15 Things I've Been Doing (while I haven't been blogging)

Take a break...

People take breaks all the time.  Respite.  Time off.  Rest.  Hiatus.

I'm the type of person that, no matter how much I like something, after a while I need a break.

I need a change.  Not forever, but for a while.

Until I miss it.

Then I can begin again with a new outlook and renewed enthusiasm.

I took a break from blogging for most of August and September, but now I feel like I am ready to begin again.  Because I miss it.

Here's a glimpse at what I've been doing while I've been gone.

1)  Taking pictures.

Annie and her friend Sabrina wanted pictures with their instruments...

2) Knitting a throw for Annie's dorm room.

 
3) Bringing Annie to school.

4)  Taking in the mail - for Sami.

5)  Enjoying a visit from Kerry.

6) Walking the dogs

 7)  Bathing the dogs.

 8)  Cleaning the dogs' teeth.

9)  Chauffeuring the dogs.

10)  Doctoring the dogs.

11) Going to the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA.

12.  Being constantly amused by Maddie.

13)  Biking - I've found my favorite form of exercise!

14)  Appreciating God's creation.

15)  Eating, eating,  and eating at the Big E.

I Dwell in Possibility

This blog is about me, and only me.  Sometimes I'm selfish that way.  So if you're looking for pictures of Adam or Kerry or Annie, you won't find them here today.  Nor will there be photos of pets.  Just me.

Being an introvert,  I look inward very often.  I reflect on the course of my life with all of its twists and turns.  I think about why I have made the decisions that I made, why I acted a certain way - or didn't act.  I think about how I became the person I am today.

Many people believe it's silly to dwell on the past because it cannot be changed. While it's not good to "dwell", I think it's very good to "revisit".

As we journey through our years,  we change so much in many different ways.  We change as we adapt to our surroundings and circumstances.

Sometimes we take on characteristics of our spouses or friends that are not naturally our own.

Or maybe with the demands of parenthood and raising young children

we become so used to putting others first that we lose track of the small things that used to bring us happiness.  

I'm 55 years old now.  I've been spending a lot of time lately thinking about all that's good in my life, but also putting a lot of consideration into things I'd like to change to make the coming years all they can be.

Emily Dickinson wrote "I dwell in Possibility."

If I'm sure of only one thing in the coming years, it's this. 

No matter what life throws at me, I will continue to be happy.

Life's too short not to be.

What Day Is It?

"What day is it?" asked Winnie the Pooh.

"It's today," squeaked Piglet.

"My favorite day," said Pooh

                                                                     ~A. A. Milne

I have no regrets about discontinuing my photography business this summer.  None at all.

Instead, I have so many happy memories,  many which would not have happened if I was focusing on clients.

Like biking to Collins Creamery with Annie.

Tranforming Annie's bedroom to a more adult look.

Spending time with friends.

Watching girls who have been friends since childhood say good-bye as they each embark to distant states for their dream jobs.

Spending a beautiful day at the beach with Adam and Annie.

"Be present in all things and thankful for all things."  ~Maya Angelou

Tending my garden.

Taking care of my pets.

Halle is looking and acting like a puppy again

after 3 weeks on medication for hypothyroidism.

Momo, who was stressed from all the activity in the household (culminating in peeing in the middle of my bed)

is now much calmer thanks to a daily dose of anti-anxiety meds.

"Write it in your heart that every day is the best day of the year"

                                               ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Clothes shopping with Kerry.

Taking Adam's picture for his Columbia photo ID.

(new glasses or not?)

  Feeling sad that it will be quite a long time before the driveway will be this full again.

  

Watching Vance make pancakes for the kids the morning we moved Adam into Columbia.

Moving into the dorm.

"Happiness is not in another place, but this place...not for another hour, but now."   ~Walt Whitman

Selfie with my birthday present from Kerry.

 Bringing a very nervous daughter to a far-away state,

worrying about her after we left,

and relieved to see her Instagram post after her first day at work!

I'm happy to say

I've had so many "favorite days"

this summer!