Think of your life as a series of year cycles.

There is a small, disheveled baby robin making her very first steps in my garden today. She looks a bit dazed and exhausted, her lovely yellow down all awry. I know exactly what she feels like. She looks like a lot of people I know right now. At almost every age, everyone seems to be on the cusp of a similar transition: taking their first steps into an uncertain and illegible new world. As I write this, a flock of birds flies overhead heading south to prepare for the winter. Like us, the birds are transitioning and so are my parents who are preparing to head south once again, to stay warm for the winter months. We are not finished with transitions.

At just shy of 55, okay 55 now that my birthday month is almost done, I feel poised between these two ends of the spectrum, the baby bird and the parie-ntals (as my daughter calls us). From this middle spot, I can observe my family hanging, in a seemingly collective cliff ritual, on the edge of change. We are all transitioning — simultaneously and quite unexpectedly — into our next chapters. My daughter is fiercely independent in the midst of her career doing quite well with her new puppy. My husband is adapting to something he resists calling retirement. My mother-in-law has just been transitioned into her new home, in an apartment in assisted living. My dad has just come out of recovering from a major surgery and doing fine now, fitted with his hearing aids and is suddenly complaining about the noise of he’s starting to hear. Not to mention my trio of good friends, one who lost a job, one who just started a new job, another who moved from Hawaii to South Carolina, and one who split from her partner.

Every one of this cross-generational group of family and friends is struggling to let go of what was (identity, community, connecting in a different way and competencies) to embrace what’s next (as yet unknown, undefined, and ambiguous). There is a mixture of fear (Who am I?) and excitement (I am SO ready for a change), confusion (What do I want?) and certainty (Time to move on).

There comes a time in jobs, life phases, or relationships where you know the chapter has come to its end. Knowing when it is time to end the chapter — and ending well to start anew — will become an increasingly valuable skill as lives lengthen and transitions become multiple across both personal and professional lives. 

Ends can come from within, the result of boredom even exhaustion from major life shifts, land o layoffs, retirement, divorce, or other major life shifts. The close of a chapter, then it’s time to re-create.  It’s not always an easy time, for anyone involved.  It can take quite a lot of unproductive time, wondering around, figuring it out, or even at the end of the chapter, thinking whether it is good to end the chapter, or not, to stay or go. Good endings are the best way to build a new beginning. And it’s important to close out the chapter, tie any loose ends before you can have a clean slate with a good beginning.

In the new journey, which can take a few years, surround yourself with trusted supporters and friends and set a realistic timeline, a financial plan, and clearly get support from your partner or someone you love and loves you, if you have one. As you know Rome wasn’t built in a day and preparing for the next part of life requires more than updating your wardrobe. Focus on it, Invest time in it just like any 7-year project. Seriously, you gotta work for it! That’s how it works!

Remember, it is never too late to remove the baggage and fly.

Went out to Check it out… Out and About.

This is just to inform you of the current experience and not to promote area, hotel or restaurants, we are ready to travel again (this way). 

My husband and I took our first weekend trip since COVID began, a trip beyond our 60-mile radius. We usually take at least one each weekend, or week, during the fall season to enjoy places like Minoqua, Door County, Boulder Junction, La Crosse, etc. I booked three days at The Cornerstone in Egg Harbor in Door County. 

 From our home, we traveled 3 hours and took a break at the Oshkosh Outlets. All stores require masks to enter. That was no problem and we solved a problem. I found a store that carried waist size 35 men’s pants for Leon, he can't wear waist 34 and waist 36 is baggy. Some stores were limiting shopper entrance, but as we traveled more north, it seemed there were less and less masks and more and more people out socializing, listening to bands and so on.

When we stopped at a hotel for one night and found the breakfast was still free but is now served Cafeteria Style and not self served, like before. The food and cleanliness seems better than before with many sanitation stations. At the hotel, there is no daily room service, we even received a knock at the door asking if we needed anything. I felt comfortable in the room, elevators and breakfast room. Pool and Exercise rooms were open. There was coffee available all day, they didn’t offer morning newspapers at our door.  That was different but understandable.

Finally, arrived at our destination found it to be quite well-sanitized, felt very comfortable and at home there. There were many softball teams and parents at the local parks, with signs posted requiring masks. It seems most people complied, if not distances were kept. 

We stopped at Villaggios at Mojo Rosa’s for lunch near Main Street Market, they serve outdoors for as long as they can and have heaters for the backyard, which is nice. There was a band playing in a tent outside and everyone was sitting outside on tables, in the grass, enjoying the warm weather and music, chit chatting while eating their meals. Masks optional and lunch prices have increased, but still good.

