Aha’s and discoveries along the transition journey
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
December has always been a time for me to look back at the year to see what I’ve accomplished, what I’ve learned, where I’ve grown. And then to look ahead to the next year with what I want to accomplish, what I want to learn, where I’d like to grow. In past years I looked … Continue reading End of Year Thinking
To misquote Shakespeare, what exactly do I name this thing I’m dealing with - this aftermath of my life-quake.. Is it grief and mourning for a major loss? Is it natural disaster trauma and acute PTSD? Is it just another major life transition? Is it all of the above? As I looked further into loss … Continue reading What’s in a Name? Is it Grief? Is it Trauma?
I believe the Universe sends messages, if you’re open to hearing them. For me, being a lover of words, they tend to come in things I read. In Facebook posts, in blogger’s words, in essays I read, or in things I research (like my recent exploration of living with uncertainty – blog post link here). … Continue reading Conflicting Messages
I crave security. It’s one of my core values. I want to feel safe and have a sense of control over my life. It plays out in plans, to-do lists, accomplishment lists, creating routines, and staying within my comfort zone a lot. Even my career forte was strategic planning. But as I’ve learned once again, … Continue reading Living with Uncertainty
Self-acceptance is an area I am working on this year (link to blog on WOTY). As part of working on self-acceptance, I am very aware of my tendency to rely on external validation. It’s also part of my perfectionism tendency. It shows up in me avoiding conflict and disagreements, often being overly accommodating, and spiraling … Continue reading A Deep Dive Into External Validation
Most folks probably won’t care about my summer research project. But I’m kind of proud of it. Some elements I’ve learned about my true self is I love to learn about new things, l can get lost for hours delving into research on a topic, and I adore synthesizing that research into “so what”. I … Continue reading My 2024 Summer Research Project – Plants!
One of the continuing challenges for me in retirement has been creating and maintaining connections/friendships. I’ve stated before that when I left full-time working, I lost 80% of my daily connections. While these were not necessarily all close friendships, they were connections that provided me with support, validation, advice, a sounding board, and inspiration. Intentional … Continue reading Additional Thoughts on Friendship
Recently, a newly retired acquaintance commented how she feels bad that she doesn’t want to travel in retirement as that’s what seems to be expected. Unfortunately, the expectations for retirement remain the same for a newly retired professional – consult, travel, high-level volunteer (meaning be on a board of directors), and/or spend time with grandkids. … Continue reading The Things I Thought I Would Do
I scroll Facebook a couple of times a day. (Please don’t judge me!) I enjoy catching up with my friend’s activities & travels, seeing notifications for upcoming events, learning about local places, and reading the positive memes and stories. I often will link onto an article for deeper reading. I’ve started jotting down some of … Continue reading Quotes for Personal Development
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