Living a Life of Vitality

 So much of what we take in is about bigger, better, and more.  But for some of us-small, simple, and quiet are all we need.  It's okay to be happy with a calm life.  Erica Layne

I have put hours of thought into what it takes to live a life of happiness.  Being content is the truest measure of happiness for me.   There are many things that add to the quality of my life.  At the very core are these ten things (although coffee is number 11-for sure)

• Spirit-connection with the divine
• Connection with family and friends
  
• Health-diet, exercise, sleep
• Secure Finances
• Dogs 
• Books
• Cozy organized home and beautiful garden
• Reliable vehicle
• Solitude       
• Accomplishment-the need to accomplish a little something every day

     

Now, to live a truly engaged vital life I need the above a few additional things: 

Coffee

A cozy bed (with really good sheets)

Sunlight

A daily Walk

A glass of wine

A comfortable chair

Nature-be outside, plan hikes, garden, kayak

Beauty-home, flowers

Music-listen to new genres

Something to look forward to-plan

Learning-classes, writing class, philosophy class, religion class, pod casts, audio books adventure, tap dance?

Travel-just a little 

Good food-cook new things

Gardening-growing things

Contributing/ volunteer

Socialize-join a book club, go to plays and community events

Age with grace, release what makes sense, embrace everything you can

Then, and this is what is more aspirational, is who I want to be:  

Be intentional-know what my intentions are behind my actions

Be intuitive-know and follow my intuition

Be Creative-paint, writing, blog, crochet, pine needle baskets

Be kind to myself and others, non-judgmental

Be fully present (not numb) eating, TV, scrolling

Be interested and engaged 

Be informed-listen to the news, read social topics

Be enthusiastic

Be comfortable in my own skin-confident, accepting myself

 Be authentic

 Be accepting of others-unconditional acceptance

 Be optimistic

 

 

 

60 and Grateful

 Gratitude turns what we have into enough Aesop

I don't know how I got to be 60.  I am so grateful to be at this place in my life.

 Ten reasons I am grateful to be 60:

1.  I have time to be a support for my children

2.  I have time to be a support for my parents

3.  I have an inner peace I did not have before

4.  I now live life more slowly and appreciate it so much more

5.  I have learned that hard times come but they also pass

6.  I know things improve faster if you don't dwell on them

7.  I pay attention to what I want not what I don't want

8.  I no longer see things as good/bad, black/white-it is all middle ground and that requires more understanding but makes so much more sense

9. I assess my intention when making a decision or taking action to make sure it fits with who I am and who I want to be

10.  I have learned that setting boundaries is the kindest thing I can do for myself and others because it prevents resentment and bitterness

Choice

Everything can be taken from a man but one thing:  the last of the human freedoms-to choose one's attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one's own way.  Viktor E. Frankl, Man's Search for Meaning

We all make choices every day.  Most of the time the choices are small.  Rice Krispies or Corn Flakes? Can I let my hair go one more day without a wash?  Yes or no?

There is a tendency to only look at the big choices in our lives.  I am a mother.  I am a nurse.  These are the fork in the road choices.  These choices do define us.

Yet, I can’t help but wonder if it is the small choices that make a difference at the core of who we are.  Maybe the small choices are not a fork in the road as much as a gradual curve.  The result is the same, it changes the direction of our lives they are just not as dramatic, and we don't use our turn signal.

Choosing to take the vitamin.  Going for a walk instead of taking to the couch. Saying something kind instead of saying nothing at all.  These are the small choices that form the curve in the path.

For the big choices we put pen to paper, listing pros and cons.  We solicit the opinions of others.  We Google. Yet the small choices don’t always break the surface of our consciousness.  Maybe we could make the small decisions with more intention?  Would that send our life in a different direction?  I think it might.

Mission Statement

A mission statement is not something you write overnight but fundamentally, your mission statement becomes your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values.  It becomes the criterion by which you measure everything else in your life.  Stephen Covey

 

I have been working on my values for years. They have evolved over time.  I expect both my values and mission to continue to change as I grow.  I am a deep thinker (over thinker-some would say) who examines my intentions and motivations.  As I have grown older, I have found my motivations to be purer and less ego driven then they were in my 20s.  My greatest hope is that I continue to grow and change even into old-old age...and on my death bed I am wondering and thinking how to make an authentic, vibrant exit...

At this time, my values are:

Spirit-solitude, connection with the divine, prayer, nature, meditation, gratitude

Authenticity- truth, integrity, knowing my intention, being present

Connection-family, friends, community, nature, spirit

Contentment- order, organization-home and finances, security

Creativity- growth, learning interest, adventure

Health- being comfortable in my own skin, strong, vibrant

Kindness- unconditional acceptance, seeing the light in all I meet, knowing others are doing the best they can 

My mission is to connect with Spirit so I in turn live authentically, creatively and vibrantly while offering unconditional acceptance to others.

Thresholds

 The threshold is the place of expectation    Goethe 

Thresholds are a place of entry and exit.  Transitions from one point to another.  We recognize them during the big moments of life like birth and death. Although, I suspect there are many thresholds crossed during the process of living our lives that we pass over unrecognized. 

For me 60 coincided with retirement and my kids leaving home.  A big recognizable threshold, No unseeing this one.  All change, even good change rips away the old and brings either a void or something new.  I feel like I'm in the void at the moment and have been for a couple of years.

I now find I have something I have wished for during all those years of work and motherhood-time.  It is a true gift and I do not want to waste it.  Yes, I've done the big stuff-cleaning closets, a little remodeling some travel but I haven't fount "IT".  That reason to get up in the morning.  The thing that brings joy to me every day.

What happens next, after the great house cleaning of 2021-2022, is going to take a little more time to figure out. I will give myself the freedom to try things and see if they fit.  It's not failure it is a fitting.  No different than trying on pants and looking in the three-way mirror.   During this past couple of years, I have tried working at both Noridian and the library and knew very quickly that it was not what I wanted.  I have also cleaned apartments with my friend and that was a wonderful void filler but not exactly filling my spirit with joy.

For now, I will stand at the threshold and be open...