The Great Reset Part 1…
Let me start this blog with some disclaimers. I write this as a way to share what I’m going through. We all reach this midpoint in our lives (or maybe a little farther than midway – who knows?) and have to contemplate the realities of new challenges and adventures. The challenges come from our aging bodies and minds. The adventures can come from those, too, and from the next chapters of our lives at retirement. What I share here is not advice. It’s what I’m going through. I’m just someone dealing with getting older and trying to figure out how to approach the next stage of my life. By nature, I can be very opinionated and political. I try to keep that out of my blog, and I know some of it slips in. Nothing I write is ever intended to offend. [I’ve been thinking a lot about this. In my opinion, what I feel about something or someone or an opinion is on me. My reaction is based on my experience and my perspective.] Anyway, I hope that what I’m sharing gives you something – even if it’s a bit of smugness that you aren’t facing the same battles that I am. One last thing – I feel like this blog could go on for quite awhile, so I am going to break it into parts.
Normally, I do not embrace a new calendar year with resolutions. As I’m sure I’ve written before, I “feel” the new year at the beginning of September, more than the beginning of January. This time around the calendar feels different, though. This year seems to have so much riding on it. We’ll be entering the third year of the pandemic and all that it brings with it. With the newest variant racing through our communities, I hear even louder the cries of exhaustion and frustration from the people around me. We just want to live, seems to be a popular refrain. When will the pandemic end?
The past couple of years have taken their toll on me, as I’m sure they have on you. While there have been many instances of positive and memorable moments, they seem overshadowed by the negative. It’s time for me to move beyond that. To look myself in the mirror and acknowledge what has gone on for the last two years, accept my own role in what I see, and move forward with energy and enthusiasm.
To that end, I’m embracing the idea of New Year’s resolutions. I think mine will be different from those that are often heard and yet, some will be familiar. In great part because of what we’ve gone through for the last two years, I’m embarking on a year of improvement. I’m not going to state a set of resolutions. I want to be bolder. I want to find a way to reset. Start some new things, continue (or restart those that worked in the past for me), and stop some of the bad. [I have colleagues who will read this and smile, as it’s an exercise popular in our organization right now.]
I used to have routines that worked well for me. They didn’t dictate my moves, they weren’t required to satisfy some weird need in me, I “designed” them to give me time. One of the simplest was my Saturday morning routine. It’s when I would clean the bathrooms, tidy up the house, and wash the floors. I’ll be honest – it hasn’t been happening on anything close to a regular basis since I moved in. When I look around, I can recognize why. It’s because I’m still settling, still figuring out where to put things, still sorting and getting rid of stuff. Whatever the reason, it’s been missing. That one routine gave me the majority of the weekend to do what I need to do when I’m off work – relax and have fun. So, that’s the easy part. Pick up some of the routines that I’ve already developed, dust them off, and get back at them.
The hard part is the rest. So, to “tackle” it, I’m giving myself January. This month is devoted to figuring out my top three (and they’re biggies): faith, health, wealth. Yikes!
Faith: As I get older so, too, is the generation before me. My mom and my uncle, in particular. I know I’m blessed to still have them in my life and I’m not ready to say goodbye. I believe I need to turn to my faith to help me through whatever may come in this next year, whether it is age related or pandemic related or something else. So, number one on my hit list is figuring out how to make that happen. I believe in prayer and this year want to concentrate on praying in gratitude instead of always asking for something.
Health: Well, this is huge. I’ve put on weight, especially during this pandemic. It’s terrible and I’m horrified every time I look into the mirror. It’s not just the weight, though, it’s the consequences of that weight – pain, discomfort, dislike of self, etc. I don’t want to lose weight just to look different (better). I need to lose weight to feel better, both in body and mind. And it’s not just weight from the pandemic. It's also related to menopause. That means aging. I don’t take aging very well. Never have. It’s rare to even hear me mention my age in numbers. So, there’s more to this than just losing a whole lot of pounds.
It means an improved approach to eating and movement. Health is more than just the body, though. It’s also the mind and emotions. Mine could use a little help. I’ve always been introspective – just part of being me. And this blog helps me get some of what’s in my head, out. But there’s more. There’s that aspect of our human selves that is selfish and judgmental. I’d like to work on that. I’d also like to go back to finding positives, opportunities, and elements of joy in everyday moments. For January, I’m going to concentrate on two immediate things: when and what I eat and getting out and walking. For the rest of January, I’m going to work to determine my goals. I don’t want them to surround the number on the scale, although that’s incredibly important. I want those goals to include some less tangible, but just as important, outcomes. I want happiness and I have some ideas – standby!
The third part for 2022 is wealth. When I use that word, I’m not just talking about money in the bank, although there’s nothing wrong with that. I’m talking about paying off debt, securing my future (think: pension and options), determining my career path, and planning for retirement. It also includes in prioritizing the work that I want to take on in the house. That’s for the next blog.
I’m ending with some pictures of the house. As I’ve said, I like decorating for the seasons and celebrations. I’ve switched from my Christmas décor (the house always looks so empty after more than a month of Christmas everywhere!) into my winter décor. I do winter in blues, whites, and silvers. I have hangings on each of the outside doors and will soon turn off the colourful outdoor lights of Christmas. [I tend to leave them on a little longer as they’re so pretty and it’s still dark so early.] When I switch off those lights, I’ll leave on the white ones in the windows and in my evergreen crocks – they really brighten up a dark part of the street. P.S. I bought some paint samples for walls! I can’t wait to get working again on the house!!
These are my “snow kids”. They sit by my fireplace until the end of winter. (not the best picture quality)
My dining table: the tablecloth is antique, from my grandma; the placemats I bought years ago; I love napkins that go with the season. (Everything was just pulled out of the bins and there are still lots of wrinkles!!)
Some of my winter decor in the kitchen.
Top: front door; Bottom left: driveway entrance; Bottom right: kitchen porch entrance