Telling My Story

We have turned the calendar page to a new year, and I am back to share more of my life story.  January 1st is such an arbitrary date for new beginning,  I've always thought the Winter Solstice would make more sense, then the longest night would mark the end and the beginning of days growing longer.  Never the less, the new year marks a time of recommitting ourselves to life and personal growth, and to doing more of the things that make us happy.  Blogging makes me happy, why have I let myself be drawn away from it by the lure of social media and all of life's other distractions?

 I looked back at some of the posts I did on another blog several years ago and they were pretty good.  I think for the past year or more work became so all-consuming and I was so exhausted from it all the time, that my brain was incapable of true reflection, perhaps the inner struggle was just too much to contemplate or share. I put my heart and soul into that job, giving 110%, but the office was closed in late summer and I found myself unemployed.  Attempting to find another job when you are over the age of 60 is no joke, it is defeating and eats away at self-esteem.  We decided that I would take early retirement and see if we could make ends meet with me staying home.

I truly love being at home.  All the stress is gone, other than the obvious worries about making ends meet.  I love the quiet, the waking up each morning to start my day calmly instead of on the run. The furkids love that too.  I definitely don't miss the ever-ringing office phone lines, the pressure of deadlines, or the irresponsible young people who think I am much to focused on doing things the right way, i.e. with integrity.  My husband loves having a meal ready and waiting for him when he gets home each night, the house more organized, laundry caught up, and a wife who isn't on the edge.  I wanted to be done with the daily grind, God knew that, and then it happened, not in a way I would have planned, but so far it's working out.  Only time will tell if we will be able to continue, or if I will need to take on something part-time.  I wish there was something I could do from home.

At any rate, being home frees me up to do more of what I love, which is reading, reflecting, writing, and connecting with others online.  As long as the Internet exists I have plenty of good company at my fingertips... and I don't even have to bother with getting dressed unless I am heading into town on errands!

Although there are many unknowns for this new year, both personally and in our world, I live by the "one day at a time" philosophy and when it comes to things beyond my control I strive to "Let go, and let God."  That isn't always easy, but it certainly is the path to inner peace.

I have hopes this will be a good year.  Perhaps that is overly optimistic, but that's okay with me.  I have learned that most things have a way of working out over time, and everything is possible if we believe.  No matter how much ugliness and division our news media strives to promote, it is still a beautiful world, and there are still good people everywhere.

And so we begin again... always begin again!