Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Meet Linda


As I search for a sense of the direction with this blog, one thing stands out that I want accomplish. Many people refuse to view aging as an indictment. They’re stepping up to the plate, taking on huge personal challenges and making a difference in the world. We’re going highlight to these individuals because they deserve it, but also to inspire and motivate the rest of us to do something.

I’m starting with someone who is taking on a challenge only a few of us would even fantasize about. Part of the reason I want to showcase her is our dreams are often too small. It’s important to step the dreams up a notch and pick something that is worth doing.

Linda has definitely done that. She is my daughter in-law’s aunt and I only recently learned of her quest. It certainly is worth knowing about and supporting. Linda has committed to run 7 marathons on 7 continents in one year. The audacity of this boggles my mind. I’m also intrigued and excited for her.

Linda has already run five of the seven marathons. Visit her website and let her know you’re rooting for her.

Friday, September 12, 2008

More Insight

After I posted the blog yesterday, I had another insight of why I was feeling overwhelmed. I struggle at a lot of things, but personal insight isn't one of them.

I'm new to blogging. I started because I want to share my journey, connect to others, share the concepts of Retirment Life Matters, and realistically use it as a marketing tool. Blogging is just one small piece of the overall pie for me.

As I started reading other blogs, I was amazed by the content, both the quality and the frequency, the traffic, and the business aspect of it. The blogs I hold especially in esteem are
WomenBloom-I just met Allison, but she finds time to write about the hurricane that is coming. And then there is The Boomer Chronicles . She must have a 100 blogs on her blogroll. Of course, there are many more I've run across over the last three months, but my favorite is Fat Fighter TV. Not only does she add incredible content every day, she is very focused on her mission and finds time to comment on most of my entries.

There was a shift that occurred in me. Instead of using these other blogs as inspiration, I started using them as my standard. When my shifted my focus from my own intent to trying to be as good as them, I lost myself and became overwhelmed.

Once I realized what I was doing, I could shift back to my own internal compass. I want to share my own journey, the growth or RLM and hopefully spotlight boomers who are making a difference in the world. I'm going to stop being concerned about having to post every day and all the other things that were driving me crazy.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Honoring the Day



I’ve been feeling really overwhelmed the last couple of weeks. Hence, the reason I haven’t been writing in the blog. There are a couple of reasons for this.

The first and most obvious is I’m not living in the present. In this present moment, my life is serene. I don’t want to sound absurd, but it is. It’s 6:20 am, light is just starting to creep over the horizon. I’m sitting at my desk, with a warm cup coffee, David Arkenstone plays in the background and the world is right.

If I take my eye off the moment, and survey the future, the to-do list, I realize I can’t do all the things I want to do, all the things I say I need to do. At that moment, the serenity is lost, and I start to panic.

When I decided to share this feeling in the blog, I was reminded today is the anniversary of 9/11. One the results of that tragic day were people took a breath, gathered with their loved ones and questioned what is important.

As I sit here in the still of the morning, I think it’s important for me, to ask the same question. My work is very important me, but what is the vision of what I want to do? It’s not about this blog, or a newsletter or setting up a presentation to conduct a workshop.

It is about all of us finding and living from our own personal vision of who we want to be in the world. What we do should really come from that vision.

Today, as you go about your business, don’t just think about the tragedy of this day. Think about the lesson and the opportunity that came from the horror to reconnect to our loved ones and commit to what is truly important.

Monday, September 8, 2008

21 Days and counting

We had a retirement test run last week. My husband was on vacation, but we didn’t do anything. I had a lot of work to do and we’re waiting to travel until the end of the year.

We have twenty-one days until his retirement. I know it will be fine, but I don’t have any illusions that it’s going to be happy ever after. I’m the ultimate optimist, but I’m also a pragmatist.

He’s taking on more of the cooking and washing dishes-yes. He’s done most of the laundry for years. I can thank the Denver Broncos for that, since Sunday is laundry day. He’ll help with the cleaning, but I don’t thing we’ll have that meticulous Better Homes and Garden house.

In return, I have someone to sleep with every night for the first time in many years. I kind of looking forward to it and not. I have to give up the remote-I think I complained about that before.
Even though I help others go through this transition, the fact is, I love my life the way it is right now. I’m reasonably sure, I will love the next phase also, but it’s true, we get to a stage of life, where we get comfortable and don’t seek change for the fun of it.