The two words that surface too often in my morning journal these days are overwhelmed and scattered. They are not feelings I am used to in retirement, where our lifestyle had settled into more routine (and fun) activities. Yes there were challenges in dealing with life transitions, but not the feeling of the overwhelm and … Continue reading Overwhelmed and Scattered
Winter is almost over here, although this week it’s still a bit chilly for Florida. Nothing like the Arctic Blast much of the USA is facing, but cool enough in the morning that makes the emergency heat kick in and us scrambling to find coats and gloves for a morning walk. I saw a fun … Continue reading Winter Taking Stock
I’m a thinker. Okay, I’m an over thinker. It’s the contemplative part of my retirement lifestyle vision statement. [And yes, even in the craziness that I’m living through right now, this retirement lifestyle vision statement still feels right. And it feels good to be re-engaging in it.] Active Body, Connected Heart, Creative Spirit, Contemplative Mind. … Continue reading More Thinking on Thinking
I’ve had a number of challenging days lately and needed to relook at how to the pull myself out of a downward spiral. To stop the negativity when something is still small, before it spins into a full-blown, Very-Bad-Day. I recognize that our nervous systems are wired to pay more attention to negative events than … Continue reading Increase Daily Glimmers
Retirement often does not go as originally planned. There can be surprise health issues with the mindset and lifestyle changes that result from that significant life impact. There are choices to make changes in your retirement plan when things don’t play out as you had hoped, like our Big Move to Florida when the snowbird … Continue reading Hurricane Recovery – Month Four
I’m continuing to love the Spirit of a Hippie FaceBook posts most mornings as they feel so relatable at the moment. A paraphrase of one last week: “Some days the churn in my gut or the constriction in my chest overwhelms. It might seem like I’m shutting others out, but I need time to just … Continue reading Embrace the Mess?
When I was working, I found it exciting to manage multiple projects simultaneously. I had juggling multiple balls down to an art. Those project management skills are needed again and unfortunately feel very, very rusty. In retirement, I had embraced less multi-tasking and a slower pace of getting things done. As part of our hurricane … Continue reading Relearning to Juggle
I love serendipity. Quotes have been popping up in my various feeds about starting a new chapter. In many ways, it feels right: Move on, it’s just a chapter in your life. Ok, one very bad chapter. It’s not the whole story. Virtually close the door on the last chapter; just turn the page for … Continue reading Mixing Metaphors – A New Chapter, A Reset
It’s been a few years since I choose a Word of the Year (WOTY) to focus my year. I’ve had success with this concept in the past. My first ever, and very successful, WOTY was JOY in 2016 (link here, I still use the morning coffee mug I bought that year – Find Joy in … Continue reading 2025 WOTY – Patience
It is hard to believe it is 3 months since the first hurricane hit our home. The emotional recovery (me) and the physical recovery (the house) are on very different tracks! On the emotional (grief/trauma) side of things, the initial shock has definitely eased and there is some return to normal. October saw every single … Continue reading Reflections on Recovery at Month 3
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