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My question is misunderstood. I am not asking whether you enjoy your life, or out doing things or traveling
It is more basic: how is your life significantly better/different than long ago? Not counting vacation time, grandkids, paying the mortgage, trying new foods. We all pay the bills, do errands, hang out with people, watch movies and lay around..
BEYOND this routine, what else?
Did you become an actor, accomplished writer, guitarist, get a college degree, study Zen Yoga, moved across country?
My own life hasn't changed much. I know because I keep a diary for years. Unhappy-- though I travel regularly, and go to big city entertainments, attend shows, and learn new things. I keep thinking: I can do better than this! I will not be getting married, or dating, or parties, become an actor or live in Timbukto. After a certain age, I have no desire.
Last edited by carnelian; 11-04-2021 at 08:24 AM..
Reason: clarity
I’m always improving in one way or another, some are large, many are small. Our first yoga instructor taught me this valuable lesson: “You can do the same ten yoga poses every day and learn something different from them each time.” It was as referred to beginner’s mind in our yoga practice and it can be applied to everything in life.
Life can to be exciting with new adventures, but don’t dismiss every day activities as being in a rut. They are what you make of them.
We spent the first two years of our retirement leaving everything we knew behind and resettling in another state. We kept very occupied with DIY renovations and landscaping projects. In retrospect, it was one big adventure as everything was new - the weather, the geography, the culture, a sense of freedom from schedules etc. After the lockdown, we have settled into a pretty dull routine that seems to have continued so I am more than ready to try something different. However, I also have a sense that endlessly amusing myself with art classes, pickle ball or travel leaves out that sense of doing something that is useful to others or the bigger picture. I am attracted to the phrase ”leave something better” so that helps me decide how to proceed.
Location: We_tside PNW (Columbia Gorge) / CO / SA TX / Thailand
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Quote:
Originally Posted by carnelian
My question is misunderstood. I am not asking whether you enjoy your life, or out doing things or traveling
It is more basic: how is your life significantly better/different than long ago? ...
BEYOND this routine, what else?
Did you become an actor, accomplished writer, guitarist, get a college degree, study Zen Yoga, moved across country?
My own life hasn't changed much. I know because I keep a diary for years.
Unhappy-- though I travel regularly, and go to big city entertainments, attend shows, and learn new things. I keep thinking: I can do better than this! ....
Consider friends you have or who have passed away who inspired / encouraged you.
Quite honestly that can be a pretty short list Which is sad. But... purpose to be an encourager of others and invest yourself in others and it might rub off! (There is proof of that).
I have recently lost some very great friends who were my lifelong encouragers.
They were not amazing, or well accomplished. They were just a lot of fun and very practical and always happy to see me or my family. I loved to hear their adventures and even their trials (They had plenty).
I want to be one of those .
This is a good start!, Thx Sera
Quote:
Originally Posted by sera
Age 76, Grandma Moses, started painting. This thread reminded me, there's Always something new. Read about Mary who was friends of Norman Rockwell, so read about him as well on Wikipedia.
For me, enjoy hearing other peoples life stories. In a coffee shop, two veterans were having coffee, stopped to thank them for their service (they had on caps one Army, one Navy). Inquired where the served. The gentleman at the next table joined in our short chat.
Touched today as I was reading in the library, a dear woman I knew, tapped me to say "Hello". So touched she paused to acknowledge me.
For me, when my husband died, that part of my journey ended. Now, am on another leg of my journey (like trains, traveling). Life is a journey, full of adventure, new places or people to meet. Taking flowers to a friend in a business district, a woman stopped me to admire them. Then another woman came along and the 3 of had a chat.
The song Accentuate the Positive, Eliminate the Negative comes to mind.
My question is misunderstood. I am not asking whether you enjoy your life, or out doing things or traveling
It is more basic: how is your life significantly better/different than long ago? Not counting vacation time, grandkids, paying the mortgage, trying new foods. We all pay the bills, do errands, hang out with people, watch movies and lay around..
BEYOND this routine, what else?
Did you become an actor, accomplished writer, guitarist, get a college degree, study Zen Yoga, moved across country?
My own life hasn't changed much. I know because I keep a diary for years. Unhappy-- though I travel regularly, and go to big city entertainments, attend shows, and learn new things. I keep thinking: I can do better than this! I will not be getting married, or dating, or parties, become an actor or live in Timbukto. After a certain age, I have no desire.
Our lives changed dramatically since moving to the southwest as soon as my husband retired. different lifestyle with new challenges and habits and hobbies. I’m an established artist already but gave up the biz side of it and no longer have interest in gallery representation or major exhibits. I now have the time to explore and push the creative boundaries and there is nothing routine about that. Our lives have taken on somewhat of a routine but I enjoy the routine in our new lifestyle. If we stop enjoying that then we’ll change it.
If you you have no desire why is that so terrible, unless it makes you feel guilty.
I was doing reasonably well, in the first 10-11 years of retirement (from FULL TIME work, I had a part time job for a couple of years), but when the Chinese Flu attacked us, and put us in lock down, initially it didn't bother me, as I felt that it was just a minor bump in the road. But now, as we're entering into a second year of this "BS", with no end in sight, I have to admit that it's really starting to grate on my nerves....as well as the aches and pains and minor illnesses that accompany the aging process.
Oh, and the "supply chain" issues aren't helping my state of mind, either!!
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Which is sad. But... purpose to be an encourager of others and invest yourself in others and it might rub off! (There is proof of that).
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