It never fails. We have days and weeks with 100 degree heat and suddenly we wake up one morning and it’s cool and breezy!
Today is that day. But I confess, it feels beautiful, albeit a little chilly as I’m in a tank top and shorts here on the porch.
I actually wore something other than a summer dress for work and took a nice 20 minute walk around our complex. I think it’s 5 times around for 1 mile but I forget to count…
On my way home from work, I stopped at the library to pick up the DVD Troy (it’s only for rent on Amazon), and stopped at the bank and post office. I really had a spring in my step!
Heading out from the bankOur town hall (formerly the high school)
I think the hot weather has finally broken and we’ll see some cooler weather moving forward. Central Air is still on for bedtime though!
Today while reading from my “Jesus Calling”, one of the scriptures was Philippians 4:8:
“….whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things. Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me-put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.”
In other words, “Because like what you spend your energy on, that’s the day.”
I may be 65, but sometimes I think my mind is stuck in my teens. Or maybe it’s because I’m a Taurus?
Anyway, I’m like a dog with a bone. If I get a thought, especially a negative one, I can’t let it go. Money, bills, employees – it’s what swirls around my head all day. And if there’s a comment from someone rebutting me on a Facebook post about creating affordable housing in my town (I’m for it by the way) – yikes!
But then, I watched the New Heights podcast with Taylor Swift as their guest. It was one of the most entertaining and enlightening two hours I’ve had staring at my screen in a long time.
What snapped me to attention was when she said, “What you spend the energy on, That’s the Day!”. THAT’S THE DAY.
I have to say in my defense, I am only a week and a half back from a 10 day vacation cruising along the coast and inside passage of Alaska but even I’m saying to myself, Enough’s Enough!
I currently say a morning prayer to get myself right with the day and try to get a 5 to 10 minute meditation in, but, it looks like I need to add an additional mantra to the day.
We went on our boat the other day. As I walked along the dock, trying to reorientate myself to the layout, I realized it had been 11 months since I’d been on the boat and probably a year since I’d been to the marina we dock it at!
Our boat / heading out
How could that be?? Well, last year we took it out of the water and up to Lake Winnipesaukee the second week of August. We brought it home and, whether the weather was just ok or life got in the way, we never put it back in the water! It just sat in our driveway until it was time to winterize it.
Fast forward to 2025 boating season – my husband and son brought it up to the marina and launched it and they’ve been on it a couple of times. You’d think with the weather so incredibly hot since early June, we’d be there every weekend. But…we’re not…. “It’s TOO hot”, “it’s supposed to rain”, “it’s raining again”. There’s always been some obstacle. There’s even been talk of downsizing and trailering it to different lakes for finishing.
I took Friday off so we could go to the boat. Instead of heading out early in the morning, we took our time and didn’t leave the house until 11. We got there, uncovered the boat and headed out at slow cruising speed.
Inn at Candlewood Lake where the best wedding ever took place in 2018 😍 / a view of the lake
We hit every cove on the southern end of the lake and ate our sandwiches as we motored around. Once we headed north, we anchored at our favorite spot and spent about four hours reading and swimming around. After a month of such hot weather, the water temperature was perfect!
Our anchoring spot with a view of a town’s beach and home at the point
It was so relaxing and I remembered how much I enjoyed it! Maybe it was the shift in the time? The gorgeous weather and warm water? Sadly, not having our dog Wally to have to get home for which allowed us not to have to rush home, played into it as well. We headed home around 6, and ordered sushi to pick up as we got closer to home.
Heading “home” to Gerard’s Marina
Here’s to (hopefully) a longer boating season this year!
If I say the number on the scale is “just a number” when it goes up, why don’t I say the same when the number goes down?
Here I am again analyzing what I ate that would cause the scale to increase by .6, yes, half of a pound. It never ends.
Does it reside in my head past the weight check? Really, that’s all it is, it is a weight check.
No, I realize it doesn’t. There are so many factors that can cause it to shift. The delicious sourdough cinnamon raisin bread with butter I had after dinner last night comes to mind….
But I drink my coffee, fill my water bottle, and head out the door for my morning workout.
Physical, emotional, spiritual, intellectual, social, and relational. When I looked online for self-care, I found those categories.
Based on the descriptions, I was pretty surprised that I have always practiced self-care but never put the two together.
