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!

 

Posted on March 18, 2026 under Wednesday’s Words of Wisdom with 2 comments

Four day spa treatment at SMH

 

“Thrown a curveball”. To be presented with an unexpected, difficult, or unpleasant situation that disrupts your plans.

It’s spring training in baseball and the “boys of summer” are back at it. The Toronto Bluejays are hoping for a reprise of their magical run to the World Series last year. For a number of years, I travelled to Florida and on many occasions, attended spring training games in Dunedin, a beautiful small city just up the road from Clearwater.

I never played organized baseball in my youth. We did play lots of baseball, but it was of the pickup variety. A phone call would be made to someone in another part of town and within an hour, a game would be in progress. We would track down an empty field somewhere in town – our own version of a “diamond in the rough”.  We didn’t have umpires and called balls and strikes on ourselves. No parental involvement. Our lives were simple. We weren’t over organized or micromanaged like the youth of today.

A few weeks ago, I had a rather nasty and unexpected surprise. I woke up in the middle of the night and was very unwell. Vomiting, diarrhea, and severe abdominal pain necessitated a trip to the hospital. Four days later, I went back home minus one gall bladder. The care that I received at St.Martha’s Hospital was nothing short of extraordinary. Every single person I dealt with, from the janitors to my surgeon was kind and caring.

I jokingly said to a friend that the surgeon had a lot of gall to remove one of my organs while I was unconscious!

We hear so many horror stories about the health care system and waiting times. I was unbelievably lucky from the time I arrived at Emerg at 2:00 a.m. to getting surgery on a timely basis.

My main nurse during my stay was a young woman. Some people are born to be in a particular profession, and she was one of them. Competent, caring, and kind, she has all the tools to be a great nurse. Even when she was run off her feet, she always seemed to have time to answer a question or minister to my needs.

As I was being discharged, she asked me to give her my most important piece of advice, after me kicking around the planet for nearly 75 years. My initial response was to surround yourself with positive people. Of course, I was anxious to get out of the hospital and didn’t expand on this notion. A few days later, I sent her a thank you note where I added to this list. Here is what I shared with her:

• Practice gratitude: it’s a good idea to acknowledge the good in your life to improve your perspective and well-being.
• Build Strong Relationships: Invest time in family and friends as these supportive connections are essential for long-term happiness.
• Prioritize Physical Health: Exercise regularly, eat well, and get enough sleep to fuel your body and mind.
• Cultivate Resilience: Learn to bounce back from failure, viewing mistakes as necessary steps for growth.
• Find Your Purpose: Set meaningful goals that align with your passions, which provides direction and motivation.
• Live in the Present: Practice mindfulness and savor the small, daily moments rather than rushing through life.
• Keep Learning: Maintain curiosity and regularly acquire new skills to stay adaptable.
• Give Back: Engage in kindness, volunteering, or helping others, which adds deeper meaning to life.
• Stop Comparing: Remember these words from Desiderata: “If you compare yourself with others, you may become vain and bitter, for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.”

(10) Stay Positive: Maintain a positive outlook and take responsibility for how you react to situations you cannot control.

I have never faced a curveball on a baseball field but like everyone else, I have had my share of “life curveballs”. Yes, often, we swing and miss and occasionally strike out but we have to pick ourselves up off the ground, brush off the dirt and take another swing.

Hitting it Out of the Park. To do something extremely well, exceed expectations, or achieve great success. In baseball, it refers to hitting a home run so hard that the ball leaves the park.

I am so grateful that we have a regional hospital in our hometown. The employees may not be great athletes but in my estimation, they “hit it out of the park” when I was trying to deal with a curveball.

Have a great weekend.