Spring Bucket List Update – Am I Soaring?

~ patwdoyle11

Participating in the blog-link-up on Seasonal Bucket list has not made spring arrive any sooner this year. In fact, winter is hanging on longer than I can ever remember. However, it is time to consider – has the extended winter kept me from activating my Spring Bucket list?

My Spring Theme had 10 New Things to help me SOAR in three areas:

  • Healthy Living
    • Expand healthy cooking – I tried the Hello Fresh eating program for three weeks. While it was not very exciting food-wise (and quite expensive) it did motivate me to cook! I’ve cancelled that program and order a few weeks of Blue Apron, which I’ve been told is more “exotic” foods. I am enjoying the time in the kitchen.
    • The 21-day meditation podcast sponsored by Oprah is complete. It was interesting (and will probably be a blog topic) but I’m not sure I’ve been converted to daily meditation. I did the April New Moon Ritual, and I bought Tarot cards and a guidebook so more to explore here.
    • I re-started regular weekly yoga class and even did a new community yoga class with a friend.
  • Out & About
    • Getting up to 5 activities per week has been a challenge with the continued cold rain of winter.   But, I’ve done a few walk & talks, one at the Cincinnati Zoo Blooms (the tulips were trying!). With weekly Zumba and some other walks to meet friends for dinner, this item has been almost met. I did purchase a FitBit (on sale!) and have programed it for 5 activities per week so I’ll have a true measure for the coming weeks.
    • I had a lot of offers to help with my “try 5 new restaurants” item.   Hubby thinks that the hotdog & soda at Costco counts because we had never done that before.   However, I can say that there were 3 real new restaurants tried with thanks to some adventurous foodie friends.
    • Explore Road Scholar and Birding Meet-ups – this one has no momentum. I will have to think on why!
    • Our next Florida trip is planned but I have not restarted travel planning (Iceland is still lead candidate).
  • Home Organization
    • The office set up (a winter item carryover) still has a way to go although I did a huge paper file purge! Yeah for a spring-cleaning mindset.
    • Even though nothing has been planted, we did create mulch beds in our new garden. As soon as Mother Nature allows spring to truly be here I’m heading to buy plants.
    • I did sit outside on porch and watch the world go by on the one day it broke 70.

I am feeling extremely pleased with my progress. Maybe I was not as challenging to myself as I thought.  But I am feeling like I am SOARing!

Picture Credit: Pixabay

Published by patwdoyle11

Life is a series of transitions and my blog captures my retirement transition journey.

30 thoughts on “Spring Bucket List Update – Am I Soaring?”

  2. Pingback: Continue to SOAR | retirementtransition

    1. Thanks Teresa. And apparently the little pretzel store downtown counts too! (and pretzels were just OK; was treat before the theater) I’m still holding out for a decent dinner out restaurant though.

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    1. Welcome Madeline. For years I worked, just worked… so figuring out how to live is new to me. It took completely leaving work to figure out life. And it’s a work in progress for sure!

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  6. Good on you for doing so many things. It’s all about ABC – Act Belong Commit – isn’t it. I’m so bad at it, and I start things full of good intentions never to return. Maybe I’m scatterbrained or deficient in some brain cell which gives staying power! I do enjoy Yoga, then after missing it for some legit reason, forget to go when it’s next on. And so on …! I hope you continue to SOAR 🙂 x

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    1. Thanks Jo. For me it was finding accountability. I find buying a class pass is good accountability for me – I hate to waste money! And then getting to know the folks in class has helped, too. They are all like “see you next time” so I get a feeling of belonging. But I’ve tried things and dropped them too… I talked about this year was my year of turning intention into action! That’s the A in Soar – Action!

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  7. Hi Pat, I was sure I had commented previously on your bucket list but I can’t see my comment. Anyway, firstly thank you for sharing with us at #MLSTL it is always a pleasure having you join us. I also love the idea of trying new restaurants and I’m actually signed up for Mindful in May so I will let you know how that goes. Have a great week!

