JudyHD
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Hello again and Happy New Year! I love this time of year – the ending of one year and the beginning of a brand new, clean-slate one. It’s always full of reflection, dreaming, and hopeful planning for the New Year. With the hectic pace and frenetic energy of the holidays behind us, it’s the perfect time to slow down and give thought to the year that’s just passed, and the one stretching out in front of us. Thinking of 2021 in the rearview mirror certainly gives me pause. It wasn’t quite the joyful, pandemic-free year we were all anticipating, yet for many, we gained a sense of renewal and possibility. We were able to reconnect – in person – with more friends and family on a regular basis. That felt so good. We were able to travel some. Yay! And we were able to resume more of our “normal” activities (although that word’s meaning is… View Post
A Reset. I like that word. It sounds like a fresh start, a clean slate, a do-over. With Spring upon us, and vaccines working their magic, a new beginning feels close. If we can just hold on. I’m so ready for a reset. To see this last year and the pandemic fully in the rearview mirror. I want to take stock of where I’m at now, make a plan, and start anew. I hope I’m coming out of this a different person though. God help us if we just carry on without regard for the life-altering changes that have happened right before our eyes. All the pain and suffering experienced by fellow citizens, the life and death commitments made by front-line workers, and concurrently, the lack of respect demonstrated by others – actions we all own and must acknowledge, and then work to do better. I know one thing for sure, I am more hopeful… View Post
Some might say the fact that this year coming to an end is the best thing to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Could be. Like you, I have experienced 2020 as a mind-numbing, head-spinning, heart-wrenching, faith-testing, and angst-ridden year. And yet. I find much to be thankful for this year. Because, in spite of the horrendous challenges, it’s also been a year of deep thought and reckoning – within ourselves, our own communities, and our national community. We’ve had endless conversations about our personal values and character and why it all matters, what is our place in this world, what home really means, and how slowing down and closing in helped many of us to find joy in the smallest pleasures as if they were gifts from the gods (and they probably were). I’ve heard more friends and others express childlike glee at watching birds out their window, or the emerging… View Post
. . . the more I realize that every day is a gift. Even these shelter-in-place days. Maybe even more so because with no distractions, we come face-to-face with ourselves in ways we haven’t before. It becomes increasingly clear what our priorities are and what we value most in this life. Because those are the things – the people – that give our lives meaning and joy. Now solidly into Week 4 of the shelter-in-place directive here in California, the mind-spinning sense of dread that kept creeping up on me seems to have dissipated . . . for the most part. I find that if I keep my head in the “now” and focus on what I’m doing today and not tomorrow or any other day or time in the future, then I’m OK. Even feeling pretty contented. And practicing gratitude about a million times a day. I keep reading accounts of how people are filling their days… View Post
Wisdom is earned through adversity. It can’t be bought. It must be earned.Character is formed by overcoming the obstacles and adversity life throws our way.Obstacles force us to grow, to shift, to evolve and to use our innate gifts and creativity to navigate around them.Removing obstacles removes the opportunity for growth. Removing obstacles takes away our ability to learn the lessons for ourselves.Too much comfort keeps us stuck in our comfort zone. A little discomfort, a tiny grain of sand, is the necessary impetus we need to push ourselves to transform our lives into a new way of being.Change happens outside the comfort zone. Nothing changes until we change. I have no idea where this came from. When I find words that I love, whether a quote or a paragraph from a book or an article, I will squirrel them away to enjoy or to use in a blog post later. I… View Post
Since we saw no rain in February this year, it seems we’re getting caught up in March. I love it. Rainy days are good days to cozy up and . . . well, write, or read, watch a movie, or any number of inside activities. Rain is insulating, it feels like Nature’s way to say “take a break.” While the rain is nice and a good excuse to snuggle in, this crazy virus stuff is a whole other thing. Another reason to hunker down for sure, albeit a bizarre and never-thought-I’d-see-the-day reason. But reality is what reality is. Might as well just deal with it. So, Michael and I have taken all the precautions recommended – washing hands, limiting social outings with large groups, etc. Other plans have been cancelled for us. The world seems to be closing down. On top of that, everything I read focuses on people over 60 being one of the groups most at risk. At first, I… View Post
