December 15, 2015

Why Respecting Boundaries Is A Win/Win/Win

December 15, 2015/ F2P

A friend of mine and I have had a number of conversations about boundaries this year. The word slipped from my mouth as we talked and she’s brought it up regularly ever since. The reason she has is that, at least as she’s expressed it to me, she found it fascinating that I had said that I found it a regular challenge to respect boundaries when dealing with both relationships with others and with myself. In her estimation, I’ve always been successful at setting and respecting boundaries. Given I stumble more often than I'd like to admit I’d say that's a definite overstatement, but I will agree that it gets easier the more I work on it.

September 16, 2015

Fourth Update - Living More with Less in 2015

September 16, 2015/ F2P

On January 15, I declared that I was going to live a simpler and richer life by having and buying less stuff and doing more of what matters. I'd outlined three main themes as part of this plan:

Don’t buy anything unless it’s urgent - yes, it’s a flexible definition and relates more to fixed goods than consumables.
Use (and enjoy) what I have.
Focus on spending time with, and giving to, others.

In March, May and July, I published my first three updates. Based on these, my average so far is a “B”. Not bad, but I’ve vowed I can do better.

Have I? Let’s take a look.

September 03, 2015

Presence, Not Presents

September 03, 2015/ F2P

Small Gestures Are A Big Deal

We all get busy. If it's not work assignments, it's social obligations, or organized sports or volunteering or household chores or anything else that makes us feel we're getting pulled in all sorts of directions.

This pull on our time makes the following shortcuts very attractive:

Buying convenience foods or eating out
Driving vs walking or biking
Skipping a workout or playtime in the park
Outsourcing life tasks (maid service, yard service, laundry, baby sitting)

We've all used some of these, and more, at some point. Indeed, some of us take these shortcuts on a regular, even daily basis.

There are even some shortcuts we take that we don't even realize we're taking because they don't feel as real and tangible as the list I offered above.

July 21, 2015

Third Update - Living More with Less in 2015

July 21, 2015/ F2P

On January 15, I declared that I was going to live a simpler and richer life by having and buying less stuff and doing more of what matters. I'd outlined three main themes as part of this plan:

Don’t buy anything unless it’s urgent - yes, it’s a flexible definition.
Use (and enjoy) what I have.
Focus on spending time with and giving to others.

In March and May, I published my first and second updates, giving myself a "B-" and a "B+" respectively. Am I maintaining my "B" average?

March 24, 2015

Walking In My Grandmother’s Shoes

March 24, 2015/ F2P

My grandmother had a hard life. There’s no question about it. But it’s what she managed to do with this hard life that ended up making her one of the happiest people I've ever come to know and love.

February 02, 2015

Has It Been A Year Already?

February 02, 2015/ F2P

I hope you'll indulge me. I don't usually write about blogging, but today's an exception to this general rule. I want to take the opportunity to mark this blog's 1-year anniversary and with that the opportunity to reminisce, express much gratitude and look at what might be in store for this little bundle of joy.

October 22, 2014

The Devil Made Me Do It. Why We Always Have A Choice.

October 22, 2014/ F2P

As some of you may already be aware, there are two movies that really resonate with me from a philosophical perspective. One of these is The Matrix and the other? The Devil Wears Prada. The concept of choice is a fundamental theme that runs through these two movies and anyone watching them would be hard pressed to not consider what that might mean in their own lives. It certainly did for me and still does.

October 15, 2014

Diamonds - Nothing But a Brilliant Illusion

October 15, 2014/ F2P

So today I’m a guest poster over at Frugal Fringe, the Colorado-based "all things frugal" blog written by my friend A. Noonan Moose. Click the link at the end of the excerpt to read all about how my husband and I have been misleading folks for years (they didn't ask and we didn't tell) and why it was the right decision, at least for us.

June 27, 2014

Avoid Making The Biggest Mistake In Life

June 27, 2014/ F2P

I write this post mere hours after finding out that a friend of mine and former colleague passed away suddenly at age 53. I worked closely with her for a number of years. She was a caring, hard working person, a wife, and the mother of 2 teenage sons.

March 31, 2014

Ten Life Lessons I Took Away From Watching "The Company Men"

March 31, 2014/ F2P

I watched "The Company Men" last night. Its tag line is: "In America, we give our lives to our jobs. It's time to take them back."

I had first watched this 2010 movie a few years ago and, for kicks, decided to watch it again. I found it offers reasonable food for thought, despite a somewhat cheesy ending. So why not have a little fun reviewing some of the "life lessons" it contains.

Free to Pursue