A New Chapter

We can't control getting older.....but.....we can control how we do it.  

Last year was a year of firsts.  Or, shall I say,"Fearless Firsts".  I hiked, I climbed, I camped, I did white-water rafting, I almost nailed my fear of heights, I helped renovate a house, I saw Montana, I saw many waterfalls, I went skiing, and I fell in love.   Oops!  I'm not sure I'm supposed to say that in a blog, but......what I want to talk about is how, in my older years, (66) I look younger, feel younger, I'm in the best shape I've been in since pre-pregnancy and I want to do it all--well, perhaps not all, but I like what I've done so far, since January 1, 2019.  

I still work and manage to figure out how to do it all.  Having fun and laughing.  That is it!  

People often ask me, "where do I get all my energy?"  Well, that's easy.....keep moving.  

Since January 1, I have challenged myself, I cried in fear that I was going to fall off the side of the mountain, I fell three times trying to do a scary Black Diamond ski slope, but today, it's cake. I changed what was important and not important, materialistically, I even changed my jewelry designs.  Oh yes, I forgot to mention, I just about eat three meals a day.  My only regret is that I didn't do all these activities when my kids were growing up.  Don't get me wrong, we were a very active family, but adding a few extras would have been fun too.  

 I have learned is to embrace my own vulnerability.  The connection and the courage to be open to another human. It’s saying the words that are pressing from the inside. Saying what you feel doesn't have to be a confrontation. It’s letting them know. .   It’s giving without expectation or agenda. And receiving with an open heart.   

 Life happens – really happens – in the midst of our vulnerability. It’s here, in strength and with the greatest of courage, that we ask for help, say the first ‘I love you’, reach out for physical intimacy, tell someone we miss them, ask where we stand, feel. When we shut down our vulnerability, we shut down the possibility.

"I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear." -- Nelson Mandela

Since I wrote this blog....I moved to Colorado and I teach skiing 4x a week.