Moving along with my new life, and am finally writing again. With the new life, a new blog has now been created, so please come on over to see the new adventures - Lessons from Laguna https://lynetteslaguna.blogspot.com
Lynette's Adventures
Sunday, June 26, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Leaping into 2016...
So 2015 was a year of change – some good, some bad, and most
of us really wanted to get off the ride at some point during the year. As my daughter likes to say, it was a “character”
year, and boy, did we all have a chance to develop our characters…
2016 is hopefully what my daughter would call a “plot” year
- a year to take those changes and make something from them. Take the changes and build a life of meaning
and substance and see where it takes us.
I’ve restarted writing this blog several times, scrapped it
and started over, because as I write, new questions and ideas come up, and
it’s more than just reporting on my newest adventure – which, trust me, is a
HUGE adventure.
At 55 years old, I am restarting? redesigning? recreating? the
way I live my life. I’ve stepped out of
my 30+ year relationship and our home of 17 years, and it’s now me and the cat
living in a studio apartment in Laguna Beach.
Yup - leaping head first into an adventure
of the unknown. Excited and
terrified. And it feels right.
Originally I was going to write about some of the challenges
of downsizing and living small (which I will do in a later post, because, yes
it has been a challenge and has also provided many opportunities for laughing
at myself). However, I was struck with a
different message that wanted to be written.
As the people in my life become aware of my
decision to change my life, I keep hearing how “brave” and “courageous” I
am. How they “admire” my “strength” for
being able to take a giant leap forward in a new direction. Has this been hard for me to do? Hell,
yes. Did I doubt myself? Over, and over, and over again. But the overriding feeling that I needed to
live a bigger life, and live as my true self, was stronger.
Now, the questions that wanted to be asked: Why is it considered brave and courageous to
live my true life?? Why did I have to be
so strong to make the changes that needed to be made? Shouldn’t we all be able to recognize when
life goes off track and be able to make adjustments? Why do we play so small? Why are we so worried
about what others think? Why can’t we
think outside the box? We make many
decisions on a daily basis – how many of them are made from fear of what others
will think, rather than from a true feeling of what needs to be done?
I am learning how to live a bigger life by going small. A small house necessitates careful
consideration – other than necessities, the only things that will grace my new
home are going to be things I love to have around me and things that have
meaning. Another question – why did I
have to move to a smaller place to make that rule? Shouldn’t that be our rule for living
anyway??
So, I don’t know what 2016 will bring, and I expect challenges.
But, I do know that my goal is to live an intentional life, valuing the gifts I’ve
been given, and using them to create a meaningful life for myself and others. I jumped off the cliff, the parachute opened,
and I’m excited to see where I end up at the end of the ride.
Saturday, November 7, 2015
Thanks for the reminder Dad....
OK, so all of a sudden it's November. A full week into November. Sheesh - why does this keep happening?? I swear someone is taking pages out of my calendar to skip ahead...
This has been one heck of a year for pretty much everyone I know. 2015 is the year of change?? Um, yeah. Been strapped into the rollercoaster, and you'd think it would go back to the station at some point. Hmmm...2016 is coming up quick, so just maybe??
"When you know your time is limited, you want to see everything you can."
Something my Dad said while in the hospital when I asked him if he wanted to get some sleep. After months of ups and downs, the decision had been made to discontinue any life enhancing medications once my brother and his wife arrived and had a chance to visit with him. As it turned out, we were actually given the gift of almost a week to visit, see relatives we hadn't seen in a long time, reminisce, and laugh - a lot.
Interesting journey over the past few months. Learned a lot on many levels. One of the things I realized was that the best times were those where I focused on lightening up a heavy situation. That laughter was the best medicine for everyone involved. Sitting in a hospital room, watching a football game, just enjoying each others company, and getting pretty silly when it was late and we were all just a little too tired - we had a great time amidst a difficult time.
A good friend of mine has a three word motto that he shares and lives by - Hope, Health and Happiness. After going through this process, I realized my own - Light, Love and Laughter. I intend to bring light, love and laughter wherever I go, to whoever I am with. (If you see me having a grumpy, complaining day - just remind me. I'm sure I'll be very excited that you did...)
