Time To Get On With It

I thank the Lord (almost) daily for being retired. Isn’t that why you seem to work yourself silly when you’re younger? I manage to find plenty to keep me busy, unlike Rick, who hasn’t retired yet. I think he’s not sure he could fill his days with enough “busy work.” Or maybe it’s because he knows I can do that for him! Ha ha!

So this new knee I got late last year is not working fast enough for me–literally and figuratively. I have been diligent with my physical therapy but it just seems to be taking longer than last time. But it’s probably just my impatience. I have never been a “sitter.” Ask anyone who knows me that I am always moving–which is a good thing. I think as you age you have to continue to be active, if that’s where you’re at. If you haven’t been especially active, then now is the time to start! Lucky for me I have friends to keep me motivated. I have this quote that stares me in the face each time I sit down at my computer:

Begin doing what you want to do now. We are not living in eternity. We have only this moment, sparkling like a star in our hand – and melting like a snowflake. Marie Beyon Ray

Because of the short time between our trip and my surgery, I didn’t even really get to post some beautiful pictures that I took on our trip to Sicily last October. If you’ve never been I highly recommend! It is a different world than mainland Italy. I think Sicilians fancy themselves a different country. We went with friends and an older couple that had never been out of the country. That made this adventure a little more challenging. But we all got through it (although apparently I need to work on my selfies-ha!). We started in Rome, flew to Palermo, then on to Trapani, Marsala and over to Taormina. We even got to see Mt. Etna. Rick says he would go back in a heartbeat–if for nothing else than the amazing fresh seafood! Also, don’t you love the door sign?

Grab the bull by the horns, as the saying goes. Well, it’s a saying in Texas, anyway! Don’t wait for life to find you. Make the life you want right now. Today. This weekend. All of it is up to you!

And while you’re at it, diffuse some essential oils in your home. I think Young Living are the best! No matter what your mood they can be motivating, uplifting and/or calming. Try lavender, cedarwood and orange. So refreshing!

Resilience is the Key

Hello 2023! What in the…? I can’t help but wonder where the last couple of years went. We were hijacked by Covid and left in the lurch. I have to admit that it was hard not to succumb to all the negativity. Even if you didn’t believe all of the hype you still probably got swallowed up by it. Is that you, too?

Last November I decided to get my other knee replaced. My husband, Rick, said, “Why not? You’ve met your deductible and it needs to happen.” Except that he’s never had this done! I bought into it. While I’m glad that it’s done (I have a LOT more living to do at 66 years young, let me tell you!) it’s not been all peaches and cream. Getting it done during the holidays was an extra challenge. My sweet physical therapists have mentioned that my knees are going to heal differently, but I’m ready to move this thing along.

You may have read some blogs that emphasize choosing a word to focus on for the year. I left my blog hanging a while back (forgive me, faithful readers) but, as it turns out, I’m going to stick with the one I chose then: RESILIENCE. According to Merriam-Webster, Resilience is an ability to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change. This is truly the best word to make me want to jump back into writing and blogging!

What is your “why”? While I love my two grown children, my “why” is my grandchildren. They are the reason I want to be healthy and why I look forward to every single day. YOU HAVE TO HAVE A WHY!

I already have a few things planned in this new year, one of which is finally sprinkling my mom’s ashes (she’ll be gone 5 years this year!) in the Caribbean (cruising was her favorite thing to do). Covid put a damper on that, but we finally got it rescheduled. I think it will be cathartic for all family members involved.

Figure out your why. It’s important. It doesn’t have to be a grand gesture. It just has to be something that motivates you to MOVE FORWARD. After what we’ve been through, there can’t be anything but good times ahead!

The Evolution of a Blog

Hello everyone! I took a little hiatus but I’m back at it!

My daughter Allison and I started this blog four years ago (say wutttt). We had just come back from a destination wedding in Florence, Italy (yes like WOW). She was still teaching elementary school and trying to corral two youngsters, while I was also teaching at a local community college. We worded our blog from two unique perspectives: teacher/wife/mother and teacher/grandmother/traveler. Allison has since moved on to other projects (she’s been able to retire from teaching and be a full-time mom while working on building a side business). I am now retired (mostly thanks to Covid) but still very active!

But I forget that EVERY year starts off cold and/or rainy and generally dreary. It often messes with your head, doesn’t it? It can’t be just me! So when my husband accidentally banged up my Mercedes convertible (fondly known as Maybelline) I guess I just went into a funk! Writing this blog was just not high on my To Do list. I just couldn’t make myself sit and write about, well, anything!

As we all know life goes on and you should choose how to live it! One thing I have neglected to do is choose my word. “The practice of choosing a “Word of the Year” is that, instead of setting a lot of different New Years Resolutions, you select one single word to be your focus for the year. You can use that word to set goals or intentions for each area of your life but have them all tie back to the single word.” So this year I choose EMBRACE. I am going to embrace my people (literally and figuratively, which means letting go of past differences), embrace opportunities and embrace challenges. I may be 65 years young but I was put here for a purpose, and if my purpose is to be a light then so be it!

So here we/I go! I’m done fretting about things I have no control over and will keep looking forward and embrace. My grandkids are at an age of getting involved in activities, so I see a lot of baseball games and gymnastics in my future! This weekend we are going to Caddo Lake in east Texas. Did you know that it is the only naturally made lake in Texas? After this weekend I will be able to tell you a lot more about it–and with visual aids! Ha ha!

Thank you faithful readers and I hope I haven’t lost too many of you. I’ll be back each week on Wednesdays to share my adventures with you, as well as keep you informed of my exercising and weight loss success. Not too sure about that, because I sure do like my wine! Ha ha ha.

As for Essential Oils (Young Living being my chosen brand), my first recommendation this year is purification.

Purification® essential oil blend is a combination of Citronella, Lavandin, Lemongrass, Myrtle, Rosemary, and Tea Tree that is formulated for diffusing to neutralize and cleanse your home and work environment. It is also soothing to your skin for everyday irritations.

See you next week!