“No”-vember

I saw a term recently that resonated.  “No”-vember.  It encouraged “saying no” to the things that drain us. And a deliberate “yes” to the very best things—the things that fill us up and bring us joy. I had come to the realization that I am feeling overwhelmed partly because I took on too much as a … Continue reading “No”-vember

A Look Back at October

It seems like a retirement thing (an older person thing?), but I have noticed that the days seem to pass more quickly. It was a case of “where did October go?” especially as I look at our house recovery progression. If you are following along on that saga, all the pilings are in the ground!  … Continue reading A Look Back at October

The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

It’s been a week of ups and downs, a bit of a roller coaster ride of emotions. Let’s start with the good, the ups. After mostly failing at a do-nothing day (link here to blog post), I listened to some of the advice received (thank you!) and tried again. No, not a completely do-nothing day, … Continue reading The Good, The Bad, The Ugly

Replenishment Day Failure

It’s been a few weeks since my last post.  The forward momentum on the house (we finally got a build permit) grounded to a halt with immediate complications due to incompetency and vandalism. Things out of my control, but massively impactful on our (lack of) progress. And then there was the repeated requests for information … Continue reading Replenishment Day Failure

Acceptance – Feeling the Feelings

I was asked if I was excited about getting the house build permit. But it wasn’t a feeling of excitement. It was a feeling of relief. Finally, we could move forward. I’m not sure why I feel guilty for not feeling excitement. Is it because I’m not meeting the expectation that I should feel excitement? … Continue reading Acceptance – Feeling the Feelings

Accepting Reality

A few weeks ago, Sue over on Women Living Well After 50  (link here) said, “Acceptance isn't resignation”.  She was challenging us to explore where we needed to adjust our wellbeing routines, based on accepting the reality of our current situation.  It made me consider what I need to adjust in my life for the … Continue reading Accepting Reality

My Inner Fight Continues

As I look at the words in my morning journal the past few months, my emotional healing challenge is obvious: Shattered and scattered. Disheartened. Anxiously waiting. Slogging through the mud. Hard to get out of bed. I am learning to live in a world that spins on while mine feels like it has stopped. Other’s lives … Continue reading My Inner Fight Continues

The Ups & Downs of Emotional Recovery Continue

This week continued my emotional healing process. With no forward motion yet on the house recovery, the emotional healing is definitely feeling up and down. There’s been multiple times where my inner voice says, “Why bother?”  Why bother getting out of bed?  Why bother trying to plan something that won’t work out? Why bother trying … Continue reading The Ups & Downs of Emotional Recovery Continue

Stop the Broken Record

In the early days of my retirement, I read about the concept of morning pages in Julia Camerson’s The Artist Way.  In the way of many things in retirement, I “tried it on.”  It stuck.  I’ve been an avid morning journal writer ever since. My morning journal time has become almost necessary to my well-being … Continue reading Stop the Broken Record

Hurricane Recovery – Nine Month Mark

Time abundance was something I was enjoying about retirement.  Without a must-do job taking up both mind-space and physical time, there seemed to be time to do so many things – clubs, gardening, reading, exercising, planning things, fulfilling my retirement lifestyle vision. Recently though, it seems that time is speeding by, and nothing is getting … Continue reading Hurricane Recovery – Nine Month Mark