Making Your Mark on the World

If music is the language of the soul, visual art is its fingerprint.  As we, in BC celebrate BC Day, lets look at another way to make your mark on the world.

It arises from a spiritual longing we all share: to make our mark on the world, to spend our life energy in work that rises above the mundane, adding grace to existence. We respond to the light around us by giving expression to our own inner light. When the two are on the same wavelength, the world seems more brilliant and finely focused.

That is a beautiful way of saying something simple: you were meant to create.

You do not need to be a painter, sculptor, or photographer. Creativity wears many faces. It shows up in the garden you tend, the meals you prepare, the stories you tell, the letters you write, the photographs you take, the way you arrange a shelf. It is the impulse to leave something behind that says, "I was here, and I cared."

Carl Jung also believed that the soul is partly in time, which means it is partly shaped by our experiences and relationships. We know ourselves as human, in part, through our connections with other living beings. Virginia Woolf knew the soul defies thought, but she also knew it can be felt, glimpsed, and expressed. And so can you.

This is especially true for us. We have lived long enough to understand that life is not about having the most, but about being the most. The creative impulse does not fade with age; it deepens. It becomes wiser, more patient, more reflective. It is not about producing something for the world, it is about producing something for yourself. Something that reminds you of who you are and what you value.

If you are looking for a place to start, consider this: what did you love when you were young? Drawing? Writing? Dancing? Gardening? Singing? That spark is still there. It may be buried under years of responsibility and routine, but it has never gone out. It is waiting for you to fan it back to life.

And here is the most important part: when you create, you are not just doing it for yourself. You are showing your grandchildren, your children, your friends that creativity is a lifelong gift. You are teaching them that it is never too late to start, to try, to fail, to try again. You are teaching them that the soul can be expressed at any age.

We are, as the naturalist writer noted, the younger siblings of the animal world, the perpetual neonates, needing models for how to live. But we are also the ones who create. We adapt. We shape the world around us. And through our creativity, we shape ourselves.

Here are some simple, low-pressure ways to let your creative impulse out. Choose one, or try several, and consider inviting a grandchild or friend to join you.

1. Start a "One Sentence a Day" Journal
Write one sentence every day. It can be about anything: what you did, what you saw, how you felt, a memory that came to mind. At the end of the year, you will have 365 sentences, a small, beautiful record of your year.

2. Make a Collage
Collect images, words, or textures from magazines, newspapers, or printed photos. Arrange them on a piece of paper or cardstock. You do not need to be a designer. Just let your instincts guide you. This is a great activity to do with a grandchild.

3. Take a Walk with a Camera
Walk around your neighbourhood, a park, or even your own home. Take photos of things that catch your eye, a shadow, a flower, a child's toy, a crack in the pavement. You are not aiming for a masterpiece. You are just practising seeing the world with fresh eyes.

4. Write a Letter to a Grandchild
Not an email. A real letter. Tell them a story from your childhood that you have never told them before. They will keep it. Years from now, they will read it again.

5. Try a Simple Craft
Knitting, woodworking, pottery, painting, flower arranging, anything that uses your hands. The act of making something physical is deeply satisfying and creative. Many community centres, including the Wilson Centre, offer introductory workshops.

6. Keep a "Sparks" Journal
Carry a small notebook and jot down things that inspire you: a line from a movie, a phrase you overheard, a memory that pops into your head. These are "sparks." When you feel stuck, open the journal and see what happens.

7. Create a Family Recipe Book
Write down the recipes that matter to you, the ones your grandmother made, the ones you perfected over the years. Add a note about why each recipe matters. Share it with your family. This is creativity, connection, and legacy all in one.

8. Draw Something
You do not need to be good at drawing. Just pick up a pencil and sketch something simple, a cup, a flower, a chair. Drawing focuses, you to allow you to look closely. Looking closely is a form of attention. And attention is a form of love.

Creativity is not about being good. It is about being present. It is about paying attention to the world and responding to it in your own way. It is about leaving something behind that says you were here.

