In the middle of all these penguins, there is one who jumps up and sings, “I gotta be me, I just gotta be me”.

It is a humorous image since all penguins seem to look and act alike.  And yet it is also an image that rings a bell in each of us.  We all want to “be me”.  We want to shine in our unique talents and to be recognized for our personal characters.  We want to count for who we are rather than as just another number.  We want to be loved for who we are.

This is true at every age.  It is especially apparent when we are older and feel packaged as part of a group of empty nesters, pre-retirees, retirees, seniors,…  We can easily feel like the penguin who is sick of just being seen as one of  the pack.  We too want to “be me”.

• Take stock of your unique talents, skills and qualities.  What are you good at?
• Define your key values, the values that you live by and are not willing to give up.
• Look at what you love to do, what motivates you.
• Think about the contributions you have made, how you have shared your talents and values.
• Celebrate the person you are!

London to the rescue

British retirees in Spain (300,000) are having difficulty to make ends meet due to the drastic dive of the British pound sterling in relation to the euro.  Whereas they set up whole communities in Spain where they could live well on their British pensions, many are now barely surviving.   With the devaluation of the pound they find their purchasing power cut by one-fourth to one-third.   The housing market has also taken a dip and those who must sell to survive are finding it virtually impossible.  They also miss out on social aid for older people including special funds for heating and for health care

The British government is now taking measures to create an assistance package to alleviate the situation.

For those of us who live in large countries with one currency, this may seem odd.  It is as though each state had a different currency that could fluctuate.