What does quality of life mean to you?

Wolseley

There’s a young girl in Wolseley named Ellianna, who, along with her family, hosts a yearly flower sale — sometimes two of them — to raise money for Harvest Manitoba.

I’ve written about them before, but it’s worth noting again because they continue to be a gift to the neighbourhood. Grandmother Erika grows a variety of vibrant flowers to create an abundance of bouquets for the sale, in every size, shape and colour. And when they’re not hosting flower fundraisers, they’re just really good people doing good things. I’ve been pleasantly surprised more than once to find a card or an arrangement of some kind at the door from this lovely family for no particular reason.

This got me thinking about something I ponder often as I approach another birthday this month.

Quality of life. It’s a term we see and hear about a lot. But what does it really mean? How do we define quality in our own lives?

When so much of what we hear about these days can leave us feeling helpless and — dare I say, hopeless — I’ve come to realize in my older years that there’s always something we can do not only to improve our own quality of life, but to do the same for others.

Wolseley as a neighbourhood I think exemplifies that ability in many ways. Community events, free giveaways, boulevard flower gardens, neighbours helping neighbours. There’s a lot of that in this community.

We have friends in the area who for many years have helped organize weekly dinners for everyone on their street. We know of at least a few people who have hosted everything from community dinners and death cafés to clothing swaps and outdoor concerts at their homes. There are a couple of online community groups for the neighbourhood, with people sharing news, asking for and receiving advice, and gifting everything from houseplants to books, clothes, furnishings and food.

The community spirit is alive and well in Wolseley. If I didn’t know any better I’d think it was a small town. One of the aspects I always appreciated about living in a rural area was just that. Knowing that, should you need help for any reason, there’s a good chance that a neighbour would be there to give it to you. I spent the first 14 years of my life in a little southern Manitoba village and there was always a strong sense that no matter what happened, there’d be people around if you needed them. That alone was a huge comfort.

Social well-being is a big part of quality of life, even for introverts who often prefer alone time. Connections with others is crucial to mental health. Quality of life will include different elements for each person defining it, of course. And it’s not just what’s in our bank accounts that matters.

Healthy, happy relationships with family, friends, neighbours, communities and animals play a huge role in ensuring we have good days. That feeling of belonging, that we have a reason for being, a purpose — that stuff is more valuable than pure gold.

As I approach my 62nd birthday, I’ve been making a concerted effort to stop procrastinating and take the time to send that long overdue text, try that new recipe or restaurant, or finally invite that friend over for dinner. I’ve noticed that the more I live intentionally, the happier my days seem to be. Over the summer, I’ve cooked for numerous friends and enjoyed many hours of inspiring conversation and laughter around the dining room table — and the many flowers on and around it. That for me is quality of life. Those little things can add up to a whole lot.

Happy September. May your days be full of whatever quality of life means to you.