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Retirement
December 15th., 2025 was my last day of work that ended a thirty-six year career as a massage therapist. I will not miss the striving, or the pressure to reach outside of my comfort zone; to be more outgoing or adventurous. All the things that I do not enjoy. I will not miss feeling like I do not fit in, or that I am not enough. I was predominantly self-employed for fifty-two years.
Now, I can embrace slow; stay home, and make use of the gifts of age. I can indulge my need as an introvert for introspection and reflection. It turns out that these are the things that get me excited; that are fulfilling in a most delightful way, and that I need to be healthy.
I don't have a bucket list. Unless self-publishing the research project here at HEALTH COACH, and influencing the course of health education, counts. I also have some family-themed multimedia projects outstanding, that will stretch me creatively.
I have been getting ready for this time by streamlining expenses, monthly accounting, and developing frugality, resourcefulness, and healthy habits. I have an enviable collection of chinos.
The Gifts of Age
- I understand who and what I am, and who and what I am not.
- I can identify and effectively respond to my own self-abusive, destructive ideas that can creep into inner dialogue, unnoticed.
- I know how to make myself happy, involving choices well within my access and abilities.
- I come from a more humble time, when possibilities and expectations were less informed and worldly, and that has helped me to be frugal and resourceful.
- I am happy with where I am. I don't waste my time wishing I lived somewhere warm. Admittedly, I love Canadian weather; especially the big winds of The Prairies. I enjoy what I have - marvelling at the paradox of the enormous resources needed to keep one person going, and how very little we really need.
- The gifts of age are not a given. They must be identified, valued, chosen, and developed.
- Gradually, as my life has changed from being a working parent, and the years leading to retirement, I have been developing healthy habits, using the 13 BASIC HEALTH HABITS as a guide.
- Discipline, developed over a lifetime: I feel motivated for the daily tasks that keep my life in good order, and the projects that develop new skills.
- Master of the list, but more and more realistic, as I age, and my abilities change, about how much I can accomplish in a day; sometimes it is only possible over a few days, and I'm okay with that. When I feel pressured to do more, I respond by slowing down, focusing, and doing a better job. I've discovered it's more enjoyable.
- I am curious. I am interested in learning; understanding; knowing. I am willing to do the homework.
- The Thank You Val Project: Years ago, I started to give my future self, better daily support in many practical ways, like making preparations in advance, getting more quality sleep, and taking care of responsibilities. I can often be heard telling myself: "Thank you, Val!"
- For the first time in my life, introverted, homecentric lifestyles are trending, and the resources are rich.
- I have used these rich resources to know myself and to understand what it means to be a human and to be alive, and how to do it well. I have learnt from the great wealth of information online; from other people on social media, like YouTube, which looks to be from my perspective, one of the most powerful ways to learn; with real people sharing their distilled life lessons.
- Educate Yourself: There is easy access now to information. I utilize google, AI, Pinterest, blogs, YouTube, and websites to find the information about anything and everything I need. After many dormant years, my library card is once again activated, and in use.
- Notes: The very first thing I did to plan and prepare for retirement was to start a dedicated note on my iPhone, two years before on January 2024. I divided my plan into three phases focused on finances, habit, and work schedule.
- Finances: My last day of work was not to plan - I had meant to work until summer, when my car loan was paid in full. I do not have any other income other than Canadian government benefits. I started collecting CPP September 2024. I became eligible for OAS and GIS when I turned sixty-five in 2025. You can also decide to start benefits at a later date which means you will receive an increased monthly payment. As I reduced my work schedule this increased the amount of my benefits.
- Debt: This is important. You don't want to get to this time of life with debt. It's unavoidable to have some, but it shouldn't be unmanageable. An outstanding dishwasher repair bill? Beware the dangers of toothpicks. A small outstanding CRA payment? A few more car loan installments? These are manageable debts.
- Reduce Expenses and Save Money: I stopped drinking alcohol January 2024, identifying that as an easy change that would eliminate a big expense. I started monthly accounting, formatting all income and expenses. This allowed me to see my finances clearly. I also started to find ways to save money and added these resources to my retirement list. I decided to store my car tires at home to save money; I changed from dealership car service to a local garage for maintenance; I changed my mobile phone and internet plan; I take full advantage of reward programs at the bakery, and grocery stores; I shop sales, and my favourite stores are Old Navy, Understance, Cobs Bakery, FreshCo/Sobeys, Costco, Dollarama (great for household supplies and toiletries), Walmart, Amazon, IKEA, Vita Health, and thrift stores. I switched to a local business for my Sodastream carbonator tank exchange and delivery, which saves me $10. per tank, compared to the grocery store cost, with the bonus of delivering them to my home.