I eat heathy and work out every day. I write in my journal daily. I read my Jesus Calling devotional every day, followed by the associated bible verse. I read at bedtime and play the New York Times games (almost) daily. I have been working on my relationship with my husband to be more open and honest about things that concern me.
I was going to say that my social self-care would be where I was lacking but I realized – that’s not true! I belong to a group at the library, and attend library events at least twice a month. I meet with former neighborhood friends every month for dinner. I meet with our class reunion committee monthly, which consists of 6 other women who really like seeing each other every month because our next reunion is still 3-1/2 years away!
I could improve on all of that if I could stay off social media!
Describe one simple thing you do that brings joy to your life.
I feel joy when I am riding my bike.
I received my first bike when I was about 7 years old. It was a second hand bike that my dad painted and put a new seat on. I would ride it all over the neighborhood. On weekends, my dad would take me, my sisters, and anyone from the neighborhood who wanted to join us on rides around town. The bike gained a banana seat with sissy bar and upraised handlebars when they came into style.
My first bike – 1967
I outgrew the bike and riding during high school but then received a 10-speed bike my senior year of high school. I brought my bike to college and rode around campus and up and down the country roads.
Woodstock Connecticut Route 169
When I moved to California, I brought my bike with me (in pieces, in a box!), but based on the rides my husband to be and his friends did, I bought a new bike designed for my short stature and for long miles. My longest ride to date is a 100K through the hills of Sonoma Country. I never did become fully comfortable clipping my feet in to the pedals!
Dry Creek Road area, Healdsburg California
After moving back to Connecticut, the road rides ended but we would take our mountain bikes with us on camping trips and ride from our site to the beach at Hammonasett and Rocky Neck State Parks or ride around Lake Waramaug. We also took our bikes on the ferry to Block Island and Martha’s Vineyard for traveling around.
Sights to see on Block Island, Rhode Island
Recently we purchased e-bikes to ride on which are electric, but pedal assist, which means you still have to pedal to move. People get the wrong idea because there are other types. When I first started riding my new bike, I would turn the assistance on and off and at the same time try to work through my gears. I quickly realized I need to just leave the assistance on at level 1 and just work through my gears and it created a much more enjoyable ride!
My bike – 2025Farmington Canal trail undergroundOne of the trails
So why does it bring me joy? I love the movement both in my legs and traveling a distance quickly! I love the feel of the sun on my shoulders in nice weather. I’m not incredibly fond of cold weather but my first ride was on ice and I can say I finished that ride! Some of the rides involve gravel, uphill and downhill, and I feel challenged, physically and mentally, to get up the hill and DOWN the hill! I’m always in the back of our 6 person pack but I’m getting better! The bike pedals allow for my shoes to clip in or remain free and I currently remain free.
I always think I will be so productive because I get out of bed by 6am every morning. But that really has nothing to do with productivity because I’ve perfected the art of taking my time.
I feel the most productive when I make a list of what I want to do and what I have to do.
I find it amazing that I have so many “things” I want to do, yet I never work on them, because I don’t remember them in the moment. If I have a list, I can look and say “oh, I’ll do a little work on this”.
By working four days a week, I’m getting glimpses of what retirement will look like.
I have a variety of hobbies that include knitting, ancestry research, writing for this and my family stories blog, puzzles, reading. All my indoor stuff but I also have a new e-gravel bike to ride and a boat that will go in the water next month. And travel!
I wish I had more retirement time every day to find a flow to work on my hobbies and outdoor activities!
Six weeks from whenever I start a “healthy lifestyle program” it all goes to hell.
2025 is turning out to be no exception. I talked about my plans for a healthy 2025 here.
What happened? Valentines Day happened and I went to Sweet Chocolata’s here in town to buy treats for my family and employees. Of course, I had to buy something for myself and their caramel and chocolate covered pretzel sticks are to die for! That was almost a month ago and I haven’t been able to get back on track. It feels like no matter when I start, six weeks later there is some event or holiday that derails me.
My workouts, of course, continue to be going well. It’s my diet that I can’t get back on track. I start each with with determination, and then slide away.
But, as Truman Capote said, “Failure is the condiment that gives success its flavor”. Appropriate right?
Thoughts From The Passenger Seat 