I promised myself I would publish at least one post in January. I’ve had lots of ideas and several posts started, only to be shelved into a digital cabinet before it was done. Something just didn’t feel right. I started thinking that perhaps I had no more ideas or thoughts left to share and that’s why I couldn’t finish anything. Poor me. Then Sunday happened, and like you, we’ve been reeling with disbelief. The sad news of Kobe Bryant’s death, along with his young daughter, and the others on the helicopter was too much to take in. Even though terrible and tragic things happen all the time, when it happens to a larger-than-life individual, it brings every tragedy into greater focus and closer to our hearts. Our grief is multiplied. So, our hearts break unrelentingly for all the families, and especially the kids left without a parent, and the young spouse left without a partner. Our minds keep… View Post
That’s what this holiday season has been about for me. No expectations. And I have to say it’s been one of the happiest. Without any notion of what it “should” be, I’ve let each day unfold as it comes. In previous years, I couldn’t help myself and I would reflect back on Christmases of the past and try to recreate some of those special times. Of course, it was never the same and I would end up lugging around a load of melancholy that left me with an ache in my heart and missing what was right in front of me. I missed my mother so much during those times. She’s been gone well over 10 years now. She made Christmas so special for all of us, so her absence is always felt especially deeply during the holiday season. This year was different though. To be honest, I’m not exactly sure why or when I… View Post
I’m about to experience a convergence in my own life. First, I am quickly approaching another birthday. Second, I’m almost at the third anniversary of my retirement. Third, the end of another year and the start of a new one is just around the corner. While these events might not necessarily meet at the same time exactly, their close occurrence has me taking a step back to pause and reflect. Taking a bit of time to absorb the life all around me, you could say. This time around, however, has me looking back a bit further – more than I have before — at old times, memories, experiences. So many of which had a significant impact on my life, and on me. This makes me melancholy some days, almost to the point of tears, but with a sweet undertone of gratitude for the experience, and especially for the people that made those… View Post
Updated November, 2019 As I was reviewing past blog posts, I came across this one that touched a nerve for me. So, I thought I would re-post it in hopes that it might do the same for some of you, too. ********************************************************************** First posted April 11, 2017 Last night I was watching an episode of Grace & Frankie (the Netflix series starring Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston). If you haven’t seen it yet, it’s about four older people in relationship to each other in different ways (too long to explain here, but worth checking out). The two women share a home and are starting a business together. In the episode I was watching last night, they both hurt their backs and were unable to accomplish the simplest of tasks. At one point, Jane Fonda says to Lily Tomlin “It seems like every day our bodies try… View Post
My sister wrote those words to me in a text recently. Her husband was not feeling well and we were considering canceling our sisters’ getaway. At any time in life, unforeseen circumstances can alter your world on a dime. As we get older, these surprises become more common or even expected. Such is life. There is a gentle and beautiful acceptance within those words – at least to my way of thinking. Not resignation, just a knowing and accepting that life is full of change. Some good, some not so good. Fighting it and bemoaning the changes won’t alter a thing, but will certainly bring you down, wasting precious time. I think age tends to mellow that old fight, or at least I hope it does. Speaking of surprises, a few weeks ago nearly to the end of our home updating projects, I had to have an emergency appendectomy. Ouch! And,… View Post
