Everyday I walk into a room with spaces where pictures once lined the walls, a bookcase full of books that are not for me, and a closet of forgotten clothes and childhood memories. My cat has taken over a corner of the space with her litter box and cat tree, but the room still feels… Continue reading What Do You Do With Their Room?
Category: boundaries
The Capability Trap
Just because I have the capability to do something doesn’t mean I have the capacity. This is a lesson that hit me suddenly, and keeps reverberating as I continue to grow my business. The Wake-Up Call It was a simple email that did it. Someone sent me a work email late in the evening… Continue reading The Capability Trap
Life Balance Is A Moving Target
Life balance is a moving target. No one secures a bullseye in life balance. Our life circumstances are too changeable and varied from one week to the next. However, it is a worthy target to aim for because it keeps us readjusting and moving in a direction that feeds us with energy and keeps us… Continue reading Life Balance Is A Moving Target
“Mankeeping” In Midlife
Maintaining strong friendships throughout our lives is a key factor in living a happy, healthy, long life.** Creating, developing, and maintaining social connections gets harder as we get older. Once you retire, there is a huge shift because you suddenly lose daily contact with work colleagues. It’s one of the key areas that newly-retired folks… Continue reading “Mankeeping” In Midlife
Don’t Practice What You Don’t Want To Build
Practice makes us stronger. If you have a musician in your life, or if you play an instrument, you’re well aware that regular, daily practice is necessary. The internal discipline of regularly putting some of your energy into practicing your skills helps those skills stay strong and develop over time. Lately, I realize that I’ve… Continue reading Don’t Practice What You Don’t Want To Build
Breaking The “Sorry” Habit
The minute I get into the bathroom, my phone rings. It’s almost like it has a sixth sense that I’m not available. Maybe this happens to you? But how often do you call the person back, and start with an apology? “Sorry, I missed your call.” Wait a minute there! Am I apologizing for not… Continue reading Breaking The “Sorry” Habit
Solving The “Too Busy” Problem
Time management is a concept I continue to struggle with in retirement. Going from a rigid and predictable schedule to entirely open, is an on-going challenge. I’ve made some progress in assessing what I want to spend my time doing. In addition, my most recent experiment with a weekly planner has helped me to realize… Continue reading Solving The “Too Busy” Problem
A Work/Life Balance Doesn’t Make Sense
I’m determined not to get sucked into that whirlwind of work again. Before I retired from teaching, I was a chronic over-worker. I enjoyed my job (for the most part), and filling my out-of-school hours and weekends with work felt necessary and purposeful. Perhaps it was just easier to do more work than to figure… Continue reading A Work/Life Balance Doesn’t Make Sense
Conversing From Another Room
Have you ever tried talking to someone when you’re not in the same room as they are? You keep raising your voice in frustration. Yes? Then of course, like me, you’ve had others try to talk to you from another room, when you’re busy in the kitchen surrounded by running water, and a beeping microwave.… Continue reading Conversing From Another Room
Retired, And Now What? 