HAVE YOURSELF A VERY UNBUSY CHRISTMAS
Monday 16 December 2019
CHOOSING AN UNBUSY CHRISTMAS
At the end of October I discovered and joined the Unbusy Holiday Challenge. It's aimed at mums who get overwhelmed during the Christmas season, but I loved the idea of letting go of all the Christmas palaver and expectations and choosing to do Christmas my way, rather than how I felt I should be doing it to keep everyone else happy.MY FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS SNIPPETS
Saturday 14 December 2019
INTRO
I love Christmas and thought I'd finish my Saturday Snippets series with some Christmas snippets from all over the interwebbities (and also from my own posts). I hope you enjoy them and that you're looking forward to Christmas as much as I am.MY YEAR OF BECOMING "MORE"
Monday 9 December 2019
12 MONTHS OF LEARNING TO BE MORE
I chose MORE as my Word of the Year for 2019 because I was feeling a bit lost and depleted. I don't think I realized at the time how run down I was and how my energy and resilience has been drained from working in a difficult job for the last three years. I think it was a subliminal need to reclaim myself and choose life on my own terms again that led me to selecting a word that wouldn't normally have been on my radar.SATURDAY SNIPPETS #23
Saturday 7 December 2019
INTRO
Here's the latest little snippets from all over the place that caught my eye and I thought were worth sharing. I hope you enjoy them too - feel free to pin them or share them with other people if they resonate with you. I've turned off the comments on these posts because they're just a fun Saturday post to look at, enjoy and move on - hopefully with a smile on your face or with something to think about.IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
Monday 2 December 2019
IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
If we were having coffee these are a few things I'd be sharing from November - we're having coffee AND cake today because we're celebrating November being my birthday and Cresting the Hill turning five! (More on both below...) Because I always enjoy a good 'Taking Stock' blog post, I hope you'll humour me and sit a while as I share my news. There's nothing like a virtual cuppa and a chat, and I have lots to share from the last few weeks.5 YEARS FROM THE DAY I FIRST PRESSED "PUBLISH"
Saturday 30 November 2019
5 YEARS - WHERE HAS THE TIME GONE?
Exactly 5 years ago, on November 30th, 2014 I published my very first blog post. I had absolutely NO idea what I was doing, I wasn't one of those clever blogging souls who'd researched everything, done courses, joined Facebook groups, and who knew exactly what they wanted their blogging journey to be all about. NOOOOO - I just closed my eyes and jumped (well - closed my eyes and hit the Publish button) and the rest is now history.WHEN A NEW NORMAL IS BETTER THAN YOU EXPECTED
Monday 25 November 2019
WHEN THE UNEXPECTED HAPPENS
Anyone who's been reading my posts over the last several months knows that I left my job in less than satisfactory circumstances. I'd pushed through for years dealing with a very difficult workmate who had a lot of issues that rained down on me while I tried to help, and also do my work efficiently. Ultimately it didn't end well (surprise surprise!) and I finally gave up and put in my notice.XYZ - AND SHOULD WE SAY YES OR NO?
Saturday 23 November 2019
WHAT DOES XYZ MEAN?
Apparently (according to the Urban Dictionary) XYZ stands for "examine your zipper" ie: check that the fly of your pants is zipped up. Today is the last day of my List of More and I thought I'd go out with a bang and cover the last three letters in one hit - and in the process I'll be checking that all my buttons and zips are done up!HOW TO FIND YOUR HAPPY PLACE
Monday 18 November 2019
ARE YOU LIVING IN YOUR HAPPY PLACE?
Now I've passed the 50 year life marker I'm appreciating that I'm in the second half of life. I have less years left to live than those that have already passed. That thought can be a depressing one, or it can be a wake up call to appreciate every day I'm blessed with between now and when I go to meet my Maker. I may have another 50 years, 50 months or 50 minutes left - nothing is guaranteed, and because nothing is certain, I want to make the best of this second half of life.
