Everything's blooming, even the pine trees.
“The very least you can do in your life is to figure out what you hope for. The best you can do is live inside that hope, running down the hallways, touching the walls on both sides.” ~ Barbara Kingsolver in her book Animal Dreams
Barbara Kingsolver is another of my favorite authors. I love the image she creates with her life/hope philosophy. I can see myself in that hallway touching the things I love and hope to have in my life. In fact, I can see myself walking down that hall with excellent posture and a spring in my step. Being physically fit has always been important to me. I’m not saying I have always been fit but it never ceases to matter to me.
Everywhere I turn these days I see comments, quotes, advice about pursuing dreams, making goals, etc. My first goal as of right now is to become as fit as I can be without hurting myself. At my age that’s not always an easy line to draw but I can and will do it. Because it matters a great deal. One way I will accomplish this goal is to eat more carefully and deliberately. I don’t think I will give up having a bit of dark chocolate a day (It is good for me, isn’t it?). But sugar is my weakness right now. So any other sweet fixes I need will have to come from fruits (fresh, when available). Another thing I’ve been practicing lately is getting up and moving in one way or another when I’m feeling low. I can go for a walk, walk in place if the weather’s bad, clean house, make another pillowcase dress (I’ve made four now.) or simply stretch a little. Or go see a daughter or a grandchild. Anything but sitting and moping.
My second goal is to be artistically creative. It isn’t an option anymore, it’s a necessity. I have to do it in order to be happy. There are lots of ways to be artistic but for tactile me it will have to be done with yarn (crochet) or fabric (art quilting). I found a crochet book yesterday that teaches a technique that I’ve never used before. I’ll be working on that. And of course I’ll be moving beautiful fabrics around and practicing my machine quilting. I started to call it my technique but I haven’t actually developed a technique yet. Right now I’m trying to copy what other art quilters have done so that I will hopefully get good enough to finish my in-progress project that I discussed in an earlier post Art quilt: Divorce therapy.
I’m not sure why it’s difficult for me to establish goals in my retirement. Maybe it’s second nature for me to have goals. It’s just not easy for me to write them down. Maybe it’s cowardly to keep them in my mind. Maybe I will be more accountable now that I’ve written them out for you to see.
Back On My Own 
Hello B.O.M.O.
I am touched by this post and I can’t put my finger on why. You write beautifully and although I can’t share all you experience, I think I feel some of your emotions. I can’t explain, but maybe because I am struggling really hard right now to find my passions; I woke up one day wondering who I was and not finding a satisfactory answer.
Anyways, just wanted to let you know you moved me.
Thank you for that. 🙂
-S.
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Thank you for reading and for your kind comments, S. I have found that our human emotions are just that no matter what our issues are and no matter what we’re going through. I feel for you as you struggle but I think our struggles promote huge growth spurts. I have great confidence that you will figure out your passions just because you’re taking the time to question. Keep going.
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Thanks. Sometimes I need some encouragement. I am never sure if this is a reasonable endevour or not. I feel selfish when all I really want right now is to know me, and to get through this with an ounce of sanity remaining. LoL! I look forward to reading more!
-S.
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I know for a fact that you have always had goals and I do believe it’s second nature to you. Heck, who did all those sit-ups every night? During the high school physical fitness tests, there were always two girls still doing sit-ups while the rest of us slugs were resting. So who almost always won? Remember? Except for those few times DW managed to beat you. (I’ll bet her daddy the coach never let her forget that you beat her almost every time.)
And who taught herself to become an expert and talented seamstress while recovering in a long-leg cast from a badly broken ankle? I could go on and on.
In short, you have always been physically fit, talented and creative (well, I can speak only for the years past fifth grade). It’s definitely not cowardly to keep your goals in your mind rather than on paper. Whether you wrote them down or not, your success is proof enough.
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Thanks, C. It’s wonderful to have unconditional love and support.
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Writing goals down rather commits to actually doing something about them I find!! There are less ways out once they’re there on a screen or a piece of paper. They haunt and stare back until you start taking action!
Good luck and go for it as they say!!
xxx
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