A New Decade and Madonna (I see you)

Well this has been a week of great celebration and reflection as I move into the big 60. It one way I am so proud of the life I have experienced and on another note, it is a wholly sh-t moment. I can’t believe I am here.. it sounds old but I don’t feel it. I guess that is a good position to be in opposed to the other. The thing is … there is a lot of truth that age gives you a certain anchoring and comfort in your skin. It has taken awhile but I really know myself, what I want, who I am and who I am not. I mean there is always room for growth and editing but I generally like myself … yay me. So in honor of my big birthday … let me share random thoughts that have passed through my brain that I feel inclined to express.

Madonna – I happen to be watching her concert and she is the bomb. I love all her songs, still an excellent entertainer and refuses to be dismissed. She is 67 and up on stage with an amazing body, energy and her voice sounds good. She is also very spiritual and wise. She does date too young of men – but I think it would be intimidating to be in a relationship with Madonna and only a young naive punk has enough balls to try… Madonna I feel you.
Trusting your Intuition – I have come to realize that listening to my inner knowing is my super power. At first thinking it was street smarts was a gross understatement. That little voice or feeling inside is the best compass. I wish I leaned into it more and never second guessed it. We need to quiet down and tune into is it a yes or no – first feeling. It is a very efficient way to live and I am going to simplify more…
Health – Although I am not perfect and recently have been a little lax, my body is my temple. I need to treat it well, eat healthy, keep moving, lift weights and go the distance. I am fully convinced that no pill, potion or quick fix is a replacement for good clean living. Lots of fruits, vegetables and natural food – thy body heals itself – is so true. I need to keep this on my mind as I dream of that chocolate bar.
Connections – I am so grateful for my family and friends – my lifeline. I have great relationships and can pick up the phone and have a discussion that fills my soul. Nothing like someone who gets you… Thinking of friendships that span 50+ years is amazing – what would I do without my crew. We have been through the great times and the lowest ones too …
Curiosity – It is really to become outdated or stuck. I always said age is a number, how relevant do you remain. I am glad that I continue to want to learn and grow. I have goals and dreams – want to understand things. I have become braver too wanting to explore and try new experiences that I was nervous to do when I was younger.
Laughter – I still love to be silly and find life funny. I am never too old to giggle and believe a laugh a day keeps the doctor away. You can’t be too serious – it is just lame and not fun. I stand by that one!
Having Purpose and Hope – I am optimistic that there is a reason why I am here and have hope of many good days to come. I am not thrilled with the state of the world – would like to see more kindness and empathy. This is a lesson that I must learn as I can do better. I am trying…

Well that was quite a list – didn’t mean to go so long or deep. I guess Madonna has inspired me (the concert is really good). What a great week of celebration and pondering. It has been perfect and I am glad where I am…. I mean realistically if the hair was a little thicker, the lines on my face a little less pronounced and not having to use readers to see menus would be a bit better. A girl can dream right although all is pretty damn good.

Thanks for being a part of my rambling – peace and love to everyone ✌🏻❤️

Viva Las Vegas

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2026 is a special time for the Fire Horse Ladies. (Chinese Zodiac) So in true fashion, this gal grabbed her besties and headed to Vegas for a big celebration. And I know this is a dramatic beginning however the story does not go the way you think …

I have been blessed to have long-term friendships with some of the greatest people in the world. I am not invited to the most popular parties, I don’t hob nob with the movers and shakers and generally consider myself a homebody who enjoys writing blogs on a Saturday night. However, I do know this – I have the deepest bonds and can text or speed dial a shoulder to cry on, laugh my ass off or just talk about nothing. It is a real gift that I am extremely grateful to have this in my life.

When I turned 40, my friends Marla, Renee, Debbie and I went on a cruise to the Bahamas. It was a great time of sun, fun and chilling. We promised that we would go on vacation every decade and for some reason, we missed our first deadline. As 60 came around the corner, we aligned to really do it and figured out a date that was going work for all of us and that mission was completed a few days ago.

Our vacation did have a few minor bumps along the way including a cancelled flight that pushed us back a few hours and hotel rooms that were not ready on time. Finally after a stern word with management and some compensation for our troubles, we entered our connecting rooms at the Wynn which was just the right vibe. It was time for our adventure.