SATURDAY SNIPPETS #22
Saturday 16 November 2019
INTRO
Here's the latest little snippets from all over the place that caught my eye and I thought were worth sharing. I hope you enjoy them too - feel free to pin them or share them with other people if they resonate with you. I've turned off the comments on these posts because they're just a fun Saturday post to look at, enjoy and move on - hopefully with a smile on your face or with something to think about.IT'S NOT TOO LATE TO BE CREATIVE IN YOUR 50'S
Monday 11 November 2019
DO YOU FEEL CREATIVE?
I saw a little article in the newspaper earlier this year that was a bit of an eye opener for me. It referred to some Nobel Prize winning research on creativity and it stated that there were two peaks of creativity in our lives - one in our late 20's and one when we're 57. It got me thinking about whether I'd experienced a surge of creativity in Midlife or whether things were much the same as they'd always been.I cut out the article at the time, and it's been sitting in my journal just waiting for me to ponder it a little. The time has come to see how it applies to me, and to give others the opportunity of wondering if they agree with it or not. So before we go any further, here's the article:
KNOWING YOUR WORTH AND REFUSING TO COMPARE
Saturday 9 November 2019
WHAT GIVES US A SENSE OF SELF WORTH?
Today I'm up to "W" in the List of More and lately I've been doing a lot of thinking and re-evaluating in the area of Worth - I've been asking questions like: "Where does my self-worth come from?" and "What happens when external factors change - does that impact on my perception of my worth?" and "What is the measure I use to determine my worth or value?"IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
Monday 4 November 2019
IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
If we were having coffee these are a few things I'd be sharing from October - we're now settling into Spring and I'm revelling in the warmer weather and sunshine. Because I always enjoy a good 'Taking Stock' blog post, I hope you'll humour me and sit a while as I share my news. There's nothing like a virtual cuppa and a chat, and I have lots to share from the last few weeks.HOW TO REMAIN VIVID AND VIBRANT IN MIDLIFE
Saturday 2 November 2019
VIVID AND VIBRANT
Today on the List of More we're up to V for Vivid and Vibrant - both are words that resonate with living life to the full. According to WikiDiff there's a slight difference between the two terms - "vivid" is bright and colourful and "vibrant" is lively and vigorous, but both seem to embody brightness and vivacity - something that Midlife can be encompass if we live it out loud.5 BENEFITS OF EARLY RETIREMENT
Monday 28 October 2019
THE REALITY OF EARLY RETIREMENT
Now that I've settled into the idea that working again is really unlikely for me, I've come to see that there are a multitude of benefits when it comes to no longer being in the paid workforce. There was (of course) an adjustment period where I needed to let go of the idea that only wealthy people could afford to leave work before they turned 65, and that it's quite possible to live very comfortably on one income if you've stewarded your money well in the lead up to leaving work.SATURDAY SNIPPETS #21
Saturday 26 October 2019
INTRO
Here's the latest little snippets from all over the place that caught my eye and I thought were worth sharing. I hope you enjoy them too - feel free to pin them or share them with other people if they resonate with you. I've turned off the comments on these posts because they're just a fun Saturday post to look at, enjoy and move on - hopefully with a smile on your face or with something to think about.HOW TO MOVE ON FROM AN UNRESOLVED ISSUE
Monday 21 October 2019
WHEN LIFE DOESN'T GO AS PLANNED
I don't know about you, but I like my life to be very sweet, and pleasant, and for everything to be tied up with a neat little bow at the end of the day. I hate messy upsets, I hate emotional upheavals, I hate it when someone is angry or annoyed with me, I hate it when the harmony of my life is feeling out of kilter. It's like there's a glitch in the Matrix of my life (I loved those movies!) and it leaves me feeling unsettled and out of sorts.WHY I HAD AN ENDOMETRIAL ABLATION IN MY 50'S AND WHAT IT WAS LIKE
Sunday 20 October 2019
MY ENDOMETRIAL ABLATION STORY
There's not a lot online about the lead-up to, and experience of, an endometrial ablation in Midlife, so I thought I'd share my journey for those who're in the process of dealing with pre-menopausal period problems. This is my story....
