Fall is Finally Here

It still surprises me to be able to be wearing shorts and t-shirts in early to mid November. It doesn’t quite feel like the autumn days I recall in my years of living in the lower mid-west.  But, fall has finally arrived with overnight lows hovering at 65F and days still approaching 80F. This time … Continue reading Fall is Finally Here

A Retirement Hobby

When I retired, I didn't think I had any hobbies or many outside of work interests. Being a workaholic had me working too many hours and then off-work hours, still being in the mental space of work with work-based reading or thinking about projects. But I’ve recently come to the awareness that I was an amateur gardener … Continue reading A Retirement Hobby

Retirement A to Z

I love lists.  I’ve been contemplating crafting another book that lists things (in words) that impacted my retirement journey.  I recently saw a number of A to Z taking stock posts, which is a form of listing. I’ve used an A to Z list approach before. It gives structure; I love structure. So, why not … Continue reading Retirement A to Z

Morning Journal

Today I realized I was one page away from finishing my current morning-pages journal.  I started doing a variation on Julia Cameron’s Morning Pages early in my retirement journey after I read her book, The Artist Within. It was my first indication of my love of writing, which led me to writing a blog and … Continue reading Morning Journal

Finding a Way Out of a Negative Spiral

So often in the blogging world I see posts that communicate everything is rosy.  Or at least that they are fighting the good fight, seeing the silver lining, putting on a brave face, faking it till they make it.  So when I spiral into another round of Compare & Despair, I feel less than!  How … Continue reading Finding a Way Out of a Negative Spiral

An Eventful August

My Retirement Lifestyle Vision Statement has 4 elements; it has been a consistent vision now for a few years. Active Body, Connected Heart, Creative Spirit, Contemplative Mind. Recently, with my dabbling into tarot, I’ve expanded my thinking on each of the elements. Tarot has 4 suits, linked to the 4 elements, and surprisingly similar to … Continue reading An Eventful August

Tourist in Own Town – Two Year Review

When we made the Big Move to Florida I started a “Tourist in my Own Town” Possibilities List.  This list came about for a few different reasons. I realized as we were leaving Cincinnati that there were a number of things locally I had always said I would do “someday” and never did. I didn’t … Continue reading Tourist in Own Town – Two Year Review

Being On-Trend this Summer!

I was very excited to read that a whimsical garden is “going to be huge in 2023”!   I would definitely classify my gardens as whimsical! What is a whimsical garden?   The articles refer to it as an English cottage garden’s edgier, more eclectic cousin. It is characterized by unique shapes, lots of texture, pops of … Continue reading Being On-Trend this Summer!

Savoring Summer

While I have not picked a word of the year (WOTY) in a number of years, if I had to choose one right now, it would be SAVOR. This word captures a number of elements that pop up in articles about happiness, kindness, wellbeing, positivity, longevity, etc. To savor, you need to slow down and … Continue reading Savoring Summer

summer solstice

There’s a meme about how old you are when you realized things.  I just realized that the astrological summer season starts on the longest daylight hour day of the year, which means summer days are all about fading daylight hours. Before this I always equated summer with long daylight hours, when in fact spring has … Continue reading summer solstice