time From The West Coast

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A Lesson On Time From The West Coast

Mr. F2P and I spent a wonderful four days in Vancouver this Labour Day weekend. It was our first vacation together since 2011 that didn’t involve attending some sort of conference or training workshop. A long time, I know! However, this is not the only surprising fact from this latest trip.

What I took away from this vacation was much more than pictures and memories. It also offered a good reminder that how we view and use time affects how we experience life.

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Presence, Not Presents

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Presence, Not Presents

Small Gestures Are A Big Deal

We all get busy. If it's not work assignments, it's social obligations, or organized sports or volunteering or household chores or anything else that makes us feel we're getting pulled in all sorts of directions. 

This pull on our time makes the following shortcuts very attractive:

  • Buying convenience foods or eating out
  • Driving vs walking or biking
  • Skipping a workout or playtime in the park
  • Outsourcing life tasks (maid service, yard service, laundry, baby sitting)

We've all used some of these, and more, at some point. Indeed, some of us take these shortcuts on a regular, even daily basis.

There are even some shortcuts we take that we don't even realize we're taking because they don't feel as real and tangible as the list I offered above.

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A Four-legged Friend's Take On What Truly Matters

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A Four-legged Friend's Take On What Truly Matters

In September 2011 (re)discovered the many benefits one derives from having a dog as a companion. That's when we adopted Belle, a lovely 3 1/2-year-old greyhound & former racer we were fortunate enough to adopt from a greyhound rescue operation located in our city. Initially, Belle was to be my companion because Mr. F2P was to start working away from home for weeks on end, leaving me alone in a very empty house. That said, we quickly realized that she would be much more to us than a security blanket for me while he was away. She has become a full-fledged member of the F2P family and we wouldn't have it any other way.

Belle is a great companion in many respects, but her actions and behaviours also serve as daily reminders of what's important in life. And, regardless of how advanced a species we think we are, we often either forget what matters most or take it for granted when we lead our busy, often-preoccupied, lives.

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