One of the many things I love about my job is having the opportunity to read the letters you so generously take the time to write to us. We receive far more than we could ever reprint in the magazine, but we read and appreciate every one. Many are addressed directly to me and I treasure them; they often seem to arrive precisely when I need a bit of a boost, and they make a real difference. Thank you. That phrase doesn’t come close to expressing how grateful I really am for the more personal letters of encouragement, but I mean it very sincerely.
Sometimes we get letters that generate a bit of fun. A reader writes to ask if any other reader can recall the name of a certain restaurant or knows the origin of a phrase, and when we publish his or her letter, Good Times readers from all over Canada write to supply the answer, and we publish that, too. We’ve had one or two letters that generated a conversation that continued on the Letters pages of three or four issues. It’s exciting to see such interaction among our readers, who constitute—even if they don’t know it—a substantial community. There are today more than 600,000 of you across the country, according to the most recent numbers (that figure, by the way, represents an increase since the last Canadian magazine readership report; not every magazine had the opportunity to celebrate an increase, and we are very grateful—everyone here thanks every one of you). A community that large has a lot of information, experience, and wisdom stored up, all of which, I know from your letters, our readers are happy to share if they’re asked. Most of us have become accustomed over the past few years to finding just about any snippet of information we want on the Internet, but sometimes the Internet doesn’t know the answer. Sometimes the answer resides in the memory or experience of a real person, perhaps—even probably—a Good Times reader. So don’t forget: you’re part of a community, and that gives you an opportunity. When we encourage you to write to us—about anything that’s on your mind—“us” can include not just the people who make Good Times happen, but the entire Good Times community. Earlier this year, I asked in this space if anyone could help me figure out the secrets of cooking for one (without dying of boredom, if not starvation). The response was overwhelming. Why not take advantage
of the same resource?
Photo: Laurence Labat.
This month’s article on planning for “The Three Stages of Retirement” makes the point that part of that planning should include thinking about what you want to do in retirement. How will you spend your time? While I have a very long list of places I’d happily spend much of my retirement exploring if I should ever win a lottery, I’m probably not going to win a lottery (I’m not counting last week’s free ticket). So how will I spend my time? I’m fairly sure you have some ideas, and I could use them. Moreover, I’d love to share your ideas with the rest of our readers. What are you or your loved ones doing in retirement? I can’t wait to hear—and I know I’m not alone.
Murray Lewis, Editor-in-Chief
goodtimes@bayardcanada.com
