SHOULD YOU SELL YOUR CAR WHEN YOU RETIRE IN AUSTRALIA?

cresting the hill

INTRO

Over the last year or so my husband and I have been chatting about when it'll be time to downsize from two cars to one. Neither of us are driving to work anymore and most of the time at least one car is sitting idle in the garage....when do we sell one and save on some of the costs vs keeping both and having a car each that suits us? (I like small cars, he prefers a bigger engine and more space).

Today on the blog I have a collaboration that covers this topic in more detail and I found it to be really helpful with the list of pros and cons that come with making the decision of whether to sell, or to keep what you have...

LOOKING BACK AT A WONDERFUL WINTER

cresting the hill

LOOKING BACK AT THE WINTER THAT'S BEEN

Winter has been a lovely change from the hot, dry, extended Summer we experienced here in Western Australia. The cooler days and the rain have been really welcome - it's so lovely to see the world green up around me and to hear the rain on the roof at night as I snuggle under the covers.

It's been three months since I wrote my last update and today I wanted to share a few of the highlights from the family, the blog, and life in general - I hope you'll enjoy them too.....

WHEN A GOOD LIFE TIPS THE SCALES OVER AN EASY LIFE

cresting the hill

A GOOD LIFE VS AN EASY LIFE

When I was younger, I always had a small kernel of envy in my heart towards those who seemed to lead much easier lives. I'd see those who had large incomes, or those who were making big purchases, or those who seemed to be high fliers, and my heart would give a little twinge as I continued along with my daily life of work and paying bills, saving money, and going without those added extras.

I thought that the easy life was the best life, but as the second half of life has come along and things have steadied, I can see that it isn't an easy life that I'm drawn to, its a good life....

CHOOSING "NO MATTER WHAT" PEOPLE OVER "JUST LET THEM" PEOPLE

cresting the hill

"JUST LET THEM" QUOTE

I read a quote a little while ago, called "Just Let Them" by Cassie Phillips - it was an attempt at being positive and proactive when it comes to people in your life who don't treat you in the way you'd like to be treated. At first it sounds very strong and powerful, but the more I thought about it, the less appealing it became.

This is the quote:

5 HEALTHY HABITS TO ADOPT IN LATER LIFE

cresting the hill


INTRO

Today on the blog I have another great collaboration with some sensible advice on how to stay healthy so we can keep living our best life. I know that a positive mindset is vital, and it's so much easier to stay that way if we keep our body and brain in good shape too. 

So, let me pass the blog over to my collaborator to share some sensible tips on how to stay as healthy as possible as we progress through the second half of life...

IT STARTS WITH ME AND ENDS WITH PEACE

cresting the hill

FEELING UNSETTLED

Life can be really wonderful overall, but still throw little upsets and irritations into our days. I seem to have a couple of those that have been on-going in my life over the last few months, and I've been trying to untangle the "why?" I start with wondering why someone would be mean spirited, then I wonder why I'm unhappy with a particular place, then I start beating up on myself for being bothered by it all....then I beat up on myself a bit more by wondering if I caused the irritations.....then the loop starts again.

I find myself playing scenarios over in my head as I try to rationalise things that aren't rational, as I try to control how others should behave - but there's a part of me that knows this isn't on me, that knows I need to let go of trying to live in a perfect world full of perfect people and I've come to see.....

WHAT DO THE REAL LUXURIES IN LIFE LOOK LIKE?

cresting the hill

LIVING AN ABUNDANT LIFE

I used to think that living abundantly and luxuriously involved an expensive lifestyle and having everything you could imagine at your finger tips, wanting for nothing. As time has moved on, I've found the types of abundance and luxury that revolve around extravagance are meaningless to me. I have no desire at all to add more "stuff" to my life, to own more, to spend more, or to keep up with the Joneses.

Abundance and luxury for me are all about the small delights that are part of everyday life, simple pleasures that we often take for granted. Today I thought I'd share some of them....

HOW MY HOME HAS BECOME MY HAVEN

cresting the hill

WHEN YOU LOVE BEING HOME

I think one of the signs of settling into Midlife is that, as nice as it is to have lots of outside interests, I also really love being home. I think about all the freedom I have now, all the places I could go, all the social activities I have the time for, and all the entertainment that's available....and for the most part I'd rather be home.

I know that we all need to get out and about and be sociable and stay engaged with life, but I also love that my home has become my sanctuary where I can just relax and be in my own space. Today I wanted to share a few thoughts on how my home has become my haven.....

HALFWAY THROUGH A YEAR OF LIVING WITH EQUANIMITY

cresting the hill

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO LIVE WITH EQUANIMITY?

When I chose "Equanimity" as my Word of the Year for 2024 I knew it would be a challenge. It's not a word that comes up in day-to-day conversation, but it's full of depth and gravitus, and I just love the ideas that come with it. For me, it's about being centered, grounded, and at peace with the world around me.

This year I've wanted to live from a heart-centered worldview - to be calm and grounded on the inside and to be able to move through life's ups and downs without being too buffeted by them. I'm at the halfway mark and I'm reminded that I'm still a work in progress....

3 IMPORTANT CHOICES TO ENSURE WE AGE WELL

cresting the hill

HOW DO WE GO ABOUT AGING WELL? 

A fellow blogger asked the question recently - "How old is too old?" and it got me thinking about whether age is to do with the number of years we've lived, or whether it's to do with how we go about living the years we've been allocated.

Are we aging well? And how do we go about intentionally aging with grace? I came up with three choices that I hope are helping me to age well into the years ahead....