Back to my dad's statement - we all have a limited time here, and we should want to see/experience everything we can. My dad actually did see and experience a lot, and pushed forward through/around/over many difficult obstacles in order to do so.
"When you know your time is limited, you want to see everything you can."
The other day I took that as a challenge to see what I am walking right past without seeing and appreciating - in my own yard, and around the building where I work, and I found:
Monday, September 7, 2015
Another Arizona Adventure
As noted in an earlier post, in early July I was fortunate
enough to be included in a great group of people who gathered in Sedona for an indescribable
experience (although I did manage to describe part of it).
To end the summer, the last weekend in August I again headed
to Arizona, this time to a place called Carefree. Got to reconnect with some of my Sedona
friends, and also got to make some new Carefree friends. I was blessed to be able to be a part of
another fabulous group and be part of another indescribable experience.
So, off on another little blue car road trip, this time with Monica and
Melody, my two new BFF’s after a total of 12 hours of driving and talking, and
talking some more. Oh, and more talking with my car buddy Melody who was also
my roommate. (No, Marie was not able to
join us – she was at home pouting while going to work and school. And three is
plenty - the little blue car really is little…)
Good food, good fun – actually excellent food and excellent
fun.
The nutrition part of this adventure: The all organic breakfast,
lunch and dinner buffet food was specially prepared for our group – best buffets
ever. Wish I could have eaten
more. Needed to kidnap the chef and the
cook that made the omelets – very disappointed with the food in my own kitchen
after being spoiled like that. Really
need to talk to the chef around here….
As far as fun: You should
never have Rita and me sit together, or Leigh and me, and you REALLY should not
have the three of us sit together at the same table at lunch. Although, laughing until you cry and can’t
breathe could be considered a form of exercise.
As far as the indescribable part: yes, the program part of the weekend
was once again indescribable. The message
I do want to share, though, is that we are all more powerful than we know. We can affect change in ourselves and
others. With a solid base/foundation we
can do so much more. Treat yourself & your body well and with
respect and love, and then treat others the same way. Get in touch with your inner power. Feel your strength. Realize and recognize
your true self. Then share your
magnificence. Can you imagine the world
if we all did this every day??
I’ll close with some
of the beauty that surrounded me during my stay in Carefree:
Monday, August 17, 2015
My Extended, Ongoing Nutrition Adventure
OK, so I guess it's time to write about the actual nutrition adventure I've been on this year. (What? Not rocks, sidewalks or some other bizarre reference to nutrition/nourishment??)
In January, someone I highly respect gave me a look, pointed a finger at me and told me he didn't like what he saw, and I needed to make some changes or I was going to have issues. (For some of you who know me, you know exactly who said it - LOL) My body was unhappy, and it looked like it and felt like it.
While I started working on (and continue to work on) several aspects of my life, a major contributor to where I was at that point was what I was eating and drinking. Let's just say I had been rationalizing and making a lot of excuses. Huh, when you take that away, crap, you have to honestly look at your own behaviors. Nuts.
Soooo - started by looking at my choices and seeing where I wasn't being congruent with being someone who promotes nutritional products and a healthy lifestyle. Damn - there's that honesty again. So much easier to help someone else see their choices!
Long story short, over the last 8 months, I have gradually changed how and what I eat and drink with the goal of having a happier, healthier body. Gradually started replacing my less healthy choices with better choices - nothing drastic, just a nice progression.
So how has my diet changed? I'm now eating lots of fruits and veggies, nuts and beans, and I mainly drink water and tea (do you have any idea how many different teas there are to choose from?!). I gradually moved away from bread, dairy and sugar. Meat is the occasional side dish rather than the better part of the dinner plate. (And yes, my dear brother, some of what I enjoy looks like it came from the bottom of your lawn mower...)
Do I still eat junk food? Of course! Just not very often. Do I still eat yummy desserts? Of course! Again, just not very often. So when I have a great dessert, I savor and enjoy every bite.
The results? I feel better than I have in a long time, I'm sleeping better, and I am now fitting into clothes I haven't fit into in a looonnng time. (I don't own a scale and have no idea what I weigh, I just know it's a lot less than it was in January.)
So my advice? Take a good look/listen to what your body is telling you. Everyone is different and needs to find what makes their own body happy. Experiment and try new things and see how you feel.