EMBRACING UN-BUSYNESS IN MIDLIFE
Saturday 19 October 2019
WHY I CHOOSE TO BE UN-BUSY
It's "U" for "Unbusy" as we head towards the end of my List of More. I've been discovering the joy of unbusyness over the last several months after walking away from a very stressful and drama driven job. When I left I needed a few months to recover and get my head back in the game, then I started to plan how to get things up and running again - how to jump back on the bandwagon and get back into the rat race. But then I had my Midlife Epiphany and life changed.5 SIGNS I'M SUCCEEDING IN LIFE (AND YOU CAN TOO)
Monday 14 October 2019
WHAT IS A SUCCESSFUL LIFE?
Something I've been noticing since leaving the workforce is that everyone defines "success" differently. When I was working it was all about how high up the corporate ladder you've climbed, or how much money is in the bank, or your latest travel plans. For others it might be how well your children are doing, or how important your husband is, or how big your house is.... the list is endless. For me, success in life looks a little different to all of this.
LIVING AND SPEAKING YOUR TRUTH
Saturday 12 October 2019
WHAT IS LIVING YOUR TRUTH?
Today it's "T" for Truth in the List of More. The very first question that comes up is "what is "truth"? And then "how do I live my truth and speak my truth"? In a world where truth has become somewhat fluid and everyone claims to have their own version of the truth, I find I want to return to grassroots truth. I think there's a sense of rightness when we know we're living a life that isn't duplicitous, and isn't walking the line between what we know is right and what suits us at that particular moment.EMBRACING "GENTEEL POVERTY" IN THE 21ST CENTURY
Monday 7 October 2019
GENTEEL POVERTY IN THE 19TH CENTURY
I wrote about the quiet life of Thoreau's Walden at the end of August and I think it's still lingering in the back of my mind. The gentleness of life lived simply and pleasantly, the idea that you can live well on a small income if you set your heart and mind to doing so. Choosing to embrace a life of less isn't fashionable today like it was back in the 1800s, but nevertheless, it still holds an appeal for those of us who want to step back a little from the consumerism of today.Do you remember reading or watching Pride and Prejudice?
SATURDAY SNIPPETS #20
Saturday 5 October 2019
INTRO
Here's the latest little snippets from all over the place that caught my eye and I thought were worth sharing. I hope you enjoy them too - feel free to pin them or share them with other people if they resonate with you. I've turned off the comments on these posts because they're just a fun Saturday post to look at, enjoy and move on - hopefully with a smile on your face or with something to think about.IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
Monday 30 September 2019
IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
If we were having coffee these are a few things I'd be sharing from September - we're heading into Spring (Yay!) And because I always enjoy a good 'Taking Stock' blog post, I hope you'll humour me and sit a while as I share my news. There's nothing like a virtual cuppa and a chat, and I have lots to share from the last few weeks.HOW TO APPROACH YOUR SENIOR PARENT ABOUT GIVING UP DRIVING
Saturday 28 September 2019
INTRO
As our parents get older we find ourselves in the tricky position of having to broach difficult topics with them - often over areas where they think they're doing fine, but where in fact they're actually not quite up to scratch like they used to be. One of the areas I had to talk to my Mum about was my Dad's driving when his dementia started progressing. He felt like he was still the competent driver of years gone by, when the reality was that he was getting lost on his way home from the shops, and he was losing his ability to react and respond in an emergency.I KISSED JOB HUNTING GOODBYE
Monday 23 September 2019
DATING AND JOB HUNTING
There was a book that did the rounds of Christian youth groups back in the 90's called "I Kissed Dating Goodbye" by Josh Harris, it was based on the concept that Josh no longer wanted to go through the rigmarole of dating countless women in the hope of finding his one true love and offered an alternative. Twenty years later he changed his mind and wrote a retraction because the book was rather over the top in what it was advocating.Despite that, the title was super catchy and made me think that dating and job hunting were a lot more similar than I'd realized. They're often preceded by a traumatic break-up, then a lot of soul searching, a desire to hook up with the "perfect" partner, the awkward interactions, the failed attempts, and then (hopefully) the ulitmate successful match that lasts a lifetime. Josh kissed dating goodbye and this is why I'm kissing job hunting goodbye...
