LIFE OFTEN ISN'T ABOUT SMOOTH, STRAIGHT PATHS

Often our biggest successes, and where we find ourselves growing are found in the challenging, unexpected paths that weren't what we'd have chosen

OUR PATH ISN'T ALWAYS STRAIGHT

When I was younger I assumed that life was a straight path - maybe there'd be a few bumps along the way, and maybe even an occasional small detour, but basically a+b=c and if I made plans and tried my best to control all the variables, I'd end up with a pretty smooth journey.

How wrong I was! Now I've come to see that straight paths appear here and there, but more often it's a spiral, or there's rough terrain to navigate, or it's a dead end...life is definitely not defined by smoothly paved, wide avenues. 
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4 AREAS WHERE LETTING GO HAS MADE ROOM FOR MORE IN MY LIFE

We need to reassess what's important and let go of some things to make room for more.

LETTING GO IS JUST THE BEGINNING

The first Word Of The Year I ever chose (back in 2015) was "Release" because I felt like I was trying to control my world by holding on too tightly to far too many things. I wanted to be able to free myself from the need to have all my ducks in a row and to allow life to happen to me - rather than always pushing through and wanting to know the ending.

I wanted life to be more about the journey, and less about the destination. But there's more to letting go than the action itself, the second part is what it makes room for in our lives...
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MAKING THE MOST OF HOME EQUITY IN YOUR 50S AND BEYOND

How to use your home equity as a tool to support your life in your 50s and beyond.

INTRO

Today on the blog I have an interesting collaboration that looks into how we can use the equity in our homes as an additional support through the second half of life. Fortunately we haven't needed to tap into this resource, but I can see how it would be worth considering if you wanted that extra boost that your weekly income may not be able to supply.

If you’re keen to learn how to use your home equity as a tool to support your life in your 50s and beyond, this article will delve into things you should know to make the most of your existing home equity.
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SOMETIMES I NEED TO REMEMBER THAT IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT ME

Sometimes we'll encounter people who don't like us. We don't need to prove ourselves, or try to be who we're not - we can let it be okay.

AN UNSETTLING ENCOUNTER

A while back I encountered a woman who I knew by association. She knew some of the people I knew, and I thought that she might be someone I might like to get to know better. How wrong I was...

For some reason, this person chose to cold shoulder me, she wasn't rude or confrontational, she just didn't want to interact with me or engage. It really threw me because I can't remember encountering anyone who was so standoff-ish, so I immediately went into damage control mode. You know what that's like...the inner voice starts nattering away in our head with all the usual questions.
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HAVE YOU HEARD OF THE TELL THEM THEORY? I LOVE IT!

the "Tell Them Theory" is based around kindness and lifting others up. Affirming those who are doing their best in our noisy world.

LET THEM VS TELL THEM

A couple of years ago I shared my thoughts about the "Let Them Theory" where if people are awful to us, we just let them behave like that and get on with our lives. It never really resonated with me and I explained why in my post (if you missed reading it you can find it HERE). 

I don't want people like that in my life, I don't want to have people around me behaving in unkind ways while I pretend it doesn't bother me. It hurts my heart to be near people who do this:
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EUSTRESS - LEARNING THAT NOT ALL STRESS IS BAD FOR ME

Eustress is the positive form of stress. It comes from the Greek word "eu," meaning "good," and "stress."

THERE IS MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF STRESS

Recently I've been feeling quite stressed. I can feel it within myself - that unsettledness, the tightness in my chest, my heart beating a bit faster etc. The weird thing is that I'm not under pressure, I'm not dealing with anything upsetting or overwhelming....but I'm still feeling stressed.

What's with that? Well, it turns out that there's more than one type of stress - the negative "distress" that I've always been familiar with (that toxic job being the pinnacle!) and then there's a different kind that my husband told me is called "eustress" - why didn't I know about this?!
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3 THINGS I LOVE ABOUT EASTER

I love Easter and this special time of the year - it's like a little open window with a breath of fresh air blowing in.

IT'S EASTER AND THAT MEANS:

I love this special time of the year - it's like a little open window with a breath of fresh air blowing in. Easter gives me space to appreciate my blessings and I thought I'd do a quick post today to share three that came to mind over the last few days....
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YUTORI - MINDFULLY CREATING ROOM TO BREATHE

Yutori means having sufficiency and ease—a sense of comfort, time, and financial or mental space.

MEANINGFUL AND MINDFUL WORDS

As part of my exploration of my Word of the Year "Mindful" I've come across a few terms recently that have resonated with me. They're words that have depth and meaning to them, and they carry a little "something" that I'd like to incorporate into my own life. I chose five to explore further over March - which has been my month of meaningful, mindful reflection.

