When I spoke with my publisher about writing a book on retirement we tossed around the theme “men are from Mars and women are from Venus.” The stereotype is that men are attached to their work so they have difficulty retiring. But when it comes to women, although they may enjoy their work, they don’t have as much difficulty saying goodbye because they have many other irons in the fire and are more likely to have strong networks of family and friends. But I was reluctant to go down this road because I had seen many examples of the converse. I knew women who had struggled in retirement and men who found this stage of life to be a time of reinvention and jubilation

For the past three years, the Okanagan Men’s Shed has been bringing men in the Kelowna area together for coffee, friendship, and woodworking. In addition to pursuing their own projects, the men have constructed frames for local fairs, built shelves for a seniors centre, and held workshops in the library. There are seven sheds in Canada with more in development and when I’m being interviewed about retirement strategies, the men’s sheds movement really captures people’s interest. For good reason. When men have a place to hang out and tackle fun community-minded projects, research shows benefits all round. For the men, the camaraderie improves mental and physical well-being. “Health by stealth” they call it. Communities gain from the useful projects. And the peer counseling the men provide each other takes a load off service providers and reduces demands on government programs.

Dear readers - thank you for buying Ready to Retire? in droves. You put the book on The Globe and Mail best seller list where it's stayed for the past five weeks. I'm very grateful to the hard-working journalists who discussed the book on TV, radio, print, blogs, videos, podcasts, Twitter, and Facebook. You'll find links to some of the coverage under MEDIA. To give you a flavour - I did 22 CBC interviews with radio morning show hosts from Gander, Newfoundland, to Whitehorse, to Victoria, and spots in between - and three CBC regional phone-in shows in the Maritimes, Alberta and BC. The article written by Victoria Ahearn, Canadian Press' multi-talented writer and videographer was picked up by newspapers from coast to coast and her video posted on news sites. It was great fun being on CTV's The Social and Sirius XM What She Said with their engaging hosts and dedicated audiences. And Global News and its committed newscasters have a serious following. I heard from many people who caught that piece.

I am holding an advance copy of Ready to Retire? and it looks gorgeous. Patrick Crean and the team at HarperCollins have done a terrific job.  Look for the book in stores after January 6 and you can pre-order the book online now. A book launch is scheduled for January 18 in Toronto. I'll post more information about that event soon. Here is some feedback from early readers. Most gratifying!

In a Buddhist parable a young man meets an old man on a path. The old man is bent over with age and using a cane to make his way slowly up the mountain. The young man is overcome with compassion and says, “Old man, what is the greatest burden of your old age?” The old man replies, “That I have nothing to carry.”

Sointula may be a tiny village on a small island (Malcolm Island, BC - population 886) but it's anticipating its own senior surge and wants to be prepared. Over a century ago, the community was created as a utopia by immigrants from Finland. Sointula, meaning "place of harmony", was to be a community of equality, participation and sharing. Although the original utopian concept was not fully realized, the island continues to draw people who are attracted to these principles. The senior population is a mix of long-time residents who are aging in place, native-born Islanders who are returning home to retire, and newly-arrived retirees attracted by the bucolic lifestyle and friendly spirit. Locals have noticed that, although the population size is staying fairly constant, the average age is increasing. Families with children are leaving the island and being replaced by retirees.

Whistler gave me an outstanding welcome on Monday night, with well over 100 people attending my talk. I wasn't surprised given that the event was organized by MAC (Mature Action Committee). You may recall that MAC was one of the groups I highlighted in The Perfect Home as a reason for optimism about our chances for healthy aging. The organization was set-up in the mid-90's to tackle senior housing needs and has expanded to address all aspects of growing old in Whistler. Their goal: to make their town a model community for aging in place. They have over 200 members, which is impressive for a place where people pride themselves on staying young forever. They're making it fun to be old, even "hip", by throwing great parties, sponsoring terrific activities and attracting people who want to be associated with success. Whistler has about 1900 full-time residents aged 50+ and this number is due to increase as people retire to their vacation homes.

On Feb 9, I spoke at the Parksville Community Centre in support of the excellent Oceanside Hospice. This gave me a chance to check out some terrific projects for seniors that are taking place in the area. Parksville, BC and the neighbouring community of Qualicum Beach have the highest proportion of seniors in Canada. By 2030, Parksville's current population of some 12,000 people is estimated to grow by 31%. And the population of seniors aged 75+ is expected to double. So I'm watching with interest the plans and projects launched for seniors by these savvy communities. I suspect they'll be leading the way for the rest of us.

In The Perfect Home For a Long Life I introduced you to Henry and Jean Kroll (pictured above) who have been living for the past six years in Silver Sage, a seniors cohousing project in Boulder, Colorado. Jean has dementia and the strong Silver Sage emotional circle allows her to both contribute to and be supported by her community. Henry was keen to watch the film "Still Mine", which is based on a true story, after watching the trailer and seeing parallels with his and Jean's journey. We managed to get a DVD to Henry, and the Silver Sage community held a screening this week. Here's Henry's review of this excellent film.

Jo sent me this photo labeled "How I Spent My Morning" along with this inspiring story of her parents.

On July 10, Mother Nature blessed us with the perfect evening to launch The Perfect Home and celebrate the work of Ottawa Salus Corporation. About 50 of us discussed housing ourselves for the future while we watched the sun set over the Ottawa River and took inspiration from the sailboats running the regatta course on the far shore.

In The Perfect Home For a Long Life, I discuss reasons for optimism when it comes to housing ourselves for the future. One reason is the wave of retirees who are applying their expertise to senior housing issues. Pat Kipping is a perfect example. She is using the skills she developed through a career in community and fund development to spur people in Nova Scotia to develop creative housing options for an aging population. Pat was the catalyst for the book launch held last week in Halifax, hosted by reBoom, a program of the Northwood Community Centre. The evening was a spirited discussion with a group of some 60 people. The icing on the cake was a splendid acapella performance by "Mom & I" (Pat Brennan-Alpert and daughter Katie Guitton) who had scoured the musical landscape for songs about our home. At the event, Pat invited people to form a "Housing Boomers Book/Study Club" and signed up about a dozen enthusiastic participants.

Over 80 people gathered last night at the beautiful University of Toronto Art Centre to launch The Perfect Home For a Long Life. It was May Day, spring had finally arrived in Toronto, and the excited buzz in the room was a celebration of new beginnings. As one guest said, "Your launch is part of the joy and beauty of spring." Much credit for the joy-filled atmosphere goes to the talented jazz singer Shannon Butcher and her pianist Michael Shand who filled the room with hot sounds. Great music, provocative art, smart company - the book was launched in style.