Family Travel Life
What is truly the important stuff in our lives?
Family
Friends
Health
Independence
Laughter
Love
Adventure
Learning
What would you add to this list?
And if you took an audit of your time and money, would how you spent both reflect your list?
Something to think about over the weekend.
Will how you spend your time, energy, and money this weekend reflect your important stuff?
If not, maybe it is time to consider what you really value.
Note to self –
It has been an emotional week. Take some time for yourself this weekend.
The tears may come this weekend; let them come. The laughs may come too. Don’t judge yourself for laughing while mourning.
Your kids are all home for another day; they are also mourning. It’s hard to see your kids when they are hurting.
Give hugs and let others hug you.
Be grateful for the life you have been given. For the family you have and the friends you have made.
Time and health are not guaranteed. Don’t waste the blessing of either.
Spend some time outside. Nature has a way of healing the soul and reigniting your purpose.
Take care of yourself this weekend.
Laugh. Love. Hug. Cry. And move with intention as you continue on your journey of life.
It is the everyday decisions that create our lives.
The decision to run in the morning or to hit the snooze button.
The choice to connect with your parents, children, or friends through a call instead of posting on social media.
The decision to eat an apple instead of a donut.
The decision to attend your child’s sporting event instead of continuing to work on a project.
Each choice you make each day makes you a better or worse version of yourself.
The results of your everyday decisions may take years to be seen. But the effects of your choices will show up through improved physical, mental and spiritual health. Or declining health, relationships, and life.
Which one choice today are you willing to make for a better future version of yourself?
Note to self –
Show up for yourself this weekend.
Do the thing which is weighing on your soul. It won’t take that much time.
Go for a run. Not because you signed up for a race. Run for you. Because you know deep down in your soul just how much better you will feel when you do it.
Dust off your camera and take photos. When you see the world focused through a lens releases something in you. Just point and shoot. No need to worry about sharing them. The photos are for you.
And eat some real food sitting at a table with someone you love.
Nothing complicated this weekend. Simple. Joyful. Loving.
Celebrity Loss List
It is the time of year when the media outlets start showcasing the celebrities we lost this year. The actors whose performances riveted us in our seats. The musicians whose music we grew up singing to in the car. The authors whose books made us think in different ways.
But this year was a year many of us experienced personal losses; family, friends, coworkers, and our fur babies. Lives which ended before we rang in 2022.
I would love to take a moment to talk about a few of my losses. Losses I haven’t yet processed. Which don’t seem real yet, because I haven’t yet experienced the events they should be at, but won’t. Continue reading “Celebrity Loss List”
What a difference a year makes!
This weekend I was the last person up to the cottage for the July 4th weekend. Pulling up to the driveway I discovered, there were already six cars parked there, along the road, and at the neighbor’s house.
Walking into the cottage, I could see the boat and sea doo were gone. The family was already at the sand bar enjoying a beautiful Saturday.
The cottage floors were strewn with shoes and towels. The kitchen was filled with dishes. I had no idea where the three cats were. There were suitcases and duffles all over the place.
Generally, things which would make me mad, but made me smile! What a difference a year makes!
I took a walk down the street and noticed mine was not the only house overflowing with cars and campers. It was the rare driveway that was empty. People were ready to enjoy the long weekend.
And the homeowners were entertaining again!
Yesterday, back to the sandbar! The best way to enjoy a sunny 90-degree day. I have to say, in our 20 years of living here, I have never seen so many people there.
What’s more, the people were smiling. And I could see their smiling faces! There were volleyball games, tons of people floating on rafts, and I may have spotted a beer pong game or too.
This morning I went back out for a walk. The driveways are slowly emptying out. My driveway is down to four cars.
Friends have headed back home, and two of my kids have headed back to their lives.
There is a bit of me that is sad. Which is a normal feeling when the house empties out.
But honestly, I am so blessed I have a place they want to spend their time off. I am grateful they chose to spend their time with me. I have great kids, and they have great friends. This weekend has reminded me of just how blessed I am.
Of course, this does not mean I won’t shed a tear or two while I track my kids back to their new homes. It just means I know just how lucky I am to have spent some part of their long weekend with them.
And that is the difference between this year and last year. Last year I was heartbroken to see my son head off to boot camp. Like ugly cry sad. This year I know how blessed I am when I get to see him. (I may still shed a tear though.)
May you also see the blessings in your lives, even when they make you sad.
There is something invigorating about creating space. The calendar’s flip to a new year creates all sorts of space or the illusion of it. Pulling down the Christmas decorations creates new space in our homes.
This new space fills our soul with a sense of optimism. Or maybe a need to refill the space with something new.
I find I am more creative when the slate is clean. My desk is cleared off—the areas within my eye-sight with nothing out of order.
Maybe this is why I hadn’t been creating recently. My outer and inner spaces were filled with stuff. Continue reading “Creating Space”
I have started my annual review, and I just have to say, I failed 2020. Yup, no bullshitting here, I just didn’t do very well this year, and if I am honest and needed to give myself a grade, I would be hard-pressed to say I earned anything other than an F.
I simply did not rise to the challenges this year gave me. In fact, I crumbled under a few of them. I think this grade was fairly earned. Continue reading “I Failed 2020”
This year was a first for us, a drive-by Christmas celebration. Since I met my husband in 1985, we have spent all but two Christmas Eves at his parents’ home. And those two times, we had chosen to spend the holidays in Florida with just the six of us together.
Last night was the first time in 35 years; we have not spent the evening eating, laughing, sharing, and spending the evening with his family. Continue reading “A Drive-by Christmas”
Happy Thanksgiving, 2020 style!
With deep gratitude –
I don’t think anyone thought we would be where we are today. So much has changed and happened in the past year. I think it is safe to say most everyone would like a rewind button, except for maybe the owners of Zoom.
With that in mind, there is still so much to be thankful for: Continue reading “Happy Thanksgiving, 2020 Style!”