So do not be afraid. Start small. Hum a tune. Plant a flower. Write a note. Take a picture. Let the artist inside you breathe. The world will be better for it, and so will you.

The Language of the Soul

There is a force inside each of us that asks to be expressed. It does not care about your age, your talent, or your résumé. It cares only that you let it out.

We call it the creative impulse. It is the part of us that looks inward and projects outward, searching for meaning and fulfilment. It is why we share experiences, work together, build traditions, and dream. And no matter how old we are, we should never compromise a dream. We have them for a reason, perhaps to see into our own soul.

But what is a soul? Carl Jung described it as "partly in eternity and partly in time." Virginia Woolf, with her usual clarity, observed: "One can't write directly about the soul. Looked at, it vanishes." It defies substance and thought. Yet we have invented no greater expression of our inwardness than music.

Musician I know describe music as  the language of the soul, an eternal translation between mathematics and mystery. It is the deliberate arrangement of sound into patterns that move us. Birds sing the world back to life each spring. Cicadas serenade the sun each summer. And when we set out to tell the cosmos who we are, we sent whale songs, Bulgarian folk music, and Bach on a Golden Record. The best singers employ tone, interval, rhythm, theme, and variation in complex and pleasing combinations, but so does a grandmother humming to her grandchild. So does a retiree learning to play the piano for the first time. So does anyone who dares to make a sound that comes from the heart.

When you think about it, we have all been musicians at some point. We have all felt the rhythm of a good song, tapped our feet to a beat, or hummed along to a melody we could not shake. Music is one of the most accessible forms of creativity. It requires no special training to appreciate, and only a willingness to try. You do not need to perform on a stage. You just need to let the song inside you come out, even if it is only heard by you, or by a child sitting on your knee.

Here is something you can do this week, alone or with a grandchild.

Think of six songs that have mattered to you at different points in your life. They do not have to be "important" songs. They just have to be songs that you remember. Songs that take you back. Here is my list, I hope it helps you create your own list.

• Song 1: A song from your childhood: Nature Boy" by Nat King Cole
• Song 2: A song from your teenage years: California Dreamin' by The Mamas and the Papas
• Song 3: A song from your twenties:  American Pie - Don McLean
• Song 4: A song from your thirties: "Billie Jean" - Michael Jackson
• Song 5: A song from your forties: My Heart Will Go On" - Celine Dion
• Song 6: A song from your later years: Symphony No. 5 in C Minor, Op. 67 by Beethoven  
• Song 7: A song that makes you feel hopeful about today: Ode to Joy (Symphony No. 9)  by Ludwig van Beethoven  and What a Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong

Now, do one of three things:

1. Write them down. Create a simple playlist on paper. Add a note next to each song about what it means to you.
2. Share them. Play them for a grandchild or a friend. Tell them why each song matters.
3. Expand the list. Make a full playlist on your phone or a streaming service. Or create a physical CD or USB drive with the songs and give it to someone you love.

Why does this matter? Because music is memory. When you share your songs, you are not just sharing music. You are sharing your story. And your grandchildren will remember not just the songs, but the fact that you trusted them with your history.

That is creativity. That is connection. That is the language of the soul.

Oxymorons

1.Why is the third hand on the watch called the second hand?

