ENJOYING A FABULOUS JULY

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ENJOYING A FABULOUS JULY

Well, July has come and almost gone - and brought with it lots of rain, lots of snuggling down near a heater with a good book, lots of family time, and lots of all the other good stuff that comes with cold Winter days and evenings. So, with that in mind, here's what's been Fabulous throughout the lovely month of July....
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EARLY RETIREMENT? UN-RETIREMENT? OR SOMETHING IN-BETWEEN?

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WHY DID I RETIRE EARLY?

For those of you who don't know my long and winding road to admitting defeat and leaving my horrible job three years ago, you can read about it HERE. Basically it boiled down to - leave while I still had a shred of sanity left, or stay and be crushed by the weight of the drama and tension that was a constant in my workplace. I chose to leave.

I didn't realize at the time that I was also choosing retirement nearly ten years earlier than I expected to...
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I WILL START FILLING MY OWN CUP

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I WILL START FILLING MY OWN CUP

I saw a quote on Pinterest the other day that resonated with how my Midlife journey is playing out. It began with the words "I will start filling my own cup" and from there the list continued and I could feel myself ticking them off one by one. 

So I thought I'd share the quote today and how it looks in my life....
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WHERE ARE YOU INVESTING YOUR TIME AND ENERGY?

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WHERE IS ALL YOUR ENERGY GOING?

Erica, a blogging friend of mine, once mentioned that she's very careful where she invests her energy these days. When she said that it rang a little bell deep within me - and woke me up to the fact that we all have only a finite amount of time and energy to give - and wasting it on things that aren't of value means we have less to give to the things that matter.

Lately I've had a few thoughts that reminded me of Erica's wisdom...
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WHY MY JUNE WAS JUST FABULOUS

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MY FABULOUS JUNE

June in Australia is the beginning of Winter - when it (finally) starts to rain. I love the cooler evenings and falling asleep to the sound of rain on the roof. I don't even have to worry about getting wet on my morning walks this year because I'm not walking as much with my limp - due to my dodgy hip, but this too shall pass. So, with a little singing in the rain, here's what's been Fabulous throughout the lovely month of June....
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RETIREMENT ISN'T THE END OF THE ROAD - IT'S A NEW BEGINNING

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RETIREMENT ISN'T THE END

I've heard so many people worry over what they'd do to keep busy once they retire. They wonder how they'll fill their days, how they'll stay relevant, and how they won't die of boredom. I didn't have time to worry about those things before retirement became my life - and perhaps that was a good thing for an over-thinker like myself.

Instead, I went from gainfully (if miserably) employed to being at home full-time virtually overnight. And, in the process, I discovered that retirement isn't stagnation, it's the beginning of a whole new - and pretty Fabulous - phase of life.
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HALFWAY THROUGH MY YEAR OF LIVING FABULOUSLY

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CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE

In January I chose FABULOUS as my Word of the Year. I wanted something positive and upbeat....something to motivate me to make bright, happy choices and to assist me in focusing on the positives in life. We all know that what you choose to see often impacts on your whole approach to life - look for the bad stuff and you'll find it....alternatively, look for the Fabulous stuff and you'll find that instead.
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WHAT IS APHANTASIA? AND DO YOU HAVE IT?

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WHAT ON EARTH IS APHANTASIA?

When our adult children were visiting a few weeks ago we got chatting about a condition known as aphantasia. Our son, who's a mechatronic engineer, just realized that he has it (much to his horror and annoyance). I think it comes from my side of the family because my husband doesn't have it and neither does our daughter. It provoked a LOT of discussion over several days and was quite an eye opener.

So, what is aphantasia?
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LOOKING BACK AT A FABULOUS MAY

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MY FABULOUS MAY

Thank goodness for Autumn - the cooler weather, the sunshine interspersed with rain, the gradual lead-up to Winter, and seeing the garden and nature begin to green up after the long, dry Summer we've endured. As we head into Winter, there'll be no snow or freezing temperatures here in Western Australia, and that's fine with  me - I like my weather mild and fairly predictable. On that note, here's what's been Fabulous throughout the lovely month of May....

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WHAT ARE GLIMMERS? AND HOW DO THEY WORK?

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WHAT IS A GLIMMER?

My blogging friend Pat from Retirement Transition wrote a series of posts recently about understanding abandonment and its resultant trauma and triggers. There were a lot of interesting outcomes that she described that strongly resonated with me - especially these five behaviours below. 

  • Overly sensitive to any criticism
  • Seeking external validation 
  • Discomfort/stress in social situations - especially new social situations 
  • Perfectionism, trying to meet expectations, and being productive
  • Excessive planning, over-thinking, and a desire to control the situation

In an email conversation I had with Pat, she mentioned that a friend had told her about Glimmers and how they can be used to counteract some of the triggers that we experience....
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