- Meal Plan: I meal plan for frugal spending, zero waste, health, and optimal pleasure. As I worked less, I had the time to enjoy the entire process from recipe collecting (I use Pinterest, and I have a Recipes list of favourites for easy access), through to my dedicated Grocery and Dinner Ideas (includes a freezer inventory) iPhone lists, to well organized shopping trips, and food preparation. I even have a Food Staples list, because these tools make it possible to be more organized and strategic. My diet is seasonally influenced. I created a food pantry in a closet - an overflow food supply is as valuable as emergency savings.
- Helpful aids with links: key leash: LUG Cha Cha cross body bag - orthopedic slippers - collapsible wagon - walking cane - magnifying mirror - hallway bench - step ladder: I bought my Cosco three-step ladder at Costco, on sale for $29.99! Medistik pain and inflammation relief - long handled shoe horn
- I had to learn how to use a walking cane correctly. It involved a process of reconciliation. I feel that my body mechanics are improved with the help. I have mobility issues due to injuries, poor self care - especially in my busy working parent years, and from long term wear and tear.
- Healthy physical activity choices for your retirement years: outdoor nature walks - yoga - Pilates - Tai Chi Chuan - Essential Somatics - Ayana Flow - swimming/Aquacise
- Monthly Accounting: I had to learn how to budget for a monthly pay cheque, and monthly accounting helped achieve this by clearly identifying income and expenses.
- Buying life insurance is primarily about providing a financial safety net for your loved ones after you die. It offers peace of mind, ensuring your beneficiaries receive a tax-free, lump-sum payment (the death benefit) that can be used for a variety of critical expenses and long-term financial goals.
- Death cleaning (döstädning) is a Swedish decluttering practice focused on organizing your possessions to reduce the burden on loved ones after you die, ensuring they only inherit meaningful items, not overwhelming clutter. It's about creating a simpler life for yourself now and sparing family the stress of sorting through your belongings later, often involving deciding who gets what and leaving behind a legacy of valued objects, not just stuff.
- Soft Life (Era) is a lifestyle trend that started during The Pandemic in the Nigerian social media influencer community. It promotes cultivation of a slower lifestyle; better self care, and enjoying the simple pleasures of life.
In a perfectly useless manner,
You have learned the meaning of life.
Lin Yutang
Coming soon
MASSAGE CONFIDENTIAL Part Two
Massage therapy education started in 1988 in Winnipeg. The Northern Institute course, from Blackpool, England, was brought to Winnipeg by two therapists from Regina, Abe Reimer and Don Bennett; with a visionary head instructor, Randy Ellingson, who would go on to be the director of Wellington College of Remedial Massage Therapies. With Randy's guidance, Shelley Glenday and Stewart Okinawa, created a world-class, osteopathic, manual medicine-based curriculum; leading to Canadian-wide industry standards. This made it possible for private insurance coverage for massage therapy that would become the foundation of an industry, with opportunities for thousands of therapists, and the care of hundreds of thousands of Manitobans; who did not know what massage therapy was, when I started my career.
Part Two: A Review of the First Generation (30 years) of Massage Therapy in Winnipeg With Interviews
DO YOU KNOW?
Trending in the world of massage
- using all massage insurance benefits in the last weeks of the year
- deep tissue
- poor self care
- mouth breathing
- health illiteracy
- mass popularity of bodybuilding and extreme fitness behaviours
- body dysmorphia
- physical obstructions like body piercings; head wraps, wigs, and hats; jewellry, tensing, blocking, and extreme ticklishness
- hygiene issues: not bathing before a treatment, perhaps thinking that it will be necessary to wash after because of the massage oils used - leading to odor and a buildup of dead skin - unclean, stinky hair/head is prevalent
- no shows and short notice cancellations
- online reviews
How to Have a Great Massage
- Massage initiates change.
- Maximum benefit is experienced 24-48 hours after a massage. Muscle balance is the focus, health-promoting circulation is increased, congestion eased, and pounds of stress, erased.
- Optimal results depend on rest, hydration, and movement.
- Massage supplies a valuable opportunity for becoming cognizant of the process of holding unnecessary tension and the relationship with breathing; developing breathing and relaxation skills to create change; and for experiencing physiological relaxation. A chance to catch your breath.
- The benefits of massage are accumulative; consistency is recommended.
I was often asked to use deep pressure.
I would like to give you a new idea. More important than depth of pressure is knowledgeable precision and sensitive accuracy. An accomplished therapist will use these effective methods.
It is better to have tension and congestion eased, instead of wrestled; coaxed, not forced; allowing deep, restorative breathing, a productive treatment with long-lasting results, and the possibility of a healthier relationship with your body.
When you have a tissue intensive treatment it is beneficial to breathe freely and at times deeply, during the treatment of your problem areas, and to communicate with your therapist if the physical sensations are unbearable. An experienced therapist will be able to sense and to identify when your body is nearing a tolerance limit based on how you are breathing.
