Development

It's the Fete Nationale du Quebec today and I left the house wearing a dress which I don't do very often. 

The lady at the metro station ticket counter wishes me a lovely day and I do the same.

My routine on Wednesdays is that I make my way to the public market to have 7:00 am coffee with fellow retiree Sylvie and after that it is with my friend Sonia at 9:00 at Jean Talon market. 

Being retired means having a lot of time on your hands which I try to fill without urgency or obligation. It means having plenty of opportunity to think. 

I have changed dramatically since I stopped working because I had left much more introspection incomplete than I had estimated; something you don't realize until you are faced with the full capability to do so.

As people, we are in constant development mode. 

I have made a resolution to be kinder to people and lower my indignation towards them after having developed life weapons. It's easier to be dismissive when you determine someone is rude or stupid but my job isn't to judge anyone else. It is to be peaceful.

At the same time I can be very protective of my dignity and my self-respect.