Good gracious, where or where have you been - a new blog started

Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end. - Seneca

Hi there, it's me Shelley ~ Wow, it has been a long time since I posted.  If you've stopped by and I missed you, I'm sorry!

While I have been busy, there's a part of me still missing posting random thoughts here with you dear Blogger friends.

I really enjoyed learning about blogging here and have decided to continue growing by trying out doing new blog.

I'll be back here some day to post another random thought or two.

In the meantime, I haven't gone too far away, you can join me in my new journey by clicking this link Quaint Revival!

Thanks for stopping by.  I hope you too are enjoying new beginnings in life.  See you soon!

Milestone moments

“Life isn’t a matter of milestones, but of moments.” – Rose Kennedy

This post is for all those who recognize the importance of treasuring moments.  Moments are part of the milestones.  If you only live for the milestones, you miss so many moments along the way.  I don’t know about you, but life goes by way too quickly to not treasure each and every moment (the good and the bad).

I’ve had plenty of moments in the months since I posted last (...oh yeah…sorry about not posting for a while, I’ve been busy spending moments getting other things done!)

A big moment happened when I turned 51.  I realized quickly the moments of 50 were gone before I knew it.

A couple of moments I even wondered why I had rushed away 49 so quickly by all my anticipation of 50.  Obviously it is too late now, so I’m letting 51 be my year to get an odd year right!

Another big moment is adjusting to an empty nest. 

I’m still working on that milestone moment.  Getting used to the quietness coupled with moments of missing the hustle and bustle of having the kids around tugs on the heart a few moments here and there.  

It’s so nice when the kids visit.  That’s so weird to say!  “Visit” – our house will always be their “home.” 

I guess it is a milestone to accept empty nesting.  I recently asked a group of people, older than me, what would be their advice about being an empty nester.  Unanimously, they said, “Enjoy it – they’ll be back before you know it!” 

Ah…that’s great advice, and just what I shall do.  Enjoy it…and the moments when they visit! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your moments and milestones!   

PS - it's okay to put away or part with a teddy bear or two too!  

The golden age

"The golden age is before us, not behind us." – William Shakespeare

The dictionary tells us the golden age is “old age” or in years, “after 65”.  Does one have to be old to find “golden years”? 

Shakespeare lived to be 52.  Wonder if he was looking forward to being older?  According to history records, he found his lasting career vocation at the age of 30 by remaining an actor and playwright for Lord Chamberlain’s Men. 

Nowadays, people don’t find a vocation at 30 and stay there for the rest of their working careers.  Some people do, some people find it earlier too.  Many do not though.  

Are we as a population too restless, too narcissistic, too impatient or too scattered to find our vocation?  Obviously Shakespeare didn’t have all the options we have due to technology.  But he did have the ability to dedicate focus to a passion he loved. 

Maybe Shakespeare was on to something.  Have dedicated focus to a passion you love and then you'll find the vocation you want to stick with until death?  

“Before us” might just mean being in the moment, right now, not in the past, not in the future, but right now allowing us to dedicate focus on our passions.

Whether you’re 20 or 50, like Shakespeare at 30, it’s okay to explore dedicated focus to what your passion is, what you love doing, or perhaps even discover what is vocation you’d love to until death.

“He that cuts off twenty years of life cuts off so many years of fearing death. (Act III, scene 1, line 101; Julius Caesar) ~ William Shakespeare

“All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.” - William Shakespeare

Today is a great day to find something “golden” in your life!  Thanks for stopping by!  

Halloween inflation

Researchers tell us fourteen out of any ten individuals likes chocolate. – Sandra Boynton

Hmmm…imagine this horror story for Halloween.  It’s official, my husband and I are being empty nesters for Halloween “trick-or-treaters”again.  What do I mean, again?  We’re on a roll, it’s been 23 years.  Yes, 23 years!

I can’t remember when we had “trick-or-treaters” stop at our house so it must be that many years.  We haven’t been visited because we don’t advertise we have any candy by the traditional pumpkin lit on the doorstep.  We don’t live “in-town," it’s too far out for people to find us.  And, the ultimate “leave us alone” clue, we turn the lights off so it looks like we’re not home. 

Oh, my gosh, guess that makes us Halloween Curmudgeons!  

I do have fond memories of when our kids were little and excited about “trick-or-treating.”   I don’t really like disappointing kids, I’m not that mean.

Yesterday, the day before Halloween (the candy is fresher then right?), on a whim, I decided just in case we do get a “trick-or-treater” maybe we should have some candy available.  So I grabbed a bag of Snickers.  I didn’t even look at the price, just threw the bag in the cart.  I just know they’re a popular type of candy bar.  Plus they freeze well to be used later for Snicker Bar Salad.  Snickers is a safe candy of choice. 

Shocking horror #2 for the day…have you checked out the prices of candy lately?  Remember I haven’t bought candy for Halloween for 23 years.  Way back when you could get a bag for less than $5.00.   I was horrified when I went to the check out and had to break a $20 to pay for 1 bag of candy.  When did Snickers turn to “gold”? 

