June is busting out all over

Every now and then songs pop into my head. Some just the music, others the words. As I was thinking about what to write for the first day of June. The song, “June Is Bustin' Out All Over"  famous musical number from 1945 which celebrates the arrival of summer sprang to mind. The song was one that I listened as I grew up and became an adult. The song is full of hope and is very upbeat. Here are the lyrics:

 

March went out like a lion,
A-whippin’ up the water in the bay.
Then April cried
And stepped aside,
And along come pretty little May!
May was full of promises,
But she didn’t keep ’em quick enough fer some,
And a crowd of Doubtin’ Thomases
Was predictin’ that the summer’d never come.

Men:
But it’s comin’, by gum!
Y’ken feel it come,
Y’ken feel it in yer heart,
Y’ken see it in the ground!

Girls:
Y’ken hear it in the trees,
Y’ken smell it in the breeze—

All:
Look around, look around, look around!

Nettie:
June is bustin’ out all over!
All over the meadow and the hill,
Buds’re bustin’ outa bushes,
And the rompin’ river pushes
Ev’ry little wheel that wheels beside a mill.

All:
June is bustin’ out all over!

Nettie:
The feelin’ is gettin’ so intense
That the young Virginia creepers
Hev been huggin’ the bejeepers
Outa all the mornin’-glories on the fence.

Because it’s June!

Men:
June—June—June—

All:
Jest because it’s June—June—June!

Nettie:
Fresh and alive and gay and young,
June is a love song, sweetly sung.

All:
June is bustin’ out all over!

1^st Man:
The saplin’s are bustin’ out with sap!

1^st Girl:
Love he’s found my brother, Junior!

2^nd Man:
And my sister’s even lunier!

2^nd Girl:
And my ma is gettin’ kittenish with Pap!

All:
June is bustin’ out all over!

Nettie:
To ladies the men are payin’ court.
Lotsa ships are kept at anchor
Jest because the captains hanker
Fer a comfort they ken only get in port!

All:
Because it’s June!
June—June—June—
Jest because it’s June—June—June!

Nettie:
June makes the bay look bright and new,
Sails gleamin’ white on sunlit blue.

Carrie:
June is bustin’ out all over!
The ocean is full of Jacks and Jills.
With her little tail a-swishin’
Ev’ry lady fish is wishin’
That a male would come and grab her by the gills!

All:
June is bustin’ out all over!

Nettie:
The sheep aren’t sleepin’ any more.
All the rams that chase the ewe sheep
Are determined there’ll be new sheep,
And the ewe sheep aren’t even keepin’ score!

All:
On accounta it’s June!
June—June—June—
Jest because it’s June—June—June!

Nettie:
June is bustin’ out all over,
The beaches are crowded ev’ry night.
From Penobscot to Augusty
All the boys are feelin’ lusty,
And the girls ain’t even puttin’ up a fight.

All:
Because it’s June!
June—June—June—
Jest because it’s June—June—June!

Nettie:
June is bustin’ out all over!

All:
The flowers are bustin’ from their seed!

Nettie:
And the pleasant life of Riley
That is spoken of so highly
Is the life that ev’rybody wants to lead!

All:
Because it’s June!
June—June—June—
Jest because it’s June—June—June!

 

Seniors Week in Canada: June 1–7 — It's Time to Be Heard

Seniors Week is almost here. A time to celebrate. A time to gather. A time to be appreciated.

But let's be honest with one another. Celebration without action is just noise. And there's something we need to talk about.

Ageism.

It's the most tolerated form of discrimination in Canada. We've all felt it. The eye roll when we take too long at the checkout. The assumption we don't understand technology. The whispered "at her age" or the job application that mysteriously disappears after we share our birth year.

Ageism steals more than dignity. It leads to neglect, financial insecurity, loss of self-esteem, and even abuse. It keeps us from being heard when policies are made. It blocks programs that could protect us. And it convinces us, sometimes, that we should just stay quiet.

This Seniors Week, let's stop being quiet.

One in five Canadians is now 65 or older. If you're 65 today, you can expect, on average, 20 more years — and 17 of those in good health. That's not a decline. That's a whole new chapter.

But here's the problem. Rising costs, inadequate housing, transportation gaps, and social isolation are making it harder to live well in our own communities. And ageism makes it easier for decision-makers to ignore what we need.

We want to age in place. We need:

• Housing close to grocery stores, banks, health centres, and parks

• Walkable neighbourhoods and accessible public transit

• Dental care, vision care, mobility aids, and home support

• Stronger pensions for low-income seniors

These are not handouts. These are the basics of a society that respects its elders.