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    1. Thanks Sue. I am enjoying the #MLSTL; I have found a number of folks I am now following.

      Curious to hear more about what Mindful In May is about…. hopefully not another 26 posts! I am actually looking forward to the end of April… it’s been fun to read everyone’s posts, but also hard to keep up with it all!

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  8. So glad you are joining us for this series. Your ideas and activities are inspiring. Yay for enjoying time in the kitchen. I like to cook and my Prince Charming is easy to cook for, but there are days when I just feel unmotivated. I have been eyeing the food kits available through Walmart. Would like to try a box and then blog about it. If you’d be interested in doing that, too, let me know. We could tag me about our experience.

    I have never tried a podcast. I think I am probably to easily distractable to listen very successfully. I have enjoyed using Calm.com for its free meditation offerings. Finally bit the bullet this week and purchased the annual membership. It has been very enjoyable for me.

    Yay for trying new restaurants, too. You just went great guns on your spring activities. Can’t wait to read next month’s update!

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    1. I just cooked the first Blue Apron meal over the weekend…more interesting flavor-wise than the Hello Fresh ones. I’m still not sure about the whole thing as it is expensive. It’s not helping with portion sizing either – we’ve ended up with leftovers multiple times. Which you would say helps with the expensive component…unless you’re struggling to find a night to eat the leftovers. I’ve got that new restaurant goal, too! And hubby still likes to cook a couple of nights a week… I’m running out of nights! Someone else told me that the local places (Walmart & Krogers) are getting into them as well. I’ll have to check that out as … price points, food options. It might be easier than the club where if you don’t cancel the delivery, you get it. Reminds me of the old music clubs from years ago…I ended up with a number of CDs I never wanted!

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    1. Welcome! I’m still discovering blogs of folks who are in a similar place in life as I am… early retired, no big plan in place, figuring out what’s next. I love the “tribe” I’ve found on-line – inspiring and supportive.

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    1. I surprised myself with how much I have accomplished in the past month. Definitely feeling spring energy, even if spring is not yet here outside. Today is predicted to be in the mid 60’s finally!

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  14. You’re making me exhausted! Good for you on having so many different interests. I’ve never been able to really “multi-task” like that, so I do one thing for years on end until I’m utterly bored by it. Then I go to another. This makes for probably four things I’ve ever done. 🙂 – Marty

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    1. I think I’m focusing on so many things because no individual one is really a passion. I can’t imagine doing any one of them multiple times a week. Maybe I just have a limited attention span! And I certainly will never be an expert at any one of them. Oh well, live on.

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  15. True spring arrived here today, Pat. I hope it’s the same for you.
    I think you’ve made marvellous progress and that you are indeed SOARing in all of your categories. I don’t know about you, but I feel as if it’s just now time to come out of hibernation. I happen to have a flu bug right now so am feeling lethargic and fuzzy, but I’m convinced that when the bug is gone, there’s going to be such a burst of energy for spring and work outdoors and healthy cooking and tarot cards….

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    1. So sorry to her you’ve got a bug, Hubby had one last month and was miserable for days. I hope you’re over it soon. Spring is definitely bringing me a surge of energy and I like it!

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  16. Excellent progress! Funny that your husband wanted to include the Costco food court as a “new” restaurant! We usually stop by there on our way in because my husband considers their Polish dogs a culinary treat. We’ve tried Blue Apron and liked it. It was expensive but the menus were unique and pretty good. We stopped it for various reasons, but have considered trying it again. It sounds like spring is finally coming to your area of the country!

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    1. So my 10 new things in spring is turning into 52 new things for the year. I guess Polish dogs at Costco will be in the possibility list… since it’s a culinary treat! 🙂 I did the first Blue Apron dish the other night and it was unique. It is definitely getting me into the kitchen and cooking again… which was the intent. And it is high in mid 60s today… finally! YEAH!

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