dandelion

Time, and indeed, life is what you make of it, as Lou Plummer states in his post, Time Is What You Make Of It. And, like Lou, after having to retire early because of a traumatic event in my life, I found myself on the precipice of a dark place. But even then, faced with a dilemma, I had a choice. So many things happened one after the other that year I could easily have slipped into a long depression. But didn’t.

I decided to get organised and, for the most part, I haven’t looked back since. I’ve done my best to stay positive, upbeat and forward thinking. I’ve tried not to dwell on the past. Or dwell on events I had no control over. Or people whose choices still baffle me to this very day. I try not to fret about things I cannot change and, instead, think about the things I can change, and for the better. That work for me, and my situation and circumstance.

And in doing so, I’ve found myself a niche and a routine where I’m able to be productive, feel enriched, and that allows me time to do the things I want to do. And even, experiment with new projects and pastimes.

No, no I’m not going skiing in the mountains, or anything as dramatic as snorkelling on a coral reef let alone deep sea diving. But, given my own limitations, and not letting them define me, I’ve tried to stretch myself in a number of ways while still staying somewhat within my safety zone (for physical reasons) because, at my age, there are things I will never be able to do anymore. And that’s okay. I’m okay with that. I never had a desire to bungie jump from anything, or skydive tandem or otherwise. They were never my thing.

But the things I do want to do? I will give them a go. After all, time is no longer on my side, and I have to make sure that I try to do as much or as little as I want each and every day. Because, when it comes down to it, I have no idea just how many days, like any of us, I have left.

So I do what brings me pleasure, what brings me joy, what gives me a sense of calm, or peace, or makes me smile, or happy, or comforted. Even if that’s sitting on the balcony, drinking a cup of early morning tea watching the cloud drift lazily across the sky, listening to the sparrows chirrup, as the sun comes up.

That’s fine by me too.

𖡼.𖤣𖥧𖡼.𖤣𖥧