IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE

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. #ifwewerehavingcoffee

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE

If we were having coffee these are a few things I'd be sharing from April. It's been month two of "stay home/stay safe" and I wondered what I'd have to talk about with my social life grinding to a halt. Despite all the doom and gloom, it's still been pretty good where we are and so I thought I'd share some of the little rays of sunshine that have been part of my life at home this month and I hope you'll pull up a virtual chair (at a safe distance) and enjoy a cuppa with me today.

HAVING A CHRONIC COUGH DURING COVID-19

What do you do when you have a chronic cough during a pandemic? Suck lozengers, cough into your elbow (not your hand) and stay home so people don't judge you.

THE COUGH THAT NEVER ENDS

I've had a cough for many, many years. No doctor has found a way to fix it for me - and I've had lots of advice from professionals, friends, and Dr Google as to why I cough and how to manage it. I think it's probably reflux related at its core, but ultimately it's a irritation somewhere deep down that gets triggered when I'm in cold air, or when I lie down, or lean back, or when I think about it too much, or when I try not to think about it too much, or..... anyway, you get the idea.

RE-DEFINING AND RESTRUCTURING LIFE IN RETIREMENT

What I am learning about life in retirement is that it can, and will, change and you will change along the way too. Retirement isn't a vacation, it's a life restructure. #retirement

INTRO

Today I have the next guest in my MIDLIFE SYMPHONY series where I've asked others to share what they're doing to make the second half of life the best half of life. Nancy (from Defining Third Ageis sharing today about how retirement is being redefined for her as she adjusts her view on what this stage of life looks like as it opens up and leads into the future.

There are a lot of points that resonated with me here because it's something I've also been pondering a lot lately - all those years ahead and the vast unknown that they encompass - a mystery and a challenge! And now I'll hand over to Nancy:

WHEN LIFE BECOMES ALL ABOUT THE MUSIC AGAIN

When you're happy you listen to the music and when you're sad it's all about the lyrics. It's also true that when you're happy you enjoy positive and inspirational blog posts and you don't need to read quite as many self-help ones. #midlife #positivity

MUSIC AND LYRICS

They say that when you're happy you listen to the music and when you're sad it's all about the lyrics. And I think it's also true that when you're going through difficult times you look for articles that help you find your new direction, then when you're happy again you start to enjoy positive and inspirational blog posts and you don't need to read quite as many of the self-help ones.

WHEN LIFE TELLS YOU IT'S TIME TO TAKE LONG SERVICE LEAVE

Maybe this pandemic is Life giving us the opportunity to slow down and take some Long Service Leave. To relax and to recuperate.

A LIFE OF BEING PRODUCTIVE

I don't know about you, but I've spent 50+ years leading a productive life. It may not be an earth shaking, world changing, productive life, but it's been a full and engaging one for me. I've progressed steadily through all the age appropriate levels and now I feel like life is saying - "take a breath, sit back, rest, and recuperate". Life will go on again, we'll all be rushing around before we know it, but for now it's time to take some Long Service Leave.

EASTER HOPE IN A TIME OF PANDEMIC

Hope is what we hold onto when life gets out of kilter and we're battling worry and concern. Viktor Frankl and Easter both teach us something about hope in dark times.

WHEN HOPE IS ALL WE HAVE

I read Viktor Frankl's "Man's Search for Meaning" last year and the predominant thought that I came away with was that Hope is what helps us hold on through unimaginable hardships. Hope is the light that shines at the end of the tunnel. Hope is what we hold onto when we don't understand what is going on around us. And Hope is what we need to hold onto while we stay safe at home and ride our way through this pandemic.

THE GIFT OF AN EARLY AND UNWANTED REDUNDANCY

Sometimes the things that we dread become the turning points in opening up a new life adventure. Life never ceases to surprise us. #midlifesymphony

INTRO

Today I have the next guest in my MIDLIFE SYMPHONY series where I've asked others to share what they're doing to make the second half of life the best half of life. Deb (from Deb's Worldlives on the other side of Australia to me and yet we have a great online friendship and one day I intend to have a coffee with her in her lovely glass sunroom. Today Deb's sharing how an unexpected and unwanted redundancy from her job has shaped the second half of her life in a way that was much better than she could ever have anticipated.

EMBRACING A LIFE OTHERS DON'T UNDERSTAND

Making a life choice that's different from the accepted "norm" can be quite challenging. To allow the contentment of your new life choice to settle in, here's three concepts you will need to embrace. #midlife #lifechanges

WHEN YOU MAKE A DIFFERENT LIFESTYLE CHOICE

Choosing how to create a Midlife SYMPHONY where the second half of life is better than you could ever have expected can often include making challenging life choices that are different from the majority of those around you, and different from the accepted "norm". If you go against the flow and choose a lifestyle that suits you, but is out of the realm of what others expected of you, then you might need to embrace a few new concepts. You don't need to explain your choices to anyone, but there will still be many who don't understand why you'd step out of the mainstream and head off down a quiet little life tributary.

When you pull out of the expected course, and start paddling your canoe in a different direction, it's a good idea to be confident in your "why" and to know that it's right for you - maybe not for others, but definitely right for you. For your heart to be centred and to allow the contentment of your new life choice to settle in, here's three concepts you will need to embrace.

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE

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. #ifwewerehavingcoffee

IF WE WERE HAVING COFFEE

If we were having coffee these are a few things I'd be sharing from March. It's the first month of Autumn here in Australia and the weather is finally starting to cool a little. It's been a long hot Summer and now that March is behind me, 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.