Because I’m worth it

Breakfast for one ~Photo Lori Greer in Portland~

I am trying to make every meal an “event” even if I am eating alone.

On second thought, especially if I am eating alone. Continue reading “Because I’m worth it” →

Sticker Shock

I buy cardamon in bulk from one of my favorite stores, New Seasons.

I love the fragrance and taste.

Running low, I added it to my grocery list.

Without thinking, I put a few large scoops in a plastic bag.

When I weighed it and saw the price, I was shocked.

It’s almost $50 per pound. Continue reading “Sticker Shock” →

A simple breakfast

I awake early to a dark and cold house.

Downstairs, I flip the switch on the gas fireplace in my living room. I am rewarded with heat and light.

I keep the blinds closed. There is nothing inspiring about looking out into the dark. Continue reading “A simple breakfast” →

We join spokes together in a wheel

~Foggy Lake Photo by Gabriela Palai/Pexel.com~

This is what I am thinking about this morning as I sit by the fireplace.

“We join spokes together in a wheel,
but it is the center hole
that makes the wagon move.

We shape clay into a pot,
but it is the emptiness inside
that holds whatever we want.

We hammer wood for a house,
but it is the inner space
that makes it livable.

We work with being,
but non-being is what we use.”

— Tao De Ching

But be gracious

Be pretty if you can, witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you. Elsie de Wolfe

Elsie de Wolfe lived and died a long time ago.

Her words are timeless. Continue reading “But be gracious” →

But be gracious

Be pretty if you can, witty if you must, but be gracious if it kills you. Elsie de Wolfe

Elsie de Wolfe lived and died a long time ago.

Her words are timeless. Continue reading “But be gracious” →

Everyone hustles his life along

I am fascinated by Seneca who wrote about how to live centuries ago.

~Photo Woman on Swing http://www.pexels.com/Pixabay~

“Everyone hustles his life along, and is troubled by a longing for the future and weariness of the present. But the man who … organizes every day as though it were his last, neither longs for nor fears the next day… Continue reading “Everyone hustles his life along” →

Not deciding is deciding

You owe it to all of us to get on with what you’re good at. W. H. Auden

This quote was a page-stopper for me.

It comes at a time when I am weighing options in my life.

There is what I want to do. Quit my job and pursue other interests.

I tell myself at least once a day that I should quit and do something else.

Then there is what I feel I should do. Stay at the job and try to contain work to a reasonable amount of time in my day and space in my brain. So far, not happening.

I need to learn some Jedi mind tricks.

What I am good at? Writing, communicating, helping others, finding solutions, taking care of loved ones. Even if I am not first-rate at anything, there are many things I enjoy doing such as writing (I always come back to that), painting, playing the piano, learning computer science.

All take time and a full-time job doesn’t allow for much free time.

Everybody’s doing it

I have many friends who are retired. I am just tired.

I want to step out in faith that the future will be OK, that I have saved enough, that I will not regret my decision.

My friend’s younger sister (40ish) was killed suddenly in a car accident a few weeks ago. A terrible reminder of the uncertainty of our time on earth.

My friend who retired in December hates it. Other friends love it.

A man and his wife recently retired and downsized. As he put it, “We want to make tnese decisions while we are still able rather than have someone else make them for us.”

If I look hard and long enough, I will find arguments pro and con for quitting my job.

Every day brings me closer to starting a new life.

The question is will I let fate decide (illness, accident, industry changes) or will I be the captain of my ship?