We went to eat for a late dinner, trying a new place on the bay north point of Sturgeon Bay. A lady with a small child was outside the restaurant mentioned, “Don’t worry about masks, we don’t wear them in there. Nobody is wearing them we are all locals.” So, we went in, the host guided us to our table and we were observed by the locals. Afterwards, we walked the unpaved road with water on both sides, and the only light was the moon that lit our walking path. 

We got on our bikes each day, riding at least 20-30 miles, trying new routes. I love the sounds of the waves as we ride our bikes along the bay. There were a lot of people out walking and biking on the side-roads. One day it was overcast and meant to rain, we missed the rain even though we were out there for a good 3 hours, it was a casual ride with a coffee-stop and several sight-stops along the way.

It’s a strange world, but certainly a good one to get out and try seeing for yourself.  

🏊🚴🏻🙏🏻🏃🏻‍♀️

Home is where your story begins!! 

♡

🍂☕🦋

Hey Awesomeness — Today is finally here! 🍾 - Lessons for the month

Back at the Pool

I am grateful to be alive.

This morning as I rode my bike back from the pool to my house, I picked a ripe apple from one of our apple trees when I got home and bit into it’s sweet, earthy flesh. Its flavor brought me the sensation of early fall, a sensation that could only come to fruition from multiple decades of association with this land. Flooded with gratefulness for life. I haven’t written to you much lately and I wanted to share this gratefulness as well as a little update on my life.

As you know, I’m reaching for a new goal Ironman Tulsa, the Race is schedule for Sunday, May 23, 2021. There’s been a lot to overcome since my last goal which was the IMMT and not achieved, I learned much in the last 2 years about myself, how I get stopped and now I’m stepping into it and trying again.

As far as Tulsa IM, just signed up. Put a plan together, booked my hotel and started training this week 🤗♡ Thank you for supporting me as I train for my 2nd Ironman, the Ironman Tulsa in Oklahoma (IM-Tulsa). The Race is schedule for May 23, 2021. ♡ 

Recap of What I learned these past 2-years:

• Don't just accept where you are at in life. If you want to be better, do better. If you want to be more, do more. It's all on you. Do it!
• PLAY. PARTY. PLAN. COMMIT. DO. If you are going to do it, commit yourself fully to it, and make it fun. 🎶 There will always, always, ALWAYS, be outside obstacles that get in your way, the noise at times can be glaring and cause some disturbances; just remember what you set out to do, why you are doing it and commit yourself fully to it. The noise will always be there, it may sound different but there are ways to zone it out and keep the focus real.
• Your biggest challenge isn’t someone else.  It’s the ache in your lungs and the burning in your legs, and the voice inside you that yells “Can’t,” but, you don’t listen.  You just push harder. And then hear the voice whisper “Can.” And you discover that the person you thought you were is no match for the one you really are.”
• Just Do It! Consistency beats inspiration. The best way — the only way — is to get good work done, just get up, go out there, do it and show up every day. This establishes consistency! 
• Everything is workable once you set your mind to it. Things will get in the way, and they will be important things. Honor those things, take time for those important things. Fit the time and training into it. Everything else will fall into place.
  
• If the emperor is nude, you need to tell him! Groupthink can be very dangerous and suffering because you are following someone else's dreams, can be toxic. Perhaps it is time to recognize when it no longer makes sense to keep compromising and kowtowing for the sake of belonging to a group who fails to appreciate your contributions and capabilities. Don’t cling to kowtowing chauvinists and misogynists while attempting to fool yourselves into believing that this is their way of maintaining “positive” working relationships. If it takes too much work it isn’t a relationship to keep.
• You only get so many nights….our days are numbered, our nights are numbered and our time is limited, so make each moment a blessing and adhere to it, love more completely and make decisions that others may consider foolish or short sided. 
  
• Stop stalling, sign up and let the wind move your sails in the right direction.
• Remember the Goal! Running is a lot like life. Run a race (pursue life) with patience, with Knowledge (Gain Wisdom), and with Understanding. Remember the Gaol. ALWAYS remember the goal. Whatever you do, do all to the Glory of God.

When you don’t want to get out of bed In the morning to train, be grateful that you have the opportunity and health, to be able to exercise. Skipping your workout or "sleeping in" is like eating fast food. It may feel or taste good at the moment, but you will pay for it later. So get up, keep moving forward, and set new goals. Your day will go a whole lot better.

I know this is a mouthful, and I have to eat it in small bite-size chews.

🏊🚴🏻🙏🏻🏃🏻‍♀️

Home is where your story begins!! 

♡

🍂☕🦋