And Why I Quit Trying. I used to foolishly believe that if I could just clear my to-do list, I’d finally feel caught up. But I was only clearing it up to make space for the next stack of to-dos, and the next and the next. Another work email to answer, another post to write, another idea I swore I’d get to once “things slowed down.” The older I get, the bigger the backlog seems to fill up, in all things. Half-written blog drafts. Unread books. Old voice memos with “brilliant ideas” I’d never started. And the work and family stuff is too mammoth to even mention. The lists, plural,…
-
-
How To See If You’re Choosing Not to Choose Happiness
I know… weird title, right? But I was thinking about this the other day. Not feeling bad, or stuck, or even bored, but because I was pausing on finishing something minor, I knew I needed to do, and had the time to do it. In my case, it was crazy simple, like having to find some images for my already written posts, yet I was actively choosing not to do it. Am I a dumb arse… maybe? But the way my brain is wired, it got me thinking and examining, and rethinking why. Why was I choosing not to just do it, when there was zero reason holding me back…
-
Will You Still Love Your Passion Project in 5 Years?
Open your closet, wardrobe, clothing racks, or wherever you store your clothes, and take a good look. I mean really look closely. Out of all that’s hanging, folded, stuffed, or shoved in somewhere, and don’t forget what’s been left to fry in the dryer, how many do you actually wear? Not stare at, slide past to find that specific top, but put on and go out in? I’m betting that for most of us, the number is probably smaller than you think or want to admit. Maybe 10%, or 20% if you’re really lucky and diligent about changing up your look. Not to mention if you work from home, have a uniform,…
-
Empty Nester, Full Heart: How to Make This Chapter Yours
And may include bigger closets! My youngest is off to college, so my nest is officially… empty-ish. I’m not sad about “no longer being a mom” as that job is forever mine. And I’m definitely not in the “phew, I’m done, go solve your own damn problems, kiddos” camp either. It’s more like a shift: a new season of cheering on my mini-adults… while remembering to show up for myself, too. Now I 2,000% will be threatening (lovingly) to turn their bedrooms into my extended closets. Their trophies and school knickknacks can stay, but only as quirky and cool dividers between my shoes and boots. Thanks for the suggestion, S’MAC’! You…
-
Staying Grounded in “The Gap” Between Now and What’s Next
There’s that odd and uncomfortable space between your current life and the life you’re still chasing — and sometimes even between who you are and who you know you could be. And I don’t mean you’re ready to trade in your life as a GenXer, corporate baddie, whose kids are grown and almost flown, to become Dr. Jean Grey from Marvel. Able to read people’s minds or control their thoughts. While that does sound delicious, it’s not the direction I’m headed in. I’m talking about that gap, that itch for the ‘things’ you continue to want to grab a hold of and run with, to stop it from slipping away.…
-
Is Your Bucket List Staring You Down? Try This Fun, Easy, and Realistic One Now
The Thimble List! Your Shortcut to Life’s Magical Moments. I recently scrolled past a Pinterest blog post, one of those surprisingly good ones, and it stuck with me. A woman in her mid-40s admitted she’d only completed maybe 10–15% of her bucket list. She didn’t share the whole thing, but most of it was travel-related. One entry really got me: Meet up with old Uni friends I haven’t seen in three decades. Well, mine hadn’t been that long, but still, it had been too long. And I meant to save the post, of course. Didn’t. Can’t find it now. Bloody annoying. But the funny thing is, by complete coincidence, I’d…
-
How To Easily Get 100 Grams of Protein a Day
Without Those Chalky-Tasting Bars You Pretended to Like And all you really want to nosh on are more carbs. And by ‘you’, I definitely mean me. I’m just a grown, “Big Age” woman trying to do all the ‘things’ in my second chapter. I keep active regularly, but I’m not training for the 2032 Olympics, and yet somehow, I need a billion grams of protein a day to do this without my entire body breaking down like a rust-bucket banger. OK, maybe it’s 100 grams. What’s a few extra zeros between friends? An initial Google led me to the discovery of protein-rich ice cream, and me wondering how? Does the…
-
We’re Gen X and We’re Not New–We’re Just ‘AI Social’ New
Not too late either. Just starting from experience. We were here before Google. Before TikTok, Instagram, all the ‘GPTs,’ and every one of those terrifying “Just wait for it…” jump-scare Reels. We made the wickedest, flyest mixtapes. Ensuring the room was more silent than a baby gnat’s fart while holding down the clunky play + record buttons simultaneously, then easing off the pause with ninja-like precision. Today’s young’uns can’t imagine that kind of timing or level of dedication. From Mixtapes to Memes: Digital Life and AI Lingo After 40. Amazingly, we survived the plethora of disks. Floppy, hard, and CD. And no one could tell us that a strategic blow…
-
How a Better To-Do List Keeps Morning Stress Away
Why the Right Planning Matters (But Not Too Much). This might be a long one, bear with me. But it’s a good’un, and I wanted to be super clear. I’m a big planner, sometimes an over planner. But learning how a better to-do list keeps morning stress away has changed the way I start, and run, my day. And it’s not because I love it so much, that I can’t bear not to do it, umm… no, it’s because I need a solid focus for my day. Every day. Living a rigid life is not for me at all but when I wake up and am getting ready for the…
-
Small Actions, Big Results: Celebrate What’s Really Working
Yes, I’m looking dead at you. When was the last time you actually celebrated something you did right? And I mean all those wins that you wrote off as small and didn’t even acknowledge. When you think about them, there’s so many, so while it’s unrealistic to hire a confetti ceiling net to drop each time, or pop some Veuve—who’s got that kind of money? You still need to pause long enough to say, “Hey, that was good! I did that! I did that!” Insert seat-shimmy dance. Here’s the sciencey (yes, that’s a word… kind of) truth to it. Big or small, your brain doesn’t care one bit. Every one of those wins…