What You Can Do This Seniors Week

Speak up. Share your story. Talk to your neighbours, your family, your local paper. Let people know what ageism looks like and how it affects real lives.

Show up. Attend a Seniors Week event. Bring a friend. Ask questions. Make sure community leaders know you're paying attention.

Stay informed. Canada is working toward a UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons — a global framework that would protect seniors' rights in health care, employment, social protection, and decision-making. This matters. And our voices can help shape it.

A Final Thought

Ageism thrives in silence. It grows when we accept the small dismissals, when we laugh off the jokes, when we assume no one wants to hear what we think.

But you have lived through decades of change. You have raised families, built communities, and survived things that would break younger souls. You have wisdom. You have perspective. And you have every right to be heard.

This Seniors Week, don't just celebrate. Advocate. Share. Demand better.

Not just for yourself — but for everyone coming behind you.

Because growing older is not a problem to be solved. It's a stage of life to be honoured.

Happy Seniors Week. Now let's make some noise.

At the end of May perhaps new beginnings?

 At the edge of May, when spring is stretching into summer and the days seem to whisper, “Stay a little longer,” there’s a quiet shift happening in many lives. Not loud. Not dramatic. Just a gentle nudge that says, something new is waiting.

For some, that “something new” has a name: retirement.

Now, let’s be honest about change. It’s a funny thing. We say we want it. We talk about it. We even plan for it. But when it finally shows up,  right there at the front door,  it can feel like an unexpected guest who arrived a little too early and stayed a little too long.

And sometimes, yes, it hurts.

It might feel like losing a rhythm that once defined your days. The early mornings, the familiar faces, the sense of being needed in a very specific way. Even if you were ready, even if you counted down the days,  there can still be a moment where you think, “Now what?”

That’s the part people don’t always talk about.

But here’s where the story takes a turn.

Because tucked inside that discomfort, inside that unexpected ache, is something powerful: readiness. Not the kind that comes from a calendar or a pension plan,  but the kind that’s been quietly growing in you for years.

You are more ready than you think.

Imagine this.

It’s early June. The sun is already warming the morning air. Instead of rushing out the door, you pause. Coffee in hand. A chair pulled just slightly into the light. There’s no clock pressing on your shoulder. No “have to” waiting in the wings.

At first, that space can feel unfamiliar. Even unsettling.

But then something happens.

You begin to notice things again.

The way the light shifts across the room. The sound of laughter drifting from a nearby park. The possibility of a Tuesday that doesn’t have to look like every Tuesday that came before it.

That’s when change starts to reveal its second layer.

It’s not just about what you’ve left behind.

It’s about what you now have room to step into.

Retirement isn’t an ending,  it’s an opening. A wide, sunlit doorway into a chapter that hasn’t been fully written yet. And unlike the chapters before, this one carries a different kind of freedom.

You get to decide the pace.

You get to choose the plot.

You get to rediscover parts of yourself that may have been set aside while you were busy building a career, raising a family, or meeting the steady demands of everyday life.

Think of it as your “summer of possibility.”

Maybe it starts small. A walk along a familiar trail that somehow feels new again. A conversation with someone you’ve just met at a local gathering. A decision to try something you’ve always said, “One day I will…”

And then, one day, you do.

There’s a story that often plays out in places like the Wilson Centre Seniors Centre. Someone walks in, not quite sure why. Maybe they saw a poster. Maybe a friend nudged them. Maybe they were just curious.

They sit quietly at first. Observe. Listen.

Then someone smiles. Someone says hello. Someone invites them to join a table, a game, a conversation.

And just like that, something shifts.

Not all at once. Not dramatically. But enough.

Enough to come back the next day. Or the next week.

Enough to feel that gentle spark of connection again.

That’s what change can look like when you lean into it instead of away from it.

Now, let’s circle back to that idea,  the one that might have sounded a bit bold at first: that no change happens before you’re fully able to use it for your own growth and glory.

At first glance, it can feel hard to believe. Especially when change feels messy or uncomfortable.

But think about your life for a moment.

All the changes you’ve already lived through. The unexpected turns. The difficult seasons. The times you didn’t feel ready,  but somehow found your way forward anyway.

You didn’t just survive those moments.

You grew through them.

Retirement is no different.

Yes, it asks you to let go of something familiar. But it also offers you something just as meaningful in return: the chance to shape your days with intention, curiosity, and,  dare we say it,  a sense of fun.

And summer is the perfect partner in that adventure.

Longer days. Warmer evenings. Community events. Outdoor music. Farmers’ markets. Road trips that don’t need an itinerary. Laughter that stretches just a little later into the night.