We began with a beautiful outdoors dinner at SW and began meaningful conversation reflecting on the last decade. What were the best moments in our 50’s? What did we learn? What did we want to do in our 60’s? It was fun to hear and fill in the gaps for each other as we knew each other so well. The Wynn’s water show began which was very entertaining and strange. They did a rendition of Major Tom (originally David Bowie), I am not going to lie, it was creepy with a large face of an unknown guy singing that transitioned from a light hearted song “I Got You Babe” belted out by a large mechanical frog. Someone was doing big time drugs when they created that montage. But you know … when you are in Vegas – go with the flow. After that, we walked the strip because Marla had never been to Vegas before. We moved through fictitious Venice, Paris and then a behind the strip to a set of shops and restaurants that were really fun. We did take a wrong turn and had a behind the scenes tour of parking lots and corners that had no access back to the main street. We all agreed to edit that out of memories of the trip – ha ha. After that excursion, we headed back to the hotel and crashed. We blamed it on the time change but you know we are 60 and we need our beauty sleep. 😴

The next morning, we were bright eyed, bushy tailed and started early. It was non-stop the whole day involving a yummy brunch, some mother of the groom shopping where I ended up getting a fabulous dress for that wedding (no I am only a guest). This dress is everything to me – it is velour which I love and I can do anything in it – 5K run “yes”, Hora (Jewish dance involving holding hands in a circle and kicking my legs – “hell yes” and just pure comfort for lounging – “yes, yes, yes!”

We then went back to the hotel to do some pool time which was short a sweet and not worth all the hours that was devoted to find the proper swimsuits (one person in our crew – worked very hard to be ready). Next we were off to a Billy Joel/Elton John cover band show that started at 6:30 p.m. My kind of event. It was great as the lead singer/piano player toured and was a member of “Moving Out” (the play of Billy Joel) which made him legit. It was a ton of fun although the audience was super old. He put a boa around a woman who looked 80 and there were a lot of wheel chairs. We had a blast singing and dancing in the little dive theater.

We then went to dinner and chowed down on nachos and walked back watching the Bellagio water show and seeing a lot of thong action on some tushies that needed to be covered a little more – YOLO 👯‍♀️ We did ask each other how much would we have to be paid to wear the showgirl outfit up and down the strip. We found that our price was kind of reasonable. I believe we would do it for less than $100K – good to know for the future. We then returned to the room and were ready to fall asleep. We had to keep it going as we had planned an activity which were notebooks about topics and answering the questions of More or Less. We decided to do one page which was around the next decade – what would we do more of and what would we do less of? It was a group effort with all of us agreeing to more happiness, health, travel… less stress, anxiety, complaining etc… It was a great way to understand our headspace at the time.

The next day – we walked around, went to a delicious deli with bagels the size of your head, souvenir shopping and off to the airport. What a whirlwind in Vegas and an acknowledgment we needed to make these trips more frequent and a priority for the future.

The trip went fast and it went slow as we reconnected in person. We started out by looking at the scrapbook of our trip when we were 40 years old. I can’t speak for everyone but I saw in “younger Risa’s eyes” optimism of a life ahead of her. Little did she know that she would be facing some of the biggest changes in her life – moving to PA, breast cancer, moving back to MI and losing her husband, having to reframe her career and raising her daughter on her own. And then, little did she know she would also find the greatest peace and stability in her life too. Crazy how that works. I know my friends too each had their ups and downs as well that I will not expose on a public blog – cause that is the kind of girl I am – a good friend and don’t want to be sued! 😳

It also occurred to me that at times we had not changed at all. Case in point, when Debbie showed us a TIK TOK dance she had learned. I remember when we lived with her at MSU and she would play Debbie Gibson’s song over and over again and dance- not sure if it was Shake Your Love or Only in Your Dreams. Now it is Taylor Swift (btw it was so cute and we have the pictures as evidence). And then we felt older too when Renee is about to have a married child or thinking about retirement down the road. Or Marla who has worked at Barnes and Noble for 100 years (I exaggerate – 80 -haha) and has been married over 35 years. Or the fact that we could fill in the gaps of each other’s stories as we went down memory lane. It was really nice to have people in your life that literally “KNOW” you!

