From the President
Lorna McIlroy | President, ARTA
Coping with the
Challenges of Change
“If nothing ever changed, there would be no butterfl ies.” This is trite but true. The
natural cycles of sickness and health, birth and death, love and loss, occur every
day. However, along with change come choices. Many life-altering situations or
illnesses cannot be changed, but we can choose whether we will respond to these
challenges with fear or with courage.
Like the chrysalis, we experience dramatic change
as we retire and leave our work communities. After
the initial euphoria of retirement comes the sober
realization that we must have the courage to take
charge of this next chapter of our lives by being
realistic and proactive as we plan for future needs.
Taking charge, we must assume responsibility
for all six aspects of our wellness: physical, social,
emotional, spiritual, intellectual, and fi nancial.
Physically, I try to make good decisions about
diet, exercise, and medical care in order to
prolong my independence. Socially, it is all about
caring, communicating, and connecting with our
community. I endeavour to share my modest talents,
wealth, and time with others.
Emotional wellness requires me to cope with
challenges, manage stress, and engage in positive,
respectful interactions with others, recognizing
that major life changes could leave me at risk
for depression. Spiritual wellness gives meaning
and purpose to life and could involve religion,
meditation, or, for me, nature.
For intellectual or cognitive health, I am a lifelong
learner, always learning a new skill or craft, reading,
writing, taking classes and online courses, and
doing crosswords or Sudoku. Financial or economic
wellness includes fi nancial and estate planning,
preparing me for fi nancial changes and emergencies.
With preparation, we can minimize the future
distress of our loved ones by having current
documents, including a will, enduring power of
attorney, and a Green Sleeve (in Alberta), which
acts as a medical passport and contains your
personal directive (PD) and goals of care designation
(GCD). Additional information could include your
wishes regarding cremation or burial, funeral or
celebration of life, organ and tissue donations, bank
branches, investments, credit cards, service and
utility providers, passports, passwords, and pets.
I will admit that we have assisted my 102-year-old
mother-in-law with completing her Green Sleeve
and keeping it on her fridge, but have I done it for
myself? Not yet, but I will!
ARTA fulfi ls its mission of supporting an engaged
lifestyle after retirement with printed wellness
resources, including this magazine, website resources
at arta.net under Wellness, plus the ARTAfacts
newsletter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. I
also appreciate the convenience of the ATA Library at
Barnett House that is available to all retired teachers.
In Way of the Peaceful Warrior: A Book that
Changes Lives by Dan Millman, the character
Socrates says, “The secret of change is to focus all of
your energy, not on fi ghting the old, but on building
the new.” Whether it be environmental concerns,
political developments, changes in our personal
lives, or the growth and change in ARTA, life brings
new challenges. As I deal with these changes and
challenges, I will conscientiously address all six
aspects of wellness, but I will also relax and continue
to enjoy my coff ee, chocolate, cheese, and cerveza,
in moderation! ●
news&views SPRING 2020 | 5