A commitment to imagination

The only limit to your impact is your imagination and commitment. – Tony Robbins

Week #28 - 49 Weeks ‘til I’m 50 – Ready, Set, it’s all about A FOCUSed plan to get there! 

Four weeks flew by again! Here I am again committing some time to blog.  Rather, I’m making time to evaluate where I’m at in my FOCUSed plan.  There’s no doubt in my mind I have commitment to follow-through with the plan.  I don’t know if it is the pace of life or the lack of imagination to write about something that blocks me more some days.  Probably both!  

Let’s just go with imagination today.  I have to remind myself I don’t necessarily have to know what I’m going to write about, sometimes I just have to start and see what happens.  I think that’s why I love discovering photography so much.  I’m feeling brave about trying different manual settings on the camera.  I can now commit myself to trying more imaginative ways to hold the camera and see what the impact is from the different angles.  Sometimes just playing with the camera gets my imagination going. 

That’s what it is like as I approach 50.  Looking at it from a commitment to use imaginative ways to embrace the change is one way to keep focused on the positives.  Last time I wrote about my vision test.  I’ve since picked up my new glasses.  I’m happy to report that the choice to jump full steam ahead into lined bifocals was a positive choice.  I would definitely recommend them for anyone who has issues with the progressive lenses.  

On the flip side, what I didn’t expect but have found out quickly is, the lined bifocals are extremely frustrating for arm’s length vision.  Everyday activities like washing and putting away dishes, picking out clothing, shopping in the store, etc. take on a whole different level of blur.   The new blur factor brings about a new meaning to personal space.  If anyone is within arm’s length, they are blurry.  Lucky for me, my husband also has lined bifocals – we don’t mind seeing each other in the blur zone.  Being able to clearly see the computer screen is practically impossible.  I can’t get close enough with the bifocal or if I back up far enough, I can’t see the small print.  

Thankfully, there’s a solution though for those of us who work with computers – occupational lenses.  Perhaps I would have been better off with the trifocals after all?  One step at a time, I’m committed to making this combination work.  I absolutely love having my peripheral vision in the lined bifocals.  I can learn to tolerate the blur zones. 

After all these years, discovering ways to stay committed to accepting changes as they come makes life much easier to deal with.  There’s often something just beyond what we can see that becomes clearer.  Sometimes it brings about the opportunity to be more imaginative.  Just let yourself go with the flow and see what happens.  Occasionally, the blurs in life aren’t that bad after all.  What have you committed to that’s helped you find an imaginative way to make it work? 

Thanks for stopping by – enjoy your commitments, enjoy your imagination, the combination of the two might just surprise you! 

PS – photography moments for the day.  When I was blocked for writing, I just grabbed the camera and asked Copper to join me and we went out for some early morning shots.  I’ve typically tried to not take pictures into the sunlight, today, I purposely did so…a different perspective, a few new discoveries.  I remain amazed at what the camera lenses focus on and blur at the same time. 

The dew on the grass is pretty in the sunlight

What about ground level?

Closer to the ground

Focus on a couple blades

Tipped the camera some

Focused on the middle

Copper joined the fun

Sun went under a cloud

Copper is in focus

Wonder what he saw?

Copper is blurry, close grass is in focus.

Time for another adventure.  Every one of the above
pictures were taken at arm's length and I wasn't
even looking in the viewfinder.  How's that
for imagination?

Mid-life moments aren't that bad afterall

In between all your goals, priorities, obligations and everything else that might appear on one of your upcoming to-do lists, there are moments called life that still have to be lived and enjoyed. – Melchor Lim

Week #24 - 49 Weeks ‘til I’m 50 – Ready, Set, it’s all about A FOCUSed plan to get there!

Wow - We’ve reached the middle mark – ½ way to 50!  It’s June 1^st, and I’m amazed that ½ the year has flown by already.  I’ve been right here through all of it, but I can’t believe it is really June.  Half way through a project is a great time to take inventory of where you’re at, and regroup and find clarity.