The final one of these words that caught my eye is Yutori....
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BLOOM SCROLLING - MINDFULLY MANAGING THE ALGORITHMS

Bloom scrolling is choosing to focus on the stories and images that are good for our heart and mind. It's like fresh water for the soul.

MEANINGFUL AND MINDFUL WORDS

As part of my exploration of my Word of the Year "Mindful" I've come across a few terms recently that have caught my eye. They're words that have depth and meaning to them, and they carry a little "something" that I'd like to incorporate into my own life. I've chosen five to explore further over March - which I'm making into my month of meaningful, mindful reflection.

Bloom-scrolling is the next word in my March series....
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ERT - MINDFULLY FINDING PURPOSE AND MOMENTUM

Ert is that tiny spark within us that reaches out of the mess of daily life towards what is good, and towards what it is we most crave to be, do and love.

ERT - A SENSE OF PURPOSE OR MOMENTUM

As part of my exploration of my Word of the Year "Mindful" I've come across a few terms recently that have caught my eye. They're words that have depth and meaning to them, and they carry a little "something" that I'd like to incorporate into my own life. I've chosen five to explore further over March - which is my month of meaningful, mindful reflection.

The next word is one I remember from reading Phosphorescence: On Awe, Wonder and Things That Sustain You When the World Goes Dark by Julia Baird a few years ago and being struck by Chapter 18 where she writes about "Ert". Ert isn't a word that I'd come across anywhere else, she explains that it's a term coined by marine biologist Lisa-Ann Gershwin, meaning the opposite of inertia....it's a sense of purpose or momentum.

She goes on to say...
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AMOR FATI - MINDFULLY EMBRACING ALL THAT HAPPENS IN LIFE

Amor Fati is used to describe a concept or attitude where one accepts and embraces all of life's experiences - including suffering and loss - as necessary and good.

MEANINGFUL AND MINDFUL WORDS

As part of my exploration of my Word of the Year "Mindful" I've come across a few terms recently that have caught my eye. They're words that have depth and meaning to them, and they carry a little "something" that I'd like to incorporate into my own life. I've chosen five to explore further over March - which is going to be my month of meaningful, mindful reflection.

The second of these words that drew my interest is a latin term "Amor Fati" - another term I'd never heard before, that resonated and gave me a perspective on how life has been for me over the last few years....
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EREMITION - MINDFULLY SEEKING SOLITUDE, PEACE, AND RENEWAL

Eremition refers to the intentional, often gradual, act of withdrawing from society to seek solitude, reflection, and personal renewal.

MEANINGFUL AND MINDFUL WORDS

As part of my exploration of my Word of the Year "Mindful" I've come across a few terms recently that have caught my eye. They're words that have depth and meaning to them that carries a little "something" that I'd like to incorporate into my own life. I've chosen five to explore further over March - which is going to be my month of meaningful, mindful reflection.

The first of these words that caught my eye is Eremition - a word I'd never heard before, but one that resonated and gives me a description of how life has been for me over the last few years....
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LIVING MY SUMMER MINDFULLY

Some small updates as I strive to be living mindfully through summer.

WHAT DID MY SUMMER TEACH ME?

I thought I'd do a little seasonal update on what living Mindfully looks like for me through the year ahead. This is my Summer look back over Christmas, January, and February. Lots of hot days, plenty of family time, a couple of big and small purchases, a fur-child update, a blogging milestone, and a great quote that appeared at just the right time.

I hope you'll find the time to have a little browse below....
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DREAMING SMALL DREAMS WHILE LIVING A SIMPLE LIFE

Finding contentment in small dreams, simple living, and a life of peace and quiet.

CHOOSING MY PERSPECTIVE

I think contentment and happiness both depend on our perspective. A friend shared an article with me recently about choosing what we focus on and the story we tell ourselves about our circumstances. It reminded me of the post I wrote many years ago about choosing our memories - we can choose to remember all the things we didn't receive, or we can put that aside and remember all the small joys that we experienced through childhood and into our adult years.

One of the biggest perspective choices I make is about how I see my small, quiet life....
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THE TIMELESS APPEAL OF CANDLES IN MODERN HOMES

Candles have remained a beloved feature of homes for centuries, valued for their gentle illumination, mood, atmosphere and comfort.

INTRO

Today on the blog I'm sharing a really interesting post on the benefits of candles in our homes, and why they're still such popular gifts today. I hope you enjoy this lovely collaboration and that it inspires you to light a candle and enjoy the scent and serenity...
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WHAT DOES BEING MINDFUL MEAN TO ME?

