Change...the Inevitable Condition

The slower days used to feel really good when the bulk of my days were filled with hurry up and wait. The slow days of fall & winter, then, was like a warm blanket wrapped snuggly around the body, so as to keep any cold from reaching too deeply. Now, those snuggly days have a tendency to get a bit long. Oh, I still welcome this season. Very much so! However, not quite as much as when I truly needed them, being the high-strung individual that I was. There was always something to do. Something that needed done. Something I loved doing, for the most part.

During those career days, there was nothing quite as calming as a cup of hot chocolate on a cold winter's eve. Especially when I couldn't seem to sleep, eyes refusing to close as the mind reviewed the days/ weeks happenings, and slumber attached itself to others. Just not you. It's the one constant that helped this gals eyes to become heavy as sleep beckon this tired old body.

Now, my days seem to run into each other, causing me to question if it's Tuesday, or Wednesday. "Wait! Wasn't yesterday Wednesday?" I can't remember a time when this was a problem during the busiest era of life. In those days, knowledge of the upcoming day was pretty important. When life is filled with a to-do list, the brain trains itself to remember which day it is because the previous day had so many moving parts. When those parts cease to exist, the brain can get a bit lazy, a bit foggy, if allowed.

This certainly doesn't mean there aren't things to do in the winter of ones life. It simply means one begins to not care if those things get done at any specific time. The need to get things accomplished goes out the window, because no one is really counting on you to get them done. Except for the mundane necessities of life, of course. No money exchange is involved, so why press yourself? Or stress yourself? Press/stress...kinda the same thing.

Here's the rub: If we allow ourselves to get in this mind-frame...and stay there, it won't be long before the whole body begins to follow suit and shut down. The signals coming from the brain are followed by feelings of unimportance (nothing needed from the body). Of being invisible (nothing needed from the brain). Feelings of no longer being needed (nothing needed from anyone). Of simply being a tag on someones back that needs removed. And...If entertained for too long, I do think it possible for one to simply give up on living. To me, that's a deal breaker. Hopefully, it is to you, as well!

This is not meant to be a depressing entry. It is meant to be a wake-up call. A precautionary tale of sorts. If for no-one other than myself (thank you, former self).

Upon closing my business, I penciled in my day planner an entry 6 months out, that reads "Today is 6 months after closing Elements Salon. What am I doing with my life?" That was the journal entry of November 24th...just this past Monday. I'm so glad I felt the need to do that back then. Planning futuristically can be a good thing, especially when you know yourself and the tendencies that tap on your shoulder from time-to-time. Like falling into self-pity. Or finding your way through an unfamiliar forest. In the dark.

Why is being still so hard? Admittedly, it feels great not having so many demands to meet, yet the psychological impact is not to be taken lightly. It's not for the faint of heart, to be sure! Bringing ones mind into subjection is like playing a game of chess. I have no idea how to play chess. It just sounds very difficult.

However, today is a new day. The battles of the mind may pop up from time to time, but will be conquered as they appear. I will insist on this. I simply have too much to live for. To be grateful for. To reach for. Maybe that will look different than it has these past decades, but none-the-less important.

Still grateful for life's opportunities (and hot cocoa), here you will find me...in Mary's World.

My View from Here

I know. I know! We just started Fall, why am I jumping into Winter this early?! Well...I recently ran across a writing that beckoned me because of the "season" of life I find myself to be in. It had no author that I could find, but it isn't mine. I add my 2 cents worth at the end. Of course I do... 

They call it the winter of life...the years when hair turns silver, bones ache a little more, and the world feels quieter. For many, it sounds like an ending. But those who are living it know the truth: winter has its own beauty.

In youth, life is spring...full of beginnings. In adulthood, summer...busy, warm, overflowing with noise and responsibilities. Autumn arrives with reflection, slowing down, watching children grown and dreams settle into place.

And then comes winter. 

At first, it feels cold. Empty nest. Quiet house. Loved ones gone. The snow seems heavy.

But look closer. Winter is also when the world glitters brightest under the morning sun. It's the season of warm fires, of hands wrapped around tea cups, of conversations that finally have time to breathe. Winter is when you realize that happiness isn't rushing anymore...it's in remembering, in cherishing, in stillness.

One grandmother put it best: 

"I used to think getting older was losing pieces of myself. Now I see it's gaining a clearer view. I don't need everything I once thought I did. I just need love, peace, and the people who choose to stay."

The winter of life teaches us this: every wrinkle is a story, every scar a survival, every laugh line a proof that joy was real.

So, if you're blessed enough to reach this season...wear it proudly. Wrap yourself in gratitude. Share your wisdom with the young. And remind the world that winter isn't the end.

It's the soft glow before the dawn.

Final Thought: Don't fear winter. Embrace it. Because the quietest season can hold the loudest love. ❤️

My View from Here...

I do love this time of my life. The last season of life...the next chapter, as I know it. A birthing is about to take place. A new life is about to begin. In more ways than one.

I would say, for me, at least, the transition from the world of business to the world of retirement has been a journey in and of itself. It took me a bit, but I think I have finally arrived. With only 4 months in my rear view mirror, I have become accustom to this way of living. It feels good most days.

I couldn't tell you any differences I felt when I entered the "winter" of my life because I was still working my small business until the ripe old age of 78 years. Energy was abundant because of what my hands were finding to do, I loved. During the sometimes long hours of any given day, I rarely became hungry. Nor did I tire. Not until my tush found its groove in the drivers seat of my car at the end of the day, did my body even realize it needed nourishment and rest. Those were good, fulfilled days. Mostly...

But now? Now I find myself realizing I really AM in the winter of life. It stares me in the face every day. I no longer feel the need for beautifying my looks since I have no clear agenda other than putting one foot in front of the other and making stabs at reorganizing my life as I become more knowledgeable with how creation works. My hands are in dirt (a lot), as I now am helping the plant world (instead of the human world) be beautiful. Still full of challenges, just no feed-back, other than what the outcome tells me. It's pretty much a silent world. It's as if I have stepped into someone else's life. 

From the age of 7 years, I have worked. Rising at 4 AM and not laying down until the days work could be called done. During the "responsible for others" era, that time was quite late. So, now...well, it's just weird. But fulfilling...most days. I've still a lot to learn.

I do love this time of life, though. It's so much easier to see the absolute miracles of life. And, it's not that I've lived without feeling the nearness of God and the daily miracles of life, because I have. All one has to do, really, is be quiet for a bit and listen. All one need do is look at creation. There are so many miracles floating right in front of our natural eyes, and once we breathe and take in the goodness of God, we can feel His unconditional love for us. Inside our being. And it feels good...

Embracing the quietest season of life, seeing love differently...here you will find me, in Mary's World.