SMILING WITH SELF-CONFIDENCE
Saturday 21 September 2019
WHAT DOES SELF-CONFIDENCE LOOK LIKE?
It's "S" for Smiling and Self-confidence today on the List of More, and something I ask myself a lot is how do some people look so confident, and others look like they wish they could fade away into the wallpaper? Is self-confidence an innate character trait or do we develop it over time? What is it that makes us appear confident (even if we don't necessarily feel it?) I think two of the key components are eye contact and a genuine smile. In fact, I think a smile is the Midlifer's secret weapon!IS THERE HEADACHE RELIEF 3 YEARS AFTER A DAITH PIERCING?
Monday 16 September 2019
CHRONIC HEADACHES
Daith piercing has become an alternative treatment for those who suffer from ongoing migraines. I don't think I'm a true migraine sufferer, but I'd endured ongoing, and often debilitating headaches for decades. I'd been taking pain relief for them in many forms for a long time and was beginning to wonder what impact that was having on my kidneys and liver - especially when a headache lasted for several days. Headaches were so much a part of my life that I even have a "Headache Art" Pinterest Board that I filled with pictures of how a headache "looked" in its various forms.RESILIENCE - IT'S ALL ABOUT THE REBOUND
Saturday 14 September 2019
WHAT DOES RESILIENCE MEAN TO YOU?
Today I'm writing about "R" in the List of More and the very first word that came to mind was Resilience, which in Latin means “to leap back” In other words, Resilience translates to being able to rebound after experiencing loss, or calamity, or hardship. The picture comes to mind of those children's toys called Weebles. They had a strong and steady foundation that allowed a Weeble to be tipped or knocked over and then recentre itself after each "hit".WHY I'M CHOOSING TO BE UNBUSY IN RETIREMENT
Monday 9 September 2019
BECOMING UNBUSY IN RETIREMENT
A while ago I was asked to contribute to a collaborative post on Keeping Busy in Retirement and I started thinking about all the things I'm doing to fill my days now that I'm not working. But, underneath that first impulse to prove I'm "busy, busy, busy" was a different desire - one that was saying "You know what? I don't want to be busy all the time, I don't want to fill every day with a multitude of planned events." My soul wants to be Un-Busy and it's when I become un-busy that I feel more centred and more at peace.SATURDAY SNIPPETS #19
Saturday 7 September 2019
INTRO
Here's the latest little snippets from all over the place that caught my eye and I thought were worth sharing. I hope you enjoy them too - feel free to pin them or share them with other people if they resonate with you. I've turned off the comments on these posts because they're just a fun Saturday post to look at, enjoy and move on - hopefully with a smile on your face or with something to think about.IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
Monday 2 September 2019
IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
If we were having coffee these are a few things I'd be sharing from August - we're heading towards the end of Winter and the reappearance of Spring (Yay!) so I'm ready to pack away the Winter woollies and get out the Spring florals. And because I always enjoy a good 'Taking Stock' blog post, I hope you'll humour me and sit a while as I share my news. There's nothing like a virtual cuppa and a chat, and I have lots to share from the last few weeks.HAVE YOU DISCOVERED THE POWER OF POSITIVITY?
Saturday 31 August 2019
EMBRACING POSITIVE THINKING
Today it's all about the letter "P" in my List of More - and it's "P" for Positivity - one of my favourite words. After such a long period of feeling stressed and under pressure, it's been wonderful to move forward and leave that all behind me. I think the key has been Positivity - it's such a powerful concept and has the ability to completely change how we see our lives and the world around us. So many women in Midlife are worried about being invisible, or wondering what they have to offer. Approaching things from a positive outlook changes this around and opens our eyes to how wonderful this stage of life can be if we let it.
WHAT I LEARNED FROM A LIFE COACH
Monday 26 August 2019
WHY A LIFE COACH?
