LIVING AUGUST WITH FABULOSITY

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ENJOYING A FABULOUS AUGUST

Well, today marks (almost) the end of another month - August supposedly heralds the end of the cold Winter days and evenings, but the seasons seem to be a bit slower these days, and I'm sure there's more rain and cloudy days ahead.... But that doesn't mean that life is any less Fabulous, and today I'm sharing what went on during the weeks of August....
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YOU DON'T HAVE TO TAKE EVERYTHING TO HEART

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BECOMING LESS BOTHERED BY OTHERS

We had our grandgirls down for a visit a few weeks ago and it was interesting watching their interactions and dynamics. We parented a boy and a girl, and I grew up without a sister, so I'm not familiar with all the 'negotiating' that goes on between two girls. My husband would just look at me and ask "Why?" when they'd go on and on about some small issue like:

"I'm the queen.....well if you're the queen then I'm a princess.....no, I'm a princess too......no, you're the queen, I'm the princess.....no, I'm a princess.......Nan, I'm a princess aren't I?.....no, I'm a princess......" and around it would go. It wasn't an argument or even true bickering, it was just a constant discussion about absolutely irrelevant issues. All they really needed to do was think "Whatever" and move on.

It opened my eyes to the fact that I often have these types of conversations in my own head about things that really don't matter either.....
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LIFE LESSONS A TOXIC CO-WORKER TAUGHT ME

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LIFE LESSONS FROM A TOXIC WORKPLACE

A few years ago I wrote a lot of blog posts about working through leaving my toxic job. It was a watershed point in my life where I realized that I was in a situation beyond my control and it had seriously messed with my mental and emotional health. I survived, rebounded, re-assessed, and now I feel like I'm in a much better place......not because of what I went through, but in spite of what I went through. 

I walked away from that mess and moved on, but I also learnt some valuable life lessons from that difficult time, and I thought I'd share a few of them today.....

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LIVING WITH AND MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN

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LIVING WITH AND MANAGING CHRONIC PAIN

It's strange how you take so much in your life for granted....until something is taken away from you. I read somewhere a long time ago that it's not until we're in pain that we realize how much we take pain-free living for granted.....and I can certainly attest to that! I look back to how I'd stride out each day for my morning walk, and all the bending and twisting I could do without giving it a second thought, and I miss it every.single.day. 

It's been a year now since my hip pain flared up, and as the pain settles into becoming my "new normal" and limits so much of my life, I can see that weathering this storm depends on several different approaches - including taking the medication I'm prescribed, doing what I can to maintain my physical strength, and also on my attitude and my perception of life. You can let pain and discomfort steal from you, and beat you down, or you can choose to rise above it and learn from it - I'm choosing the latter.
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HOW GRATEFUL ARE YOU FOR THE LIFE YOU HAVE NOW?

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FEELING GRATEFUL AND HAPPY

I've heard the expression "happiness is very overrated" and thought it was a little bit sad. I don't think we can expect to be happy every moment of every day, but I genuinely believe that we can create a life where we feel a sense of peace, contentment, and happiness.

Some people want all the bells and whistles and feel cheated when life doesn't provide it for them. I'm not one of those people, I've always just wanted a life where I wake up in the morning and look forward to what the day ahead has in store for me. It's taken many years to arrive at the point where I feel a quiet sense of happiness deep within and that's what today's post is all about.....
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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

cresting the hill

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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