The words above from Winnie have been a bit of a balm for me of late. Michael and I have embarked upon a few home renovation projects recently, and the line “you’re stronger than you seem” keeps running on a continuous loop inside my head. I’ve heard stories of renovation nightmares from so many friends over the years, so I didn’t think I was completely naïve getting into this. But until you’re in the midst of all the mess and chaos, it never really hits home. And we’re not even doing a big renovation, just some updating here and there and everywhere (it seems). However, while I’ve been dealing with my version of crazy, I’ve spoken with a couple of friends this week who are dealing with true life challenges. Serious, life-altering challenges. Really put my renovation annoyances into perspective. Perspective. I don’t give it much thought usually, but it got me thinking. It’s amazing how taking a broader… View Post
Did you know that July is National Picnic Month? I know, I know, there’s a National Month for everything – probably even eyelash curling. But people, picnics! I love a picnic. Fresh air, a blanket on grass or sand, a few nibbles, a good book or not, perhaps a concert or not, that’s the stuff of pure Summer bliss to me. Dictionary.com describes a picnic as “Sharing a meal in the open air.” Ya gotta love that. Open air. A Summer breeze. Cool, green grass or warm sand. Friends and loved ones nearby. Sigh. I believe that the true joy of picnicking, though, is the moment or pause that it requires. It’s such a simple, old-fashioned endeavor, nothing modern or technological necessary. Just a relaxed attitude and time to share with your picnic partners. I think food even tastes better when you’re sitting on a blanket under a tree or an umbrella near the shore.… View Post
. . . is a phrase that can have several different meanings or intentions. In this context, I’m saying “I’m still here, my blog is still here, and both are in a reassessment mode.” Add to that a few technical difficulties with the site along the way, and the worst case of bronchitis I’ve ever had, all conspired to keep me away a lot longer than I had planned. But, I’m still here. Two years into this not-working thing – oh hell, let me say it like it is – I’m retired. (Just for the record though – I really don’t like that word. It has a “done” connotation that is so off-putting to me.) Aaanyway, two years in and, with and without intention, I’m in a reassessment mode. There’s a settling in that happens with most big life changes, but that settling in takes time and is not without reverberations from one’s past life. I… View Post
. . . I’ve loved in my life, and to all those I love today, Happy Mother’s Day. The world needs you all, in more ways than ever. Moms, to me, are constant beacons of hope, comfort, safety and love. Unconditional, unyielding, brave-beyond-words love. Just what this old world needs right now, huh? This time of the year always has me pondering memories of my mom and all the good, and not so good, times we shared. She’s been gone for over 12 years now, and I still think of her every, single day. Sometimes, I’ll ask her a question about this aging thing or the state of our world, and I usually have a pretty good idea of how she’d answer me. And when I hear myself utter a phrase or platitude that she said a hundred times, I’ll catch myself, chuckle a little, and wonder if she heard me… View Post
I recently read about a 35-year old woman who had just passed away from cancer. Before she died, she penned her own obituary. One line in it stood out from all the rest. She wrote “Damn, it was good!” That line hit me and stayed with me every day for a week. At 35, she had to say goodbye to a life not even half-lived, yet one still overflowing with joy and love and adventure. She wrote of her experiences in life with passion and exuberance. There was no pity party, only gratitude for how she had lived, what she’d done and seen and felt, and hope for others to fully embrace their lives. Makes you stop and think, right? Damn, life really is good. Even when things aren’t humming along, even when it feels less than wonderful . . . it’s still good. Sometimes I can get a little down… View Post
Yes, even at this age, I think of myself and my friends as girls. Girls of a certain age, that is. In my life, having a gaggle of girls around me has always been my soft place to fall, my port in a storm, my chosen family.
Everywhere I look I see article headlines, books, speakers and various messages all extolling the virtues of reinventing yourself at this stage in life. Sigh.
Living in Southern California, we’ve learned how to appreciate every drop of rain that comes our way. Give me a good rainy, cloudy sky any day and I’m a happy camper. This sentiment often puts me at odds
I have to admit right off the bat that this post has been incredibly difficult for me. It’s a strange thing, because I love the start of a New Year. Everything seems fresh and