I must admit that I've never really understood the need to be coached when it comes to living your best life. My belief was that you took what life dealt you - the good and the bad, learned from your mistakes and mis-steps and kept pushing forwards. Having a husband who's a good listener also helps, so why would I ever need the assistance of a Life Coach?THE QUIET SIMPLICITY OF THOREAU'S WALDEN
Saturday 24 August 2019
QUIETLY LIVING WITH THOREAU
Today it's "Q" on my List of More and I thought I'd take a slightly different tangent to my usual posts. A while ago I started looking at "Walden" (or "Life in the Woods") by Henry David Thoreau, and the similarities between his quiet life back in 1845 and my new quiet life in 2019.Just a quick overview to catch you up if you're not a Thoreau fan:
4 WAYS I RECREATED MY LIFE AFTER A SETBACK
Tuesday 20 August 2019
A LITTLE HISTORY
Lately I’ve been in the process of recreating my life from scratch after leaving a toxic work situation that had brought me so low that I was teary at the thought of going into work each week.I was dealing with a very disturbed workmate who over-shared every dramatic and upsetting aspect of her life. There was no way that she was going to leave her position and no way that she was going to stop pouring her drama out on me (despite repeated promises to change). Ultimately, for my own mental and emotional health I resigned, but unfortunately, that wasn’t the end. The situation had drained me dry, and I felt quite lost and rudderless.
A CLOSED DOOR AND A MIDLIFE EPIPHANY
Monday 19 August 2019
A MIDLIFE EPIPHANY
I had a bit of an epiphany in the last few weeks where I realized I'd had one of those moments when a series of events come to a resolution and in the process a "point of life change" has occured - the goal posts have shifted and a door has closed. I remember this happening once before and it related to a completely different life decision, but it brought with it a similar sense of knowing that life was settling into a new course - and that it was a really good thing.Today I'm sharing that original epiphany and the Midlife one that happened recently...
SHARE YOUR STORY AND INSPIRE OTHERS
Saturday 17 August 2019
INTRO
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago in my July Coffee post that I'd met a lovely lady named Anne who is a life coach in the UK. She generously gave me some of her time, knowledge and skills to help me wrap my head around all the recent changes in my life and I'll be writing more about that in a couple of weeks. Anne also offered to share her journey to life coaching on my blog, so let me introduce you to her today....MY ALTERNATIVE TO THE MARIE KONDO METHOD
Monday 12 August 2019
REARRANGING THE DECK CHAIRS
I think Marie Kondo's Konmari method of decluttering is a great idea, but sadly for a lot of people the emphasis seems to have shifted from owning less clutter to tidying your clutter more neatly. I've talked to a few people who are busy folding their socks and underwear and clothes into neat little origami shapes..... but they aren't throwing anything out.SATURDAY SNIPPETS #18
Saturday 10 August 2019
INTRO
Here's the latest little snippets from all over the place that caught my eye and I thought were worth sharing. I hope you enjoy them too - feel free to pin them or share them with other people if they resonate with you. I've turned off the comments on these posts because they're just a fun Saturday post to look at, enjoy and move on - hopefully with a smile on your face or with something to think about.THIS IS WHAT AGING WELL LOOKS LIKE TO ME
Thursday 8 August 2019
WHAT DOES AGING WELL LOOK LIKE?
What does aging well look like for you? For starters, no matter what society and social media try to tell us, we are NOT invisible once we hit 50. We don’t have to fade into the wallpaper and sit in a corner knitting socks while the Millennials get to have all the fun. Our 50’s and 60’s are so much more than that, we’ve done the hard work and now we get to reap the rewards. You’re only invisible if you choose to be, if you stay open, engaged, interested in others, always having a smile, and choosing to be positive, you can’t help but shine. People are drawn to those who are living their lives well – they want to be a part of it, in the process they see us, and we stay vibrant and relevant.5 WAYS RETIREMENT CHANGES YOUR PERSPECTIVE
Monday 5 August 2019
HOW RETIREMENT IS CHANGING MY PERCEPTION OF LIFE
As I slide into retirement I'm coming to appreciate how much it's changing my perception of different aspects of my life. In the beginning I was fighting the idea of not being "gainfully employed" any longer. I resented retirement being thrust upon me when I wasn't expecting it. I see-sawed around the idea of returning to work so I didn't have to redefine myself and didn't have to feel the need to justify no longer being in the workforce.3 POSITIVE WAYS TO BE MORE OPEN IN LIFE
Saturday 3 August 2019
IT'S TIME TO OPEN UP
Midlife offers so many opportunities to rediscover ourselves and to explore all the potential we've yet to uncover. The decades leading up to our 50's were all about investing in others - family, work, commitments, and meeting expectations. Now we have the chance to invest in ourselves and to open ourselves up to be filled and then to overflow some of that fullness into the world around us.There's three types of openness that I want to touch on today as part of my List of More (today's letter is "O" in case you were wondering!)
IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
Monday 29 July 2019
IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE
If we were having coffee these are a few things I'd be sharing from July - we're in the middle of our Aussie Winter so I definitely feel like a hot beveridge and a chat today. I always enjoy a good 'Taking Stock' blog post, so I hope you'll humour me and sit a while as I share my news. There's nothing like a virtual cuppa and a chat, and I have lots to share from the last few weeks.SATURDAY SNIPPETS #17
Saturday 27 July 2019
INTRO
Here's the latest little snippets from all over the place that caught my eye and I thought were worth sharing. I hope you enjoy them too - feel free to pin them or share them with other people if they resonate with you. I've turned off the comments on these posts because they're just a fun Saturday post to look at, enjoy and move on - hopefully with a smile on your face or with something to think about.FULFILLING THE NEED FOR MORE IN LIFE
Monday 22 July 2019
LOOKING BACK AT CHOOSING "MORE"
I just realized that we're almost at the end of July already (where has the year gone!) and I haven't taken the time to look back to see how I was progressing with my Word Of The Year - MORE. Knowing what I now know, I can look back over the last few months and see why I was wanting to have More. My life had become so scant and so drained from all the drama I was experiencing in my job, I was so embroiled in the turmoil that I'd lost myself somewhere and I think I subconsciously chose "More" because I wanted to claim some of myself back again.3 WAYS TO RECLAIM A NORMAL NON-TOXIC LIFE
Saturday 20 July 2019
WHEN LIFE BECOMES TOXIC
When I was looking at what to write about for "N" in my List of More, I came across "Non-Toxic" and realized it fitted perfectly with the journey I'd been on over the last few months. A journey of recovery and re-grouping after leaving my very difficult work situation and all it entailed.So, today I thought I'd talk about getting to a point where life is normal and non-toxic and how to get from drowning in drama to being content and at peace with what's gone before.
3 TOXIC FRIENDSHIPS TO AVOID
Monday 15 July 2019
EVERYONE HAS ONE OF "THOSE" FRIENDS
I think we can all picture that one friend who drives us a little bit crazy. Sometimes it's a good kind of crazy and we roll along for the ride, but other times it can be a toxic kind of crazy where we wonder why we're still in a friendship that isn't all it seems to be on the surface. It might be a long term friend who's gradually changed, or a newer friend who, as we get to know them more, has aspects to their character that leave us seriously in doubt of their motives or their agenda.SATURDAY SNIPPETS #16
Saturday 13 July 2019
INTRO
Here's the latest little snippets from all over the place that caught my eye and I thought were worth sharing. I hope you enjoy them too - feel free to pin them or share them with other people if they resonate with you. I've turned off the comments on these posts because they're just a fun Saturday post to look at, enjoy and move on - hopefully with a smile on your face or with something to think about.MY TOP 5 MIDLIFE QUOTES #6
Friday 12 July 2019
INTRO
Last year I was sharing snippets from the internet, this year I'm going to share my top 5 quotes I find each week that apply to Midlife and the journey we're all on together. I hope you enjoy them. I'd love you to Pin them or save them or share them if any speak to your heart.They say "a picture is worth a thousand words" in my opinion, a quote can speak a thousand words in a sentence or two. So here we go....
TACKLING LIFE'S CHALLENGES WITH COURAGE
Thursday 11 July 2019
SMALL ACTS OF COURAGE
Denyse (from Denyse Whelan Blogs) asked me to take part in her Women of Courage series, and to be honest I felt like a bit of a fraud. So many women deal with huge upheavals and trauma with immense bravery. I've never had to step up that high, and I'm hugely grateful to have been spared from deep heartache and hurt.
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