Hi there. Welcome back to “Your Canadian Senior Moment.”
Yesterday, I attended the funeral of a colleague who was only two years older than I am. Moments like those have a way of pulling the rug out from under your feet. They force a quiet, sombre reflection on the timeline we are all traveling and the nature of the struggles we face along the way. When we are in the middle of a difficult season—whether it is the grief of losing a peer, a health challenge, or a period of personal doubt—that weight can feel incredibly heavy. In the middle of the storm, it is easy to believe that the clouds will never part and that the darkness has become a permanent fixture of our lives.
However, if four decades on the road and many more years of living have taught me anything, it is that nothing in this life is permanent. We often treat success as a final destination and failure as a fatal blow, but the truth is that they are both merely phases. Life moves in a cycle, much like the rise and set of the sun or the inevitable transition of the Canadian seasons. When we see the sun at its highest point at noon, we don’t expect it to stay there forever; similarly, when the winter chill settles into the prairies, we know deep down that the spring thaw is eventually coming.
I have to admit, I’ve been a worrier all my life. As a youth, I worried whether I would fit in at a new school or if I would pass my exams. Throughout my trucking career, I worried if I could make my delivery on time, would I get home in time for my son’s birthday, and was my wife coping with everything at home. I’ll probably always find something to worry about, but I have learned that worrying doesn’t really change the end result. Whatever is going to happen will do so without the worrying just the same.
The real victory in life isn’t avoiding the shadows, but developing a stability of mind that understands both the light and the dark are temporary. This stability is what allows us to move steadily through the miles ahead. When we are riding high, we can enjoy the view without the arrogance of thinking we’ve “arrived” for good. When we are struggling, we can take a breath and remind ourselves that this terrain, however rocky, will eventually change. By accepting that no state of being is a permanent residence, we conserve the energy we need for the long haul.
Our Shared Wisdom: Was there a time in your life when you felt a “storm” would never end, only to find yourself in a much brighter season later? How did that experience change how you view challenges today?
PS: A quick note on our new schedule! To better serve everyone, articles are now published on the website at 06:00 AST for those who like to read with their early morning coffee. Emails will now be sent out at 12:00 AST to ensure we don’t disturb anyone too early with phone notifications.
Warmly,
Bill and Marilyn
Founders of Canadian Senior Moment