I also have to admit, I was often struck thinking about our mortality too. We agreed to make our girls trips a little more frequent than 20 years as who knows if we will all be here then or mobile – which made me a bit melancholy. The nice thing of it all is we were very present and enjoyed our time together. We were not distracted and realized this was a special time. It was not a long trip but it was very full and will always be in our hearts. So we did not win it big on slots but we have certainly won it big in life. I am forever grateful for my girls and traveling through each decade with them… even if they are trying to convince me to take a cruise for the next rendezvous – ugh ☹️🥳

I Could Do Better

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I started the year out strong with goals, intentions and structure. For the most part, doing fairly well, although sitting here feeling very guilty for eating a less than stellar today. I don’t want to talk about it – but I do feel nauseous and shame. I am definitely in food jail. Even when you go off the tracks a little – that darn conscious and stomach get in the way. Needless to say, we have moments where we slip and I guess this is one of them. So, before I go to bed and pay the bill with scary dreams and indigestion, I thought I would write cause it has been awhile. I am thankful that I just bought a new bed wedge that elevates my head and I think it helps.

It is very easy to stay in my little bubble which I do quite often. I have built a sanctuary in my home where I can work, exercise, cook and entertain myself. I suppose it has been a safe response to the craziness happening in the world today. Never in my wildest dreams would I have imagined how out of alignment everything seems. Maybe I was naive, I guess I just never felt this amount of chaos, parallel reality as I do today. It feels all kinds of crazy and I hope that we can get back to a steady state and peace around the world. There is room for everyone and I wish we could honor and respect one another.

On a more tactical note, I have been really taking stock of my life and trying to move towards people and interests that serve me well. So you ask what is that? Here they are in no particular order.

Tarot Cards – I became interested in them a few years ago when I took a class at Miraval. Isabelle and I enjoyed our course together and then getting our cards read. Tarot has been around since ancient times and they are a good tool to capture a spiritual weather report. For the last two years, I have been pulling cards on myself, friends, (anyone who is interested). I have a great journal where I write about the energy for the day and I place my cute stickers resembling the cards in the book. This is how I start everyday and I find it grounds me as good as a cup of coffee. It is also great fun, to watch tarot card readers on YouTube and see if they pulled the same cards as me and generally they do. It is wild and satisfies my childhood joy of stickers and smiley faces to indicate my mood.
Weight Training – Once a dreaded part of my day has turned into something I look forward to as well (usually – but of course not tonight). I have invested over the years in a fully stocked home gym and I am doing exercises I never thought I could or would. I have not been known for being physically strong (mentally yes) and I am seeing that I am able to lift heavier and making progress. My balance has always been below average and I even think that is improving. I am able to do lunges, squats and all kind of moves that I would never have imagined. There is something to feeling strong that makes you believe you can move mountains. I am woman hear me roar… well I am not quite there but it is aspirational … 💪
Cooking – Unfortunately the chef is no longer with me but the desire to create has stayed. I learned a lot and now feel much more confident in the kitchen. Trying to make newly imagined dishes from a bean, lentil or vegetable before they go bad continues to be my sport. I am impressed with my newly acquired skill. I will say – it takes so damn long. I have become a weekend warrior plugging out bulk dishes to last me the entire week. Some things don’t quite make it – like salad – but I try until I can’t eat it anymore. Isabelle turned me onto Ethiopian lentils and all I can say is yum on that one. 😋
Meditation – I am still dedicated to chakra balancing and have added new tools to up my clients experience with very positive results which makes me happy to help people feel better. I have been designating 11 minutes 11 seconds every other night to go into a silent state and hear what I am supposed to know from the universe. I typically am able to relax but honestly I feel like I enter a void. Once the time is over, I go to my journal where I start spontaneously writing – it is very cathartic and healing. I am not sure if I could bypass the meditation and just journal but I think it is a combo deal. I am building this practice and it really helps ground me and feel tapped into something bigger than me.
Eclectic Friend Group – I am also enjoying my gal pals (there are a few dudes) from all over the country. It is fun to pick up the phone, FaceTime or go for walks as we all try to figure out this thing called life. I am glad that I have expanded my horizons and associate with these amazing women that I can laugh with, debate with, cry with (not as much of that – thank goodness) and just have a real experience. Feeling grateful that I have a full life there that is just a text away.

