September Randomness

But first, a house recovery moment.  My house recovery “mental load list” started with 40 items. Then I added 18 more items over the next few months. Only 20 things have been check-marked done. I know I can celebrate that, but there is still so much to manage through.  Some of the mental load items … Continue reading September Randomness

August Joys

I had to go back and look up what my WOTY (word of the year) was (link here) which might have meant I wasn’t really focusing on it.  But my WOTY was “Intentional” and I had noted that I wanted to be intentional in being less reactive, to be intentional on setting boundaries, to be … Continue reading August Joys

Do You Assume the Best or the Worst?

I am a bit addicted to Facebook (even though I am told it’s for old-fogies now). But I follow a number of inspirational sites and often they provide me with a wonderful phrase for the day, or a question that stirs my contemplation. One that came up recently was, “Do you assume the best or the … Continue reading Do You Assume the Best or the Worst?

Do My Routines Reflect My Vision?

My retirement lifestyle vision statement was revised a number of times in my early retirement years but has been consistent now for quite a while.  It is based on my core values and remains: Active Body, Connected Heart, Contemplative Mind, Creative Spirit In my journal this week I asked myself, “Do my routines currently hit … Continue reading Do My Routines Reflect My Vision?

Pulling Myself Up… Authentically?

When I was thinking that the “light at the end of the tunnel” keeps getting smaller, I recalled someone recommended to look how far we have come versus how far we still have to go. Unfortunately, when I look back, I only see how long the journey has been and how many slowdowns we have had. … Continue reading Pulling Myself Up… Authentically?

Climbing Out?

I spent this week trying to climb out of the negative doldrums I’ve been in. It’s not even the dog days of late summer with its lethargy and apathy. Astrologically, the Summer Solstice (today) is the first day of summer. Meteorologically in Florida, it’s been summer for quite a while, with one heat index this … Continue reading Climbing Out?

Mentally Tired

The words showing up repeatedly in my morning journal these past few weeks were: scattered, frustrated, tired. I’m feeling mentally tired. I talked about mental load in a recent blog (link here - energy flow) and it really is weighing me down. I looked at the list of items I’m juggling on the house build, … Continue reading Mentally Tired

Energy Flow this Week

As I continue to focus on resilience and emotional regulation, I keep reading things about energy flow.  Not just the idea of where “your attention goes, so your energy flows”.  I am also trying to pay attention to what increases my energy and what deletes it.  I’ve been watching my energy flow more carefully this … Continue reading Energy Flow this Week

Looking Forward with a 2026 WOTY

2025 was not a gentle year. It was a year where grief and hope shared space. A year of chaos and overwhelm and striving. It was a year that asked for endurance and persistence. I held it together, most days. I persisted - I kept going, did the re-dos, made the pestering calls, checked off … Continue reading Looking Forward with a 2026 WOTY

Gratitude ala Taking stock

In the US we just celebrated Thanksgiving, a traditional day to give thanks. I wanted to do something a bit different than “thanks to my friends and family” (which I do give thanks for). The “taking stock” blog approach uses a one word or one letter prompt approach for creating a blog post.  You are … Continue reading Gratitude ala Taking stock