I’m still on target with turning 50 – even if I haven’t blogged about it.  Finding enough time to sit at the computer has been more difficult.  My part-time job of being a landlord has consumed much of my “free” time.  Years of neglect by some former tenants has provided us with so many projects for the past 6 weeks.  We’ve had little time to breathe on the weekends.   Our renovation project is over half-way done.  It’s nice to finally see completion of certain areas and the homestretch for the others. 

Another couple mid-point events this week, a “midlife” physical and an eye doctor appointment.  They say it is important to have regular physicals and eye exams.  So I faithfully scheduled the appointments, i.e., made time to do so.  Since I’m not officially 50, I don’t have to do the dreaded colonoscopy yet, oh…but they’ll gladly send me a reminder later this year.   Well, I guess that is something to look forward to later this year. 

Mid-life physical exams can be scary or confirming of best laid plans.  Doctors seem to look for the telltale signs where they need to prescribe something to help you keep healthy.  I’m extremely happy to report that I wasn’t a typical 49 year old patient.  I’m healthy and don’t need to take medications.  So far, my lifestyle choices are helping prevent the very things that turned my mom’s life around at my age.  I’m not diabetic, don’t have hypertension or high cholesterol, and I’m not overweight.  Yippee – I’m here to report that regular exercise and an intermittent fast diet works after all!  http://www.amazon.com/The-FastDiet-Healthy-Intermittent-Fasting/dp/1476734941

Unfortunately, my eyes continued to decline with age, I’m almost at the point of needing trifocals due to the type of work I do.  I’m opting for the occupational lenses instead.  If you have bifocals, you can relate to my pain.  The progressive lenses simply do not work well for reading or working at the computer.  There’s the small sweet spot on the lenses and it is frustrating to work with!  I’ve worn glasses so long I’m not sure what it would be like to not have them.  I’m going to give the lined bifocals a try this time.   I’ll keep you posted, are they better than the progressives or not? 

Lately, I’ve been feeling a bit more comfortable with the whole midlife, turning 50 thing.  Partially due to acceptance.  I know I can’t change time, only change how I react to it, why not embrace it and enjoy every minute of it?  I can’t change all the things that life throws me.  At a midpoint in life, there have been so many opportunities to learn how to deal with obstacles and the joys in life.  It’s really kind of nice to know you do get through them one way or another.  

Well…as I look out the window, the rain has let up and the project list still has much to cross off…time to get back to the projects at hand.  I’ll leave you with a few of my favorite midlife quotes!

Thanks for stopping by – enjoy your moments of mid-point in your summer projects!  

• Middle age is when you’re sitting at home on a Saturday night and the telephone rings and you hope it isn’t for you. – Ogden Nash
• The only time you really live fully is from thirty to sixty.  The young are slaves to dreams; the old servants of regrets.  Only the middle-aged have all their five senses in the keeping of their wits. – Theodore Roosevelt
• The process of maturing is an art to be learned, an effort to be sustained.  By the age of fifty you have made yourself what you are, and if it is good, it is better than your youth. – Marya Mannes, More in Anger, 1958
• Middle age is when we can do just as much as ever – but would rather not. – Author Unknown
• Middle age:  The time when you’ll do anything to feel better, except give up what is hurting you. – Robert Quillen
• Middle age is when work is a lot less fun and fun is a lot more work. – Unknown
• Middle age is when your age starts to show around your middle. – Bob Hope
• The first forty years of life give us the text; the next thirty supply the commentary on it. – Arthur Schopenhauer
• Middle age is having a choice between two temptations and choosing the one that’ll get you home earlier. – Dan Bennett

PS - photography moments.  I found a few more settings on my camera that I need more practice on. Yesterday I was complaining to my daughter that I felt like I needed to travel to find something interesting to photograph.  She told me "the best photographers are able to take great pictures right where they are with what they have."  Thanks for the reminder, you don't necessarily have to look else where to enjoy life!

• It takes courage to grow up and become who you really are. – E E Cummings

Enjoy the changes of the season.

Try different angles.

Watch out for neglect!

Restored to "usable"

Keep the floors clean!

So many doors to wash....

Brand new baseboards

Look for everyday photo ops

Take a nap

Sometimes there are interesting things
right in your own yard.

Put your feet up once and awhile.

Run like crazy!

Smile!

Put your kids to work to help you!