New Possibilities

I mentioned a new site I’ve been exploring – A Conscious Rethink.  A couple of articles here made me realize it was time for a new Possibilities List!  [Link here and here] Both articles are worth the read if you’re in the early stage of retirement.

I first explored the idea of a Possibilities List way back in the beginning of my retirement transition. [Link here – Sept 2015.] The Possibilities List was more than just a honey-do retirement task list and more than a “100 things to do before I die” bucket list. Although those things were on it as well, the Possibilities List also had elements of “who do I want to be” and skills/talents I wanted to develop. At that time, I created a list that had over 300 possibilities on it.

Later on [Sep 2022 – link here] I reconsidered my Seasonal To-Do List, a planning tool I was using at that time, as a Possibilities List which helped them feel less like failures when I had not checked off every to-do.  I also did a review of my original Retirement Possibility List noting that over time I did cross off the list ideas that were really not in line with my interests, my retirement life vision as it coalesced, or were just no longer possibilities as life simply shifted. But I also was amazed at how many of the 300 possibilities I had tried/done!

I had not crafted a new Possibility List in a long time and so it was time to do a new one, especially as I feel we are about to enter a new stage (post build). The new list has (only) about 70 items on it.  At first, I thought “not enough”.  But then I realized that many of the possibilities from my earlier list have become regular activities, fitting into my daily/weekly/monthly routines, and aligned to my retirement lifestyle vision. I had explored these to “set my retirement for happiness later” as the article suggests. Also, my desire to travel has been suppressed (many factors), so the “list of places to visit” has shrunk significantly.

I am using this new list to craft seasonal plans again as I’m feeling the need to plan a bit more, focusing first on all the house recovery items that will be needed in the next few months. Here’s a few things on my new Life Possibilities List that are on my Spring Possibilities:

• Daily gratitude journaling (mental health boost)
• Restart artist dates – a concept from The Artist Within
• Create a vision board (all my previous vision board were lost in the flood)
• Use the diffuser I bought (it’s been in the box for a few months)
• American Stage in the Park show with a new couple we’ve met (new possible friends as folks have moved away popst flood)
• Beach picnic dinner or farm to table dinner at local urban farm
• Garden layout plan (plus consults)

Do you use Possibilities Lists?  Seasonal To-do Lists?

Picture Credit: Fun table-scape from a fundraising event this week

P.S.  Yes, you might have noticed I’ve been a bit absent on the blog.  Things have been a bit chaotic – most in a good way.  In just the last month:

• Picked out granite, kitchen and bathrooms tile, faucets, bath tub, sinks, fans, kitchen hood, outdoor lighting fixtures, and some paint colors.  Yes, we are at this stage of the build!
• Visited (way too) many furniture stores and found out what is the long lead time furniture. We are set on dining table & chairs and living room couches & chair.  And 90% sure on media console for living room and sleeper sofa for the guest room. We are still not in love with anything we’ve seen for bedroom suite, china cabinet, nor office desk.
• Explored with builder our options on outdoor deck and stair railings (and nearly fainted at costs) and outdoor hardscaping (no costs yet). These are not included in the contract but he’s helping coordinate.
• Finished design of baths; both baths required modifications as when they ran plumbing, floor joists were in the way for every drain! Still working final design of kitchen, but made a number of decisions (hood design, microwave location, island size).
• Worked through build issues – HVAC made necessary modification on location of air handler which required shift on interior walls, 3 window styles in our design are no longer being manufactured, interior flooring we wanted is no longer available, roofing costs skyrocketed with global supply fiasco.  It’s scary how much can change in 5 months.
• Had family visit – which was a delightful but also an exhausting 4 days.  (We’re just not used to that much kid activity!)
• Hubby spent 3 days in hospital with kidney stones.  There is another procedure still coming and he’s still uncomfortable, but he will be fine.
• Club activities, because they don’t stop even when life gets crazy.  I helped run the town’s Eater Egg Hunt (over 300 people and 4000 eggs) and one of my garden club’s Plant & Bake sale fundraiser.  And it’s member renewal season for my other garden club, and I’m Membership Chair.

Jugging all that felt even crazier that it looks on paper! Hopefully I’ll have better pictures of house soon – all I have now are pictures of air ducts, electric wires, and rough-in plumbing – very boring!

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