Some of you have asked for a sneak peek inside my day as a writer. I am retired, loving retirement life, and now I’m living my dream. Every day is different, with interjections of life that happen, but after 2 years of retirement, and figuring out what that means, I’ve built in specific structures that keep me focused on specific writing, health goals, and more intentional living.
Here’s how it plays out right now. (This, of course, evolves as other life dynamics influence how my day rolls.)
Upon the dawn of a new day, or moments before the sun crests the horizon, I walk at least 3 miles. My walk involves weight lifting to keep my arms and upper body moving as my legs carry me on my journey. YouTube videos keep me walking in fresh places when I’m treadmill-bound due to weather. The walking rigor causes me to glisten (okay, sweat) resulting in a nice, follow-up, refreshing shower.
Then, I’m ready to hit the ground running as I do the write stuff. I journal a few notes about how I’m feeling, what I need, and what I’d love and then I jump into writing: blogs, children’s books, a memoir, and other writing objectives I set for myself to hit my daily word count. Each day I choose a different writing focus, so I’m making incremental progress on all my goals. To keep things fresh, I have a list of trainings I’m completing to hone my craft and learn new things. I set an hour timer to get my focus on, and at the end of each hour, I give myself a break.
I use my breaks to complete a variety of things to feed my soul and get my body moving. These include: a daily calm activity (a 7-8 minute meditation or a focused point to ponder), a 5-minute move, chair yoga or dancing (I don’t navigate floor exercises like I used to), and reading. These things help break up my writing, get my butt out of the chair, and keep my mind fresh.
By early or mid-afternoon, I either hang with my dear, darling husband, indulge in a nap, or tend to running errands and such. I eat when I’m hungry, and I keep something succulent in my teacup to sip on.
Everyone has their own routines that work for them. The key is keeping those aligned to reflect what’s in your heart and the intentions you set out for yourself. If I’ve lulled you into a nice snooze, enjoy your rest! Maybe, just maybe, sharing my daily structure gives you some fresh ideas for you to play with. Now you’ve seen inside my day. The End.
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Say the word with as much vigor as you can muster – yippee! Now, check in with your emotional compass and see how you’re feeling. The mere mention of this emotion invokes energy in my body that closely resembles the word itself. My internal canvas fills with images of children clamoring around the ice cream truck for a treat or jumping off the diving board to create the biggest splash possible.
I experience this emotion when I complete a milestone (large or small), when I’m excited about a pending adventure, or even when I feel water rolling into the shore over my bare feet. You get the idea! Isn’t it fun, though, to spin around in feeling yippee about something?
This delightful emotion has so much purpose for me. I see it as an emotion that results when my heart, my soul, and my intentions align. It is like a gage to help me ensure I’m following what is important and true to who I am. When was the last time you sat in a puddle of your own yippee? Can we please stay here for a while?
Grammatically, this word is functions as an interjection. I’d like to shift that and make it part of my emotional vocabulary. (Alert the dictionary people and tell them it’s time for an update!) Yippee — the word that wants to be an emotion. It is something most people can relate to, because they’ve experienced it in one form or another, and it is one of the most positive ways to feel. Let’s go on a ‘snipe hunt’, get out our magnifying glasses, and search for all the yippee we can find!
Say it again with me — yippee! Once again, with feeling! Let the joy rain upon us in all this chatter about yippee! Considering this lively topic, I’m sending you a bushel of the stuff to spread generously across the landscape of your life.
Our emotions help us create the world we want to live in…
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Life Gifts
- Sending you quiet mornings to savor nature and listen to the musings of your heart.
- I send you fresh, fragrant flowers with lots of different colors to brighten your corner of the world.
- I send you energetic bursts of joy.
- I send you warm, comfortable rest.
- Sending you bursts of energy and focus.
- I send you soothing healing.
- I send you a warm hand to hold as you experience the array of feelings that go along with the death of your loved one.
- Sending you music to fill your heart with warmth and comfort.
- I send you delicious caring and big love.
- Sending you joy and glee in celebration of your accomplishment.
- Sending you nourishing soup for your soul.
- I send you virtual blankets to keep you warm, and good thoughts that your electricity is soon restored.
- I send you clocks that indicate there is plenty of time.
- Sending you giggles.
- I send you peaces.
- Sending you sparkly confetti in celebration of your accomplishments today.
- I send you music to make your insides dance.
- I send you large bundles of gratitude for being who you are, and for being connected with me.
- I send you fruit-full surprises in your journey.
- Sending you nourishing rest and mindful body care.
- I send you healing energy as you mend your heart and body.
- I send you delicious moments filled with rare and marvelous accents that grow your heart.
- Sending you friendship to warm your heart and knowledge that you’re loved.
- I send you comfy pillows to cradle you in love and comfort.
- I send you revolving hours of joy for writing about what you want to write about.
- Sending you a magical cool sheet to snuggle in and feel safe.
- I send you quiet fields of lavender to enjoy soft, quiet moments.
- Sending you pillows of prosperity to share with yourself and others.
- Sending you a luxury craft to drift in a while you regroup.
- I send you joy.
- I send you life rafts for navigating the waters of life.
- I send you peaces to resolve the conflicts you’re experiencing right now.
- I send you healing love and energy.
- I send you the lightest hint of lilac and a handful of petals.
- Sending you a bubble full of love and healing, to hold you and your heart.
- I send you focus as you practice setting up new routines to support your engagement with your true self.
- I send you the deep, rich colors of berries to paint your soul.
- I send you soothing cups of hot tea, your favorite music to listen to and time for you to relax and enjoy.
- I send you a warm, snuggly kitty to comfort your soul and remind you about the power of love.
- I send you joy as I think about how delightful you are.
- I send you a cuddly blanket of appreciation for the beautiful person you are in this world.
- I send you showers of confetti filled with sparkling, renewing energy to keep you fresh and succulent.
- I send you inspiration to put thoughts on paper.
- I send you bright flowers to see, smell, enjoy, and nurture.
- I send you focus and energy as you write today.
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