Well that was quite an update as I keep busy during the winter. It has been a reflective and continuous improvement time as I hit a major birthday milestone. I cannot control the world around me but only try to raise the vibration. However, I can take charge of my pie hole and honor myself by eating well to avoid the self imposed guilt when I stray. I guess never every moment is perfect.. but a girl can still try. Tomorrow I will do better…

2026 – Fresh Start

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Happy 2026 everyone – I hope we are all off to a good start as we enter into Fire Horse and the Universal Year.” In numerology this is the first year of a cycle of nine representing fresh starts and building foundations. I guess this maybe one that you want to pay attention to and I am quite excited. I will have a major birthday milestone and hope to make many new experiences and memories in the next twelve months. Yay me and yay you!!!

I always like to reflect (as I did in the last blog) and set new expectations for this year. I would say that I continue to stay on the same path with some tweaks and upgrades. I had a great 2025 for the most part and hope to enhance and elevate. As I think of my words for this year it is going to be “Balance and Flow.” Nothing feels better than when you work towards what you want but you are riding that wave for endless possibilities. So I am getting on the surfboard of life and hoping to have a positive and harmony filled ride. Ok, back to reality now, I once again set out some goals that I am intending to help me fulfill my experiences. I guess the first step is to put them out their publicly for all to see (or at least those that have faithfully keep reading from year to year – I hope this is not getting redundant or boring).

My priorities for 2026 (in no specific order)

* Elevate health and wellness – continue getting stronger, nutrition and spiritual advancement. Basically really build structure around habits and integral into my daily living. In other words, lots of tracking , journaling and coaching.

* Expand abundance through meaningful projects, business development and continuous learning. I am advancing my business scope to help clients professionally and personally through coaching and growth. And of course, have fun, travel and say “yes.” I mean to most things – I do have my limits and I am not that kind of girl – haha.

*Support my daughter with her happiness, health and life journey. Improve my “mother” skills for her highest and best good.

So these are them – kind of the same and kind of next level. I feel like I am going down the right path and these will be my general guide posts for 2026. I believe these will bring me “balance and flow” and a kick-ass year if all goes well.

2025 – In The Bag

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I can’t believe we are at the end of another year. I must say for the most part, this was a great stretch of time and I look back at the last twelve months fondly. As most people do, I take this time to reflect and take stock of where I was and where I am today. It is fun to review my monthly blogs to capture my state of mind and what was going on. So, as I sit on my couch on a snowy evening, I have decided to sneak in my last installment for the year. I am really grateful to have maintained peace and calm in 2025 and be more in flow. It is an amazing feeling to ride the waves and tide and be in the moment. I can honestly say I have not always been able to be as carefree as I am today and yet it feels nice. It also does not hurt that I am listening to cello instrumental music which fills my soul.

When I started the year, I set out on a few goals including health/wellness expansion, personal/spiritual development and last but not least, a sense of adventure/travel. These were lofty ambitions and I would rate myself a 8 out of 10. Some of these I achieved better than others – I guess there is always 2026 – I am a work in progress.

Here is an honest recap on my efforts:

1. Health and Wellness – I committed to strength training, improving my running speed and being consistent in my home gym. I also wanted to maintain and achieve a steady weight. So before I get started, as many of you know, I have become a little obsessed with YouTube (late adopter as usual). In fairness to me, the whole menopause trend came out flipping exercise on its head. Things basically shifted to lifting heavy till failure (that is fun – not), sprint and HIIT training. Gone are the days of Zone 2 cardio to challenging your heart with 100% demand for short stints with intermittent recovery. Therefore, I had to adjust how I did things and that was a big mind shift as well as continuous bitch session. It makes me so mad that all the stuff I hated was exactly what I had to adjust to for results. Ugh – us poor women, blah blah blah… Anyways… I did it and actually have been enjoying it. I am much stronger now – no more of the wimpy weights and I see that I am able to grasp heavier weights. Got some guns, maybe a 4ish pack, can lunge now (used to think it was bad knees – just weak quads). I have been doing short sprints around the neighborhood and almost got abducted – that is another story. The West Bloomfield police told me they were a bit back logged and could not get to it. Luckily I am fine and I believe all the children in my neighborhood are safe. Whatever… My eating on the other hand was not as adhered to as I would have desired. I am still working on this one. I am munching on lots of vegetables, seeds, legumes, fruit etc.. and I feel really good. It is just that darn “Italy” trip where I ate myself through a country – YOLO. I am getting back on track – a little disappointed with myself now but it is coming together slowly. Overall Summary – Exceeded Expectations in consistency and progress with workout however, Needs Improvement with eating adherence and consumption. I do want to give myself a special acknowledgement with intermittent fasting for autophogy (body’s natural cellular cleanup process). I have been consistently fasting for 17 hours – YAY! With the good there is a drawback which is having to finish eating by 5:00 p.m. EST. It does really damper dinner plans. If only, LINNER became a thing (Lunch/dinner).

