4:56 a.m.

So? My vacation is at that point where the dread swoops in. We all recognize that feeling. C’mon, admit it. My dread woke me, to be dreadfully honest, see what I did there? at 2:33 a.m. I haven’t slept well all vacation, I am not sure why, but it is my truth. Now that my time off is speeding to the finish line, I am wasting time thinking about the things I have not gotten to, that I thought I wanted to do but… great now that I am WIDE awake why don’t I OVERTHINK for a bit. Everything about being a woman of a certain age is starting to roll down the hill, gaining speed as it goes, leaving me with a sense of overshadowing and doom I am having a tough time grasping. Is this all there is? I mean, really?

Dearest Hubster, on his way to the loo, rather grumpily asked me what the hell I was doing. I don’t know? Not sleeping? Gathering anger as I roll? I feel like I am becoming that “old lady parable” and trust me I do not want to be anyone’s DON’T do this to your life list. I realize that it is now today, so yesterday (a mere few hours ago) DH and I went for our yearly eye exams. I have dry eyes. Add this to my pile of things that have decided it is just time to slow down/stop production, as if menopause wasn’t enough fun on its own.

I hate a good routine. What can I say, I hate authority. I hate being told what I can and can’t do. Perhaps that is why I love Alice Kingsley so much from Alice in Wonderland. Life is routine. WE all have routines. Vacation is supposed to be that precious allotment of time when we get to say NO ROUTINES this week. Being an adult though is realizing that vacation is still part of a routine it just plays on a different “media device”, lol. What now? you ask? I am suddenly sleepy, so I am going to crawl back into bed and catch a few winks before the day interrupts further and ruins a good vibe.

Out With The Old…

In with new? So more than a few years ago ‘the Spark Joy movement’ started by Marie Kondo swept through the USA and I am sure other well-meaning societies too. Who doesn’t enjoy a quick, easy to use technique for changing a life path? After I threw out numerous bras and panties my hubby asked me to spark my JOY another way. I find myself at the end of another year in this walk of life. We are just a few months into 2025. Just WOW! I moved into a new age decade July 2024. I am now one of the millions of people who are referred to as “old, older, ancient…” I think you get my drift. I would like to say that I am middle- aged but since I know I won’t live to be 120 years old that is a bold face lie on my part. I have always been dramatic about getting older. I have I often feared that time was/is my enemy. I chose that path when I could’ve been enJOYing the walk all along.

Time is the greatest liar. It is misleading and lurks in dark corners waiting patiently for you to notice that you have spent it foolishly. Time can be on your hands, running out, getting away from you. It can be spent wisely and foolishly. Time can be “on your side” or completely against you. It is a cruel prankster and often baffles the person trying to manage what little time they have left to accomplish all of the things on their bucket lists.

I recently read somewhere that if a person is really lucky, they have about 4000 weeks or roughly 77 years of life. This information caused me to spin into the far reaches of my quiet spaces and worry about my time. How have I spent it? How many weeks do I have left? Does my bucket list need to be updated? Are there bridges I am willing to burn/cross to live within my peace? I honestly don’t know how to answer these questions. I never once in my youth thought that I would be where I am now on the cusp of yet another birthday, dreams unmet, waistline, sigh, let’s just say I am setting that pipe dream free. There are so much more great things in my life that are far more important than my body shape. I have held onto that pressure for way too long. And then it hit me…

I AM LIVING MY BEST LIFE just by being in it, being involved in what goes on around me, loving the people in my life. My hubby and I are rediscovering how wonderful we are together and not just as married peeps but as friends. He is my ride or die. The number of weeks left to my life is not what is important, it is who you spend your time with. Take that vacation, hug that loved one, tell your friends how much you love them, spark JOY for yourself. Be in your moments. At the end of a life well spent there should be no regrets, no should’ve, could’ve, would’ve.

Never Give Up on the Person You Are Meant to Be