Embracing ChangeREBUILDING MY FENCE
I have finally arranged for my old rickety fence to be torn down and replaced. Being a carpenter’s daughter, I thought I had a pretty good handle on what this involved in terms of the disruption of my normal life. Ha! I didn’t have a clue. Almost every inch of my little yard has been taken over by piles of Quikcrete bags, lumber, tools, tarps and orange webbed construction fencing. It took most of last week for the construction crew to tear down the old fence, dig post holes, clear out old concrete, and put in new posts. Now they are gradually assembling all of the other pieces. By the end of this week a new, beautiful fence will finally appear. OUT WITH THE OLD, IN WITH THE NEW It’s made me think about what a difficult process it is to tear out the old and build the new. This applies to life as well as fences. It requires a vision to begin with, and the ability to let that vision evolve. It can be really messy and chaotic when change is happening but I have to trust that eventually it’s going to result in something amazing and beautiful, or maybe just something new and different. As much as I would like to control the outcome, I really just have to accept whatever happens. Fence building is definitely a metaphor for my life, which I realize is always a work in progress. Getting older has not meant that I can just rest on my laurels and not have to work at having a full life. Growth never stops, thank goodness. I would like my life to sail on without any storms but the reality is that chaos and messes are a part of the process. ACCEPTING AND EMBRACING CHANGE I lost a wonderful friend a few days ago. Her death was sudden and unexpected. It was an incredible experience to be a part of the team that helped her through her last days. She left instructions for the person who was coordinating communications with her many friends to post her last words, “We have lift-off.” I have an image of her rising like a rocket from earth and soaring into the clouds. As difficult as it is, the loss of my friend also gives me an opportunity to examine my own life. I am grateful for the upheavals as well as the successes and the fact that I am still learning from my mistakes. I am finding myself willing to let go of some of my old habits, like my bread addiction, and consider what new things I can persue. I am a work in progress too.
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Leslie Masona woman in search of her post-retirement future Guess what! By subscribing, you get notices about the latest Little Old Lady with Cats posts sent to your mailbox!
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(from an entry posted on 5/1/2015) “I definitely fit some of the characteristics of a little old lady with cats: Retired - check, Single - check, Like to knit - check, Have cats - check. . .I do not want to get stuck in my Little Old Lady persona, however. In fact, this blog is a risk taking experiment in exploring and redefining what I want my retired life to look like.” Categories
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