2. Spiritual Practices – I was happy to study with Lori Lipten and my soul sisters for a year where we honed our capabilities and confidence. I was part of a tribe that brought different talents to the table included mediumship, light language, soul retrieval, energy cleaning and being able to solve murders and mysterious situations by communicating with the deceased. I worked hard to continue to develop my skills in the area of energy balancing and trusting my intuition. I was able to help others with their chakras (energy force) to work through blockages and achieve their best life. I am continuing to study and take clients (open for business – shameless plug -haha). It has been really rewarding and love assisting people to get into flow. In addition, Robin (my late husband) frequently reaches out to me, unfortunately through fire alarm beeping in the house and other technology annoyances (it is such his humor :). In this world of crazy sh-t happening, having a place to bring calm and stability has been a game changer for my stress level. Overall Summary – Meets Expectations – I performed in an average manner. I could have done more and will continue to deepen my practice. I would like to call another honorable mention that I have stayed faithful and consistent with tarot cards and they have been pretty accurate for me and my friends who are brave enough for me to read for them (JoAnn this is you :)). I love tarot and will continue to improve my interpretation and connection with the cards. Plus it is fun to use my stickers in the calendar – feels like a retro experience from my childhood.

3. Sense of Adventure – It was a big year for me in this area. I really got out there for the first time in a long time. I made a promise to stay dog free (although I do have my Maizely – who I babysit – she is my puppy niece from time to time), and I really went for it. I traveled to see friends and family in Illinois, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Washington DC. Also I was so happy to see my good friends here in Michigan including Marla, Bob, JoAnn and Michelle. However, the big trip of all was Italy – which I loved so much. The people, food, culture and history. I really had so much admiration for the beauty and harmony of this country. I met new people and enjoyed the most aligned vacation of my life. Fabulous and DNA changing. I also fell in love with an Italian pug which I found out later that the owners were willing to pawn her off on me (thank g-d I did not understand what they were saying). I think it would be hard to bring a pug back on the plane (which I probably would have). I hope she is happy in Lucca, Italy. She most likely is because it was a lot prettier than West Bloomfield, Michigan. Overall Summary – I nailed this goal – Exceeded Expectations. With a special call out to my ability of not overpacking which impressed the hell out of me. I did have to wash and air dry some of my clothing and was publicly shamed for my cotton underwear (Kris I am talking about you).

So that is a wrap for 2025. I lived, loved, laughed and really experienced this year to its fullest. I was not perfect but that is something I have to realize is not a realistic expectation. I learned a lot in the last twelve months about myself and my path forward. I am really excited for 2026 which is considered the year of the horse (born in this year way back in the stone age days and also marks a new cycle. This will be the time of continued transformation, fresh starts and also entering into 60 – yikes.

I hope as you review 2025, it was a good one for you too. I would love to hear what your thoughts are about how it went (this is also a test to see if you actually read to the end). Wishing everyone a very happy and healthy 2026. May all your dreams come true. Peace, Love and Harmony for all my friends and subscribers. I appreciate you being a part of my journey and therapy. 🙂

Cautionary Tale?

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Ok, maybe I am being dramatic with this title but I learned an important lesson this week that has inspired me to blog. As many of you know, I went to Italy and enjoyed every moment of the great food and now it is time to get back to clean eating… wa-wa-wa. So, I have tightened the ship now that I am home and eating high nutrient, whole food with moderate caloric intake. Basically I am consuming a lot of salads, vegetables, beans, nuts and seeds. Also, I have adjusted my workouts to the demographic of post menopausal goddess which translates to lifting heavy weights, HIIT, sprints and