It's not just about making different choices, it's about making choices differently. Make loving, caring choices for yourself.
Sunday, July 26, 2015
Rocks as nourishment....
OK, so I've already covered walking as nourishment, so, of course, the next nourishment topic would obviously be rocks....
Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to be included in a small group of wonderful people who spent a few days in Sedona. The experience was indescribable. (wait, here I am writing about it, so doesn't that make it describable??)
My only previous exposure to Sedona was driving through on the way from Flagstaff to Phoenix on a family road trip several years ago.
This road trip was a blast with my daughter and our new BFF Geri - a day in the car with good tunes turned up loud,junk food, er, um, healthy snacks, and lots of good conversation.
OK, so the retreat experience of the weekend is the indescribable part. No words can express the full experience, and we are still moving through it.
Soooo, what about the rocks? Lots of rocks in Sedona. Rocks to see, rocks to climb, rocks to sit and feel the energy. The scenery and energy are something to be experienced. This is not a bucket list item, this is a go and do item. The photos below are fabulous and still don't do it justice. (Thanks to my Sedona friends for some of the photos.)
The incredible energy of this place is felt at a soul level if you stop and let it flow through you.
Nourish your body, mind and spirit with nature as often as possible.
Earlier this month, I was fortunate enough to be included in a small group of wonderful people who spent a few days in Sedona. The experience was indescribable. (wait, here I am writing about it, so doesn't that make it describable??)
My only previous exposure to Sedona was driving through on the way from Flagstaff to Phoenix on a family road trip several years ago.
This road trip was a blast with my daughter and our new BFF Geri - a day in the car with good tunes turned up loud,
OK, so the retreat experience of the weekend is the indescribable part. No words can express the full experience, and we are still moving through it.
Soooo, what about the rocks? Lots of rocks in Sedona. Rocks to see, rocks to climb, rocks to sit and feel the energy. The scenery and energy are something to be experienced. This is not a bucket list item, this is a go and do item. The photos below are fabulous and still don't do it justice. (Thanks to my Sedona friends for some of the photos.)
The incredible energy of this place is felt at a soul level if you stop and let it flow through you.
Nourish your body, mind and spirit with nature as often as possible.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
New way to start off my 4th...
Sooo....in my continuing quest to do new and challenging things, this morning I rolled out of bed early, threw on my walking clothes and a hat, and participated in the annual 4th of July 5K in Lake Forest. (For those of you who know me, getting up early on a Saturday to exercise?? Bwahaha!!!)
No, I did not run the 5K, I walked. Thought about running part of it a few days ago, so when I was on my evening walk, I ran for a little bit and started hearing from my body: low back - um, no. Knees - I don't think so. Ankle - oh, hell no. So, walking it is...
Got my necessary items:
Got my t-shirt on:
Crowd getting ready for the start:
Furry walkers of all shapes and sizes:
Half mile left to go! Hmmm.....the crowd seems to be a lot thinner....
My goal was to finish, not be last, and feel good at the end. Success! Ended up walking 16 minute miles, so respectable time.
Photos of me you ask? Did you read the first paragraph? "rolled out of bed early, threw on my walking clothes and a hat." No one needs a picture of that....
A great way to start my day - now to relax and then pig out on kraut dogs and apple pie later (apple pie is a fruit, right??).
Have a wonderful Fourth of July!
No, I did not run the 5K, I walked. Thought about running part of it a few days ago, so when I was on my evening walk, I ran for a little bit and started hearing from my body: low back - um, no. Knees - I don't think so. Ankle - oh, hell no. So, walking it is...
Got my necessary items:
Got my t-shirt on:
Crowd getting ready for the start:
Furry walkers of all shapes and sizes:
Half mile left to go! Hmmm.....the crowd seems to be a lot thinner....
My goal was to finish, not be last, and feel good at the end. Success! Ended up walking 16 minute miles, so respectable time.
Photos of me you ask? Did you read the first paragraph? "rolled out of bed early, threw on my walking clothes and a hat." No one needs a picture of that....
A great way to start my day - now to relax and then pig out on kraut dogs and apple pie later (apple pie is a fruit, right??).
Have a wonderful Fourth of July!
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