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TAKING OFF MY TOOLBELT AND HANGING UP MY LIFEBUOY

All my life I've been a fixer and a rescuer, but now it's time to step back and become a cheerleader instead.

BEING A FIXER AND A RESCUER

All my life I've been a fixer and a rescuer. It stems from being an oldest daughter and thinking that it was my responsibility to keep everything calm and on course. I'm very uncomfortable with discord and messiness, and I'll do all I can to calm the waters and to keep everyone else happy.

To be honest, it works well when life is fairly smooth, but when I encounter a very messy person or situation it can be exhausting running around trying to solve a problem that's often not mine to begin with. I've finally figured out that I need to change my approach...

MY THREE DELIGHTS FROM JANUARY

Consciously seeking small delights each day, week, and month - and sharing three of my favourites.

MY THREE DELIGHTS FROM JANUARY

As I mentioned at the beginning of January when I chose Delight as my Word of the Year, I thought I'd round off each month with three delights. For January and my first post in the series, I thought I'd share a personal delight, a thought about delight, and a quote about delight. 

So, without further ado here are my three delights for January...

FRIENDS, MENTORS, AND THOSE WE LOOK TO FOR ADVICE

Who do we go to for worthwhile advice? I choose people who model a genuine quality of life based on honourable values and positive choices.

WHO DO WE GO TO FOR ADVICE?

I read this snippet from an article by Adrian Barich in our newspaper recently:

Never take advice from people who aren't getting the results you'd want to experience.

I skimmed over it because Adrian is a former footballer and I was assuming he was talking about sporting results and achievement. But, he went on to say he listens to his friend's advice because: 

FOCUSING ON THE FLOWERS AND NOT THE WEEDS

Finding the roses and wildflowers in amongst life's thorns and weeds.

LIFE BECOMES WHAT WE LOOK FOR

I mentioned in my Word of the Year post last week that looking for joyful moments is the key to creating delight in my life. What I've come to see is that our life (and the world in general) is full of flowers and weeds - literally and figuratively. To live with delight involves the Frequency Illusion where we choose what we focus our attention on, we look for the flowers and ignore the weeds - or deal with them when necessary.

Today I thought I'd look a little more deeply at the flowers and the weeds....

FINDING DELIGHT IN THE YEAR AHEAD

I want to count my blessings, look for the positives, focus on the little glimmers of joy, and just take delight in the moments.

THE BEGINNING OF A NEW YEAR

Well, Christmas and New Year's Day have been and gone and it's time to settle into the year ahead. I feel like each year somehow is a little better than the last. I'm not sure if it's Midlife that gives me such contentment, or whether I've just found my groove and I'm genuinely happy with the life I have. Whatever it is, I'm grateful every single day for this age and stage.

That being said, it's the beginning of 2025 and time to choose a new Word of the Year. I've tried New Year's Resolutions, and Bucket Lists, or ignoring it all and just getting on with another year, but none of those really resonated with me until I came across the idea of choosing a Word that feels right and helps guide me through the year ahead.

CHRISTMAS AND THE END OF ANOTHER YEAR

Sending the warmest of wishes. I hope you find ways to celebrate the Christmas season that feel joyful, and authentic, and meaningful.

IT'S ALMOST TIME FOR CHRISTMAS

I can't believe that it's going to be Christmas in a couple of weeks - where has the time gone? There's a saying that says "the days go slow but the years go fast" and I can certainly relate to that. My life goes quietly and calmly along each day, the occasional challenge, but on the whole it's just a slow and gentle meander. I find slow living to be such a joy - no hustle and bustle, just a pace that I set and adjust as I need to. I am finally fully in charge of how I spend my days, and I am so in love with that.

So..... two weeks until Christmas and three until the end of another year....

MY YEAR OF CULTIVATING INNER EQUANIMITY

Focusing on equanimity and inner peace has been a great tool in dealing with life when it hasn't gone quite as planned.

LOOKING BACK AT A YEAR OF EQUANIMITY

I chose Equanimity as my Word of the Year for 2024 to remind myself to be less impacted by the world around me and more centered and grounded within myself. It turned out to be a good choice because I had a few glitches in my Matrix during the year that made me question my loyalty and commitment to who and what I thought was important in my life.

Nothing too big or upsetting, but little upheavals that were determined to undermine my sense of calmness and surety. I find it really interesting how choosing a Word for the Year plays out over time and how it's often been really helpful in guiding my thoughts and responses.

TEN YEARS OF BLOGGING - LOOKING BACK AT A DECADE OF SHARING MY JOURNEY

How starting a blog ten years ago has led to being part of a wonderful community of inspiring Midlife women.

TEN YEARS AGO....

Back in November 2014 I was at a bit of an impasse. I was in my early 50's and felt a bit lost and unsure of what middle age had to offer. It all just seemed a bit grey and dull, with very little to recommend it. Work was tedious, my life was a little blah, the kids had left home and were happily settled and independent..... Who was I now? What was there to look forward to? How do I process it all?

I had this idea that I needed to write it all down somewhere to work it through, and hopefully I'd figure things out. But where do I do that? Completely out of left field, I decided to start a blog. I didn't know anyone who blogged, I didn't really even know what blogging was, but I googled it (as you do) and I was off on a new adventure.....

LOOKING BACK AT A SUBLIME SPRING

 
Looking back at September, October, and November 2024 - Spring in Australia - and highlights of what I've been doing during that time.

LOOKING BACK AT THE SPRING THAT'S BEEN

I love Spring - I think I even prefer it to Autumn. It's so nice when the cold, rainy Winter days start to slide into warmer, sunny times. It's wonderful to get up on a Spring morning and to take a stroll around the neighbourhood, seeing more people out and about, flowers blooming, and the sun shining - it just feels joyful.

It's been three months since I wrote my last update and today I wanted to share a few of the highlights from the family, the blog, and life in general - I hope you'll enjoy them too.....

4 THINGS I WILL NEVER DO AGAIN NOW I'M IN MY 60'S

Since turning 60 I've drawn a line in the sand in regard to what I will and won't accept from other people in my life.
 

A TURNING POINT WHEN TURNING 60

When I turned 60 I wrote a post about the things that don't matter anymore. That was a couple of years ago and I've realised that I've become even firmer in my boundaries and expectations since then. I've always been prone to accommodating other people and putting my own needs second, but now I'm drawing a much deeper and wider line in the sand when it comes to what I'll accept and what I will never do again.

Today I'm sharing a few areas that I've noticed I've become stronger in and more committed to.....