What does living mindfully in the present moment mean to you? Here's a few thoughts about how to achieve those mindful moments.

INTRO

Today on the blog I have a wonderful guest blogger joining me....Denyse Whelan. Denyse and I have been blogging friends for several years; recently she moved her blog over to Substack. She's taking a few week's break, but normally she writes there every week, sharing her journey of recovery from severe burnout and the lessons she's learning along the way.

I noticed recently that she wrote a great post about being Mindful (my Word of the Year for 2026) so it immediately caught my eye. (And if you have something on being Mindful that you'd like to share here, please email me and we'll make it happen). Denyse has very generously allowed me to share her original post, so without further ado, here is Denyse with what she's been learning about being Mindfully present in the "now".....
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SOME THOUGHTS ABOUT MINDFULLY LIVING ONE DAY AT A TIME

Don't spend too much time worrying about the future or regretting the past - focus on mindfully living in the present.

CHOOSING TO BE MINDFULLY PRESENT

When I chose "Mindful" as my Word of the Year for 2026, I realized that it covers lots of different aspects of my life. One of the big ones for me is how to be present in the "now" and to not be re-hashing the past or over-thinking the future.

I'm slowly getting better at living one day at a time. Retirement has helped with that because sometimes I can't even remember what day of the week it is, I just flow along with whatever small commitments I have on the calendar, and let the rest of each day take care of itself. But, I still regularly catch myself thinking too far into the future or dwelling on what's happened in the past, so it's still good to remind myself to live in the present and here's a few quotes that have spoken to me recently...
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I WANT TO BE A "NOTICER"

Do you feel seen by the people around you? Do you turn your inner dialogue off long enough to listen when you're with a friend?

OWNING MY NOTICING

I love Ullie-Kaye's poetry (as you'd know if you've read any of my posts over the last couple of years since I discovered her writing). She often says what I'm thinking, but in a beautiful way that I could never pull together. A little while ago I read one of her poems that was about "noticers" and I realized that I'm a noticer - and that it's a good thing to be.

So, today I thought I'd tease that out a little and take some ownership of a quality that seems to be lacking these days - being a noticer....
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TEN REVEALING QUESTIONS AI ASKED ME ABOUT MYSELF

Have you ever been analysed by ChatGPT? If not, here's your chance.

AN ONLINE PERSONALITY CHALLENGE

Recently, as I was mindlessly scrolling Facebook videos, I came across one from Digital Laura where she shared a ChatGPT prompt that will give you some insights into yourself that you may or may not be aware of. Because I'm looking at ways to be more mindful this year, and because I'm still on the fence about all this AI stuff, I thought I'd toss myself into the experiment and see what the outcome was.

Laura gives us a prompt to type into whatever version of ChatGPT you use. Here's the prompt:
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FROM FINE LINES TO FIRM SKIN: WHY COLLAGEN IS KEY IN YOUR MIDLIFE SKINCARE ROUTINE

Today I have an interesting collaboration on why collagen is important and how to include it in our skincare routine.

INTRO

I never used to think about my skin much - just threw on a bit of moisturizer and off I'd go into my day. But, as I'm aging (yes we all are...) I've realized I probably need to up my skincare game a little, and collagen is certainly high on the list of things to look into. 

Today on the blog I have an interesting collaboration on why collagen is important and how to include it in our skincare routine. I hope you find it as interesting as I did.

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BOUNDARIES, CREATING SPACE, AND BEING MINDFUL OF MY LIMITS

I'm not good at holding space - I get a lot of my identity from other people, and I have very poor self-differentiation.

KNOWING ISN'T ALWAYS ENOUGH

Several years ago I finally (way too late!) discovered what a personal boundary was, and how important it is to draw a line in the sand when it comes to dealing with difficult and demanding people. I wrote a blog post about it because I thought I'd grasped the concept, had teased it out as to how it would help me in the future, and I had begun to put it into place. Little did I know how easily my line in the sand could be erased and how porous those boundaries could be....

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CHOOSING TO CURATE A MINDFUL MIDLIFE

A mindful Midlife is knowing what my heart, mind, and emotions need for me to live my life well.

A NEW YEAR AND A NEW WORD

I always love the beginning of a new year and choosing a new Word of the Year to direct my thoughts and help me grow more into my true self in this second half of life. As each year draws to a close, I find myself mulling over what my next WOTY will be, and as I allow things to simmer, I find a Word will often bubble to the surface.

That's exactly what happened this time - it came to me early, and it stuck in my head because it clicked in a way that resonated with how I want to approach this year ahead. So, for 2026 I'm embracing the Word:
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