Here’s to hoping our running streak of no “trick-or-treaters” holds true today!  I’m definitely freezing the bag for posterity sake or the Snicker Bar salad so I get more chocolate for my buck.  Sorry kids!

I feel for all of you who have tons of “trick-or-treaters!" Thank you for your generosity and for taking one (or $100's) for the Halloween team!  

Thanks for stopping by (or not really stopping by...my candy is frozen today!) ~ Enjoy your Halloween!

  

The atrophy of fall

Autumn wins you best by this its mute appeal to sympathy for its decay. – Robert Browning

Autumn is a time to scramble and get “outside” jobs done before the snow flies.  One of the tasks we complete is prepare the gardens for rest for the winter.  It’s time to do so when the frost shuts the flowers down. 

I’ve been watching out the window as the stages of atrophy have taken hold on the flowers planted this year.  The further away from the house they are, the quicker they changed to brown and readiness to be done.  It’s time to harvest marigold and morning glory seeds for next year’s crop.   

I do feel a sense of sympathy for the flowers.  They took the whole summer to get to full bloom and now, they are done.  It simply reminds me of the importance of life.  Each phase plays a role in atrophy so continuity can happen.

I find beauty in all the stages.  I look forward to preparing the gardens for the next year.  Each stage reminds me life keeps on going, and we are to keep on going with it. 

Thanks for stopping by!  Happy Fall-Atrophy!  

Learning to overcome mundane processing of emails

“We are by nature observers, and thereby learners.  That is our permanent state.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

“What the heck is wrong with you?” said the little voice nagging in my head this morning as I stood in front of my desk reading emails.

There’s nothing interesting here, it’s the same thing as yesterday.  A bunch of spam with a few news feeds I enjoy reading.  Shame, shame, shame, even a bunch of emails I read days before, still sitting there in the inbox.

“Get real!” 

The process of clicking to delete the spam has simply become boring!  So boring, I’ve ignored it for a few days, now it has become a big task! 

“What the heck is wrong with you, why don’t you just delete them right away?” 

The process of deleting emails isn’t a new task for me.  I do it ALL day long for work so I’m really good at it, but it isn’t fun, it’s annoying.  I don't learn anything new when I do it.

“So what’s the problem?”  

I haven’t learned how to get over the longing to discover what might be interesting in the email.  There might be something to learn or use in the future. 

"So your problem is that you love to learn?"  

Leaving an email in the inbox satisfies a desire.  I might just learn something when I read it.  The idea excites me and blocks me from deleting emails too quickly.  

“Well, that’s just plain silly!” 

I have to just buck up and admit it and then figure out how to live with the desire to learn in a different way.  I have to learn how to make it fun.  Email deleting is mundane, but the information contained in them might be worthy of reading. 

“How are you going to survive dealing with the mundane process of deleting emails?” 

I have to change up how I’m doing the mundane task.  Learn a new way of doing the same old familiar task.   

“In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” – Eric Hoffer

“Duh…all you have to do is set rules in Outlook!”  

Yes, all I needed was a new outlook (no pun intended)!  Jeez...why didn’t I think of rules in Outlook before?  Just like magic, I created folders for the emails I want to review regularly and sent the junk to spam or trash folder.  

My inbox only contains undefined spam and new things I’ve never seen before.  Now I can focus my learning on smaller chunks of information within the folders and quickly see new content to or send to spam in the future.  

“See, that was easy!”

Thank you little nagging voice.  Now I have time to learn something new and enjoy the fall day! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy finding ways to make the mundane a new learning experience!  

Fitting in or Standing Out

"The most basic human desire is to feel like you belong.  Fitting in is important." – Simon Sinek

Remember the first time you wanted to fit in?  I imagine it was at birth.  As a baby, born with your own personality to two parents with their own personalities already in a relationship, each need you expressed let your parents know how you wanted to fit into their lives. 

Fast forward to school age, remember the feeling of going into a classroom and longing to fit in?  As we grow from youth to young adulthood, every year we started all over, learning to fit in again as we changed and molded who we wanted to be each year.  Is that when we start to think more about why fitting in isn’t as important of a need? 

"Fitting in is unnecessary.  Embrace who you are.  You will go through rough times in high school, but always stay strong, and never deny yourself!"  - Neon Hitch

Remember your first job?  Were you welcomed or did you have to figure out how to fit in?  Remember the first person who helped show you the ropes and helped you feel welcomed?  Depending upon what your role was or who hired you, maybe fitting in isn’t what they were expecting of you based upon your interview. 

Remember the moment you decided, “Heck with trying to fit in, I’m gonna do my own thing?” 

“People who cannot invent and reinvent themselves must be content with borrowed postures, secondhand ideas, fitting in instead of standing out.” – Warren Bennis

50 is a nice stage in life.  You’ve learned many ways to fit in and many ways to stand out.  You aren’t done learning and you’re not done making a difference in life.  Go ahead, discover your next opportunity to fit in or stand out! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Enjoy your moments of standing out, you're not done yet discovering how you can continue making a difference in this world!