2. If a word is misspelled in the dictionary, how would we ever know?

3. If Webster wrote the first dictionary, where did he find the words?

4. Why do we say something is out of whack?   What is a whack?

5. Why does "slow down" and "slow up" mean the same thing?

6. Why does "fat chance" and "slim chance" mean the same thing?

7. Why do "tug" boats push their barges?

8. Why do we sing "Take me out to the ball game" when we are already there?

9. Why are they called "stands" when they are made for sitting?

10. Why is it called "after dark" when it really is "after light"?

11. Doesn't "expecting the unexpected" make the unexpected expected?

12. Why are a "wise man" and a "wise guy" opposites

13. Why do "overlook" and "oversee" mean opposite things?

14. Why is "phonetic" not spelled the way it sounds?

15. If work is so terrific, why do they have to pay you to do it?

16. If all the world is a stage, where is the audience sitting?

17. If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

18. If you are cross-eyed and have dyslexia, can you read all right?

19. Why is bra singular and panties plural?

20. Why do you press harder on the buttons of a remote control when you know the batteries are dead?

21. Why do we put suits in garment bags and garments in a suitcase?

22. How come abbreviated is such a long word?

23. Why do we wash bath towels?  Aren't we clean when we use them?

24. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

25. Why do they call it a TV set when you only have one?

26. Then there is Christmas - What other time of the year do you sit in front of a dead tree and eat candy out of your socks?

27. Why do we drive on a parkway and park on a driveway?

Guys, Take Notes: What Many Men Can Learn from Women About Retirement

Every successful movie has people behind the scenes who quietly make everything work.

Sometimes they direct.

Sometimes they produce.

Sometimes they rewrite the script halfway through filming because the original story no longer fits.

Over the past several years, I've watched many women do exactly that with retirement.

And I think men have something to learn from them.

Before anyone writes me an email, let me be clear.

I'm speaking from my own experience.

I've worked with hundreds of retirees through workshops, community organizations, and volunteer boards. The pattern I've noticed isn't about every woman or every man. It's simply an observation that has made me think.

Many men spend years planning how they'll leave work.

Many women spend years planning what they'll do after work.

There's an important difference.

For many men, identity is closely tied to occupation.

We introduce ourselves by saying, "I'm an engineer."

"I'm a teacher."

"I'm a manager."

"I'm an electrician."

When retirement arrives, those titles disappear overnight.

Some men spend months trying to figure out who they are without the business card.

Many women, however, seem to have spent years building lives that include much more than work.

They have friendships that continue after retirement.

Volunteer roles.

Book clubs.

Fitness classes.

Community organizations.

Creative interests.

Family traditions.

Social networks.

Learning opportunities.

In many cases, retirement simply gives them more time to enjoy the lives they were already creating.

That's a lesson worth paying attention to.

Another difference I've noticed is the willingness to ask for help.

Many men are perfectly willing to rebuild a lawn mower without reading the instructions.

Unfortunately, some try approaching retirement the same way.

"We'll figure it out."

Sometimes we do.

Sometimes we spend six months reorganizing the garage because we haven't planned anything else.

Women, on the other hand, often attend retirement workshops, ask questions, compare ideas, share experiences, and build support networks.

That isn't weakness.

That's wisdom.

They understand that retirement isn't a solo performance.

It's an ensemble cast.

I've also noticed that many women continue learning long after retirement.

Computers.

Languages.

Painting.

Photography.

Fitness.

Gardening.

History.

Community leadership.

Curiosity keeps showing up in their calendars.

Retirement isn't a graduation ceremony.

It's another semester.

Perhaps the biggest lesson is purpose.

The happiest retirees I've met aren't necessarily the wealthiest.

They're the ones who wake up knowing someone needs them, somewhere wants them, or something excites them.

Purpose keeps us moving.

Purpose gets us out of bed.

Purpose reminds us that our best contributions aren't measured by a paycheque.

Men can absolutely build that kind of retirement.

In fact, many do.

But it rarely happens by accident.

Just as we plan financially, we need to plan socially, emotionally, physically, and intellectually.

We need friends who know us outside the workplace.

We need hobbies that challenge us.

We need places where our experience matters.

Most of all, we need to remember that retirement isn't about stopping.

It's about redirecting decades of knowledge toward new adventures.

So perhaps the greatest compliment I can give the women I've worked with is this:

Thank you.

Thank you for showing many of us that retirement can be active, curious, courageous, generous, and joyful.

You didn't simply accept the old script.

You proved there was a better one.

Now it's our turn to write the next chapter.

Question: Whether you're a man or a woman, what is one lesson you've learned from someone else's retirement that has changed how you're planning your own?