This is not a time to shrink your world.

It’s a time to expand it.

So, if you’re standing at that doorway,  half excited, half uncertain,  take a breath and step forward anyway.

You don’t have to have it all figured out.

You just have to be willing.

Willing to try.
Willing to explore.
Willing to say yes to the moments that come your way.

Because the truth is, this next chapter isn’t about slowing down,  it’s about opening up.

To new experiences.
To new connections.
To a version of yourself that has been waiting patiently for its turn in the sun.

And who knows?

Somewhere between a morning coffee in the sunshine and an unexpected conversation with a stranger who becomes a friend, you may find yourself smiling and thinking:

“This… this is what I was ready for all along.

If You Need to Talk Right Now

 There’s a moment that doesn’t get talked about enough. It’s the moment when a senior sits quietly, maybe at the kitchen table, maybe after a long night, and wonders, “Is this just stress… or is it something more?”

Reaching for help in that moment can feel like the hardest step of all. Not because help isn’t there, but because asking for it takes courage.

Let’s make that step a little easier.

Below is a collection of trusted supports, organized clearly so you can find what you need, when you need it. Keep this close. Share it with a friend. You never know who might need it.  I live in BC so my focus is on the supports that are in  my community, at the end of the post I give some ideas on how you can find help in your community. Help is always near.

If You Need to Talk Right Now (24/7 Support in Canada)

If you or someone you know is in distress, you are not alone, and you don’t have to wait.

• 988 Suicide Crisis Helpline
  Call or text 9-8-8, anytime, day or night.
  You’ll reach a trained responder who will listen without judgment and help you through the moment. Available across Canada in English and French.
• 1-800-SUICIDE (1-800-784-2433)
  Available 24/7, with support in over 140 languages. Operated in partnership with the Crisis Line Association of BC.
• Wellness Together Canada
  Visit: https://www.wellnesstogether.ca
  Offers free online resources, self-assessments, and access to counsellors.

British Columbia Supports (Local and Close to Home)

Sometimes it helps to speak with someone who understands your community and your situation.

• Seniors Distress Line (BC)
  Call 604-872-1234
  Available 24/7, in up to 140 languages.
  This line is specifically for older adults. You can talk about anything, grief, loneliness, health concerns, retirement changes, or simply feeling overwhelmed.
• Crisis Centre of BC
  Call 604-872-3311
  Immediate support for those in crisis or emotional distress.
• HealthLink BC
  Dial 8-1-1
  A free, 24/7 service where you can speak to a health service navigator or connect directly with a nurse, pharmacist, dietitian, or exercise professional. They can guide you to the right care.
• BC211
  Call or text 2-1-1 or visit http://www.bc.211.ca/
  A powerful, easy-to-use service that connects you to community supports, mental health services, housing help, financial assistance, and more. Free, confidential, and available in over 150 languages.

Specialized Mental Health Supports

• British Columbia Schizophrenia Society
  Visit: https://www.bcss.org
  Supporting individuals and families living with serious mental illness, offering education, advocacy, and hope.
• Pathways Serious Mental Illness Society
  Call 604-926-0856 or visit https://www.pathwayssmi.org
  Focused on supporting families and individuals dealing with serious mental illness through education and community programs.
• Mental Health Support Self-Assessment & Online Counsellors
  Visit: https://ca.portal.gs/
  Offers tools to better understand how you’re feeling and connect with support.
• Mental Health Support Line (BC)
  Call 310-6789 (no area code needed)
  24-hour emotional support and information.

How to Find Help in Your Own Community

Even if you move, travel, or have family in other parts of Canada, support is always within reach.

Start with these simple steps:

• Call 2-1-1 anywhere in many parts of Canada to be connected with local services
• Speak with your family doctor, they can refer you to counselling, programs, or specialists
• Visit your local senior centre, many offer wellness programs, peer support, and guidance
• Contact your local branch of the Canadian Mental Health Association for programs and resources nearby

Sometimes the best help is closer than you think, just one conversation away.

A Gentle but Important Reminder

Asking for help isn’t always easy.

Many seniors have spent a lifetime being the strong one, the helper, the caregiver, the steady presence others rely on. So when the time comes to say, “I’m not okay,” it can feel unfamiliar, even uncomfortable.

But here’s the truth: reaching out is not a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of strength and self-respect.

You don’t have to figure everything out on your own. Whether it’s a phone call, a quiet conversation with your doctor, or a visit to a local centre, each small step matters.

And if today feels heavy, let today be the day you take that step.

Someone is ready to listen.