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Choice

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Today, I will be brave with a list of four.  Four open and honest truths for me. Today, I choose to write .  The author, Katherine Applegate, called herself a reluctant writer.  I connected immediately.  That is me, sitting on dead center, knowing that I should write, even if no one ever reads these words.  But writing is scary, someone might read it.  My thoughts are random, high and low, profound and absurd, radical and conservative, and, sometimes, all at once.  But they are my words.  Grammatically incorrect, riddled with errors, but they are mine and they are all I have to offer.  Today, I choose to write.   Today, I choose to not be defined by my age .  Our culture sees 61 as old, really old.  Phrases begin to pop up.   “Retirement is right around the corner.  “You only have a few more good years left.”  “You should take it easy.”  (By the way, what does that even mean?)   According to the CDC, my  life expectancy is 78.6 years .  So, yes, my years on earth ar
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Season of change

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It wasn't enough to try one new thing a day (which I didn't even come close to, but, eh, I believe in grace), we decided to sell our house of 20 years and move further from our jobs.  I believe most rational people would have stayed in the home they loved, in a community where they felt safe, where their jobs were just a few minutes away.  We chose to live differently.  We found a home in a peaceful beach community about 45 minutes away and here we are.  Does it make sense?  Probably not.  The journey to get to "here" has been difficult - selling, negotiating, downsizing, sifting through 20 years of memories.  The home where we raised our kids in, had birthday parties, graduation parties, loved, fought, and made-up.  Our first dog, a sweet, patient, blond lab, rescued from the Houston SPCA, that watched our daughter grow, is buried in the back corner of the yard.  Our kids spent their summers lifeguarding down the street.   Many days I was filled with doubt, leavi
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Engaging

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One of my comfort places is home - reading, working around the house, watching tv, just home with family or, best of all, alone.  Actively engaging with others is uncomfortable for me.  Committing to a small group is really difficult.  I can think of a dozen reasons each week to not go and discuss the reading.  However, here we are, six months later, still going on Monday nights.  The hubby loves it.  He thrives in social engagement.  Me, I prefer one on one.  More than once, I have declared I am done.  We are taking a week's break.  I'm curious to see if I return. Yes, we returned.  Commitment and follow through. 
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Driving

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For me, driving is enjoyable in my small town where my round trip is usually no more than 15 miles and seldom over 40 mph.  However, my nagging knee issue and desire to run has lead me to a downtown doctor.  Now, mind you, I don't care to drive to, from, or in downtown on the weekends during the day.  The idea of driving during rush hour, late afternoon and evening, is definitely way outside my comfort zone.  But, I wanted it bad enough...bad enough to drive it.  Easy?  Definitely, not.  Uncomfortable and sometimes nerve wracking? Yep.  But I did it any way.  The therapy has been really good but this stretching myself has been even better.  Funny thing is it has become rather routine and good for me, mentally. 
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Looking Past the Hype

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Professional athletes intrigue me.  They are able to take that which they love to do, continue to fine tune their craft with the help of other professionals, and get paid to do it.  The saying, "Experiment of one" applies and, I have to say, I am a bit envious.  Not of the criticism by knucklehead observers or the fame but by their journey.  For my second new thing, we sat in on a Houston Rockets game at the Toyota Center on Christmas afternoon.   As we drove up, people seemed to be coming from every direction, like ants swarming to a glob of honey.  Inside, flashing lights, booming announcers, long concession lines, and people scurrying around the outer rim created a sense of organized chaos.  The oddest thing was a lottery of sorts.  A winning number would entitle the holder to half the pool of money and the other half went to charity.  I just wondered what that had to do with basketball.  And the vertical slant of the seats!  Oh mercy, no wonder we could afford them. 
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Begin With A Beginning

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At the close of this Christmas Day, I feel called to a new adventure.  Not really one of epic proportions or earth shattering changes (as often announced on FB).  Rather one of a journey to try new things.  Honestly, I am staring the big 6-0 in the face and I  realize I probably only have 10 "good" years left, if I am lucky.  That's if God doesn't have something earlier in mind.  Visiting with friends and relatives over these last few weeks, I see what they call traditions is really the path of least resistance.   One of convenience, of safety.  Where we go places, do things, eat things, buy things that are safe and, supposedly, least amount of stress.  Is this all I have to look forward to?  The same ol', same ol?   Today, I still have a choice and I choose differently.  My goal (that I hate to say aloud because I know God has a huge sense of humor and this plan could definitely go south in a blink of an eye) is to try at least new thing every day for one
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