Posted on April 15, 2026 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with no comments yet

 

“Who are you?

Who, who, who, who?”

Who Are You – The Who

 

I grew up in a Catholic town,

In a family of ten,

A university nearby, cap and gown,

My parents named me Len.

 

Our house was busy and very loud,

And one bathroom for us all,

Missing your time was not allowed,

When we got our mother’s call.

 

I was young and blond with curly hair,

We played in forests tall,

We didn’t really give a care,

In summer, spring, or fall.

 

In winter we played in snowbanks deep,

Made tunnels underground,

The fresh air really helped us sleep,

We hardly made a sound.

 

My teenage years were active ones,

I was an athletic sort,

Golf, hockey, badminton,

I played almost every sport.

 

Music was in my DNA,

My family loved to sing,

We also had to kneel and pray,

It was one of those Catholic things.

 

I went to X and made the grade,

And soon became a teacher,

In olden times, a different trade,

I might have become a preacher.

 

Got married and raised a family of four,

They had creativity and sing they did,

How could a father ask for more,

Than these remarkable kids.

 

I played tunes, wrote, walked and ran,

The years passed by so quickly,

Luckier than almost any man,

Blessed that I wasn’t sickly.

 

And now I’ve arrived at the final stage,

With many folks to thank,

I’m doing well at this tender age,

There’s still something left in the tank!

 

 

Posted on April 8, 2026 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with one comment

 

A1 or AI?

“Well, I’ve been afraid of changing,

‘Cause I built my life around you,

But time makes you bolder,

Even children get older,

And I’m getting older, too.

Landslide – Fleetwood Mac

Time makes you bolder?

Nope. Time makes you older!

In my exhaustive study of the human race, I have determined that just about all old people are resistant to change. Actually, we hate change. After 70 or more years kicking around this earth, we like the predictable. The “comfortable pew”. We prefer “the good old days” when life was simple and gas was cheap. We don’t like speed bumps and U-turns. We want a road trip without surprises.

I had a nice visit with one of my daughters recently. Our children have busy lives. It’s hard for them to find the time to just sit down and chat. It reminds me a lot of the Harry Chapin song, Cats in the Cradle. We talked about her work, music and politics. I have been disengaged from news in recent years in an attempt to remain sane. The judges are still tabulating the results!

I was fascinated as she explained to me how Artificial Intelligence was changing the work that she is doing.

While I have stopped consuming news, I haven’t completely buried my head in the sand. I still read news headlines and occasionally I’ll flip on the television when a major event is happening.

While I can quickly churn out 1000 words of gobblygook without much thought (to wit- the piece you’re now reading), I would be hard pressed to explain AI to someone from another planet.

“Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a broad branch of computer science that is focused on a machine’s capability to produce rational behaviors from external inputs.” Dr.Google

I don’t pretend for a nanosecond to understand AI. The first time that I saw the acronym, I thought it was a plug for A1 sauce, that popular tangy, savoury condiment used on burgers and steak.

It is obvious that AI is and will be, a dominant force in our lives. In the field of medicine, I am told that AI can review millions of X-rays in seconds and come up with a more accurate assessment than a radiologist. Lesson planning in schools may become obsolete for teachers when AI can do the job instantaneously. Will teachers become obsolete? AI is making big waves in sports. Baseball umpires are becoming an endangered species with the news ABS Challenge system where machines determine questionable balls and strikes calls by the umpire.

The Toronto Maple Leafs are looking for a new General Manager. One of the prerequisites outlined by the president of MLSE is that the successful applicant be a “data centric” leader. I don’t know about you but listening to a sports program these days makes me want to gag with the constant stream of statistics and data.

And, of course, AI has been a boon to musicians. Simply put the words “my truck broke down; my dog died and my wife left me” and Chat GPT will pump out a gut wrenching, authentic hurtin’ country and western song.

Yes, it’s a brave new world and AI is here to stay.

But where does that leave “Actual Intelligence”?

You know the old adage: “Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater”. The expression is fundamentally a reminder to be discerning during times of change.

Must we eliminate all those common sense things that still have value?

Don’t spend more than you earn.

Exercise regularly.

Eat and drink in moderation.

Don’t cross a street unless you look both ways.

Pay off debt and try and save a little for retirement.

Don’t put your hand on a hot stove element.

Treat people with dignity and respect even when they don’t look like you or speak your language.

Laugh at least once a day.

I would like to believe that I am not “afraid of changing”.

You were right, Bobby, boy. “The times they are a changin’”.

And I’m not crazy about “getting older” until I ponder the alternative!

Have a great weekend.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted on March 25, 2026 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with 2 comments

A lucky Canadian

 

Ooh, what a lucky man he was,

Ooh, what a lucky man he was.

Lucky Man – Emerson, Lake and Palmer

I’m not the gambling sort.

I have only been to the casino a handful of times. I went to a bingo game once in a smokey hall in rural Nova Scotia. I rarely buy lottery tickets. I drop $20 quite often to support Minor Hockey. I see this as a charitable donation. Thankfully, I haven’t gotten caught up in the gambling frenzy that now dominates sports. The odds of me laying down a bet won’t show up any time soon on FanDuel.

Lucky in life? That’s a completely different tune.

I was chatting with one of my siblings the other day. We were comparing war wounds. Most of my brothers and sisters are hurtling (limping) towards 80. Eighty! We were reflecting on our good fortune. We both agreed that in so many ways, we were part of one of the most fortunate generations to inhabit this planet. The Baby Boomers in general (those born between 1946-1964) and Canadians “boomers” in particular, may well go down as one of the luckiest cohorts in history.

Please don’t hate us, Gen X-ers and Millennials,

I realize that this is a generalization. Depending on “the accident of birth”, most Boomers enjoyed benefits rarely seen in the past and not likely to be seen in a very long time going forward.

Many of us entered the housing market when prices were modest relative to income. The value of homes rose astronomically over the decades, creating massive wealth engines. And, unlike many other investments, our homes were not subject to capital gains.

We benefited from a strong post-war economy and enjoyed steady wage growth, although mowing lawns at St.Ninian’s Cemetery for $1.00 an hour didn’t exactly fatten my bank account. The stock market was our friend and those with a long-term view and patience, watched their portfolios grow exponentially. We benefited from a relatively stable job market that often provided defined benefit pension plans.

Higher education (and I’m not talking about pot smoking in university!) was more accessible and affordable compared to the high student debt loads faced by younger generations today.

And the Boomers wielded power in the halls of government. Our voting power influenced policies that benefited us and vote we did.

What makes Canada special is that our generation never had to go to war. This in no way diminishes the sacrifice made by many Canadians who fought and served in the war in Afghanistan and other global conflicts. Unlike our parents and grandparents, we didn’t live through world wars.

Gas was cheap. The air was clean. We sat on the beach with our boom boxes and listened to Hey Jude, American Pie, Bridge Over Troubled Water and California Dreamin’. We were picking up Good Vibrations.

These days, we no longer climb trees. We do chair yoga and Tai Chi to help us from seizing up.

The bumps and bruises and memory loss continue to accumulate but man, did most of us have it good for a very long time.

I’m hoping for a few more good innings.

Have a great weekend.

P.S. Great news. A recent study published in the Harvard Gazette suggests that drinking 2-3 cups of coffee a day is tied to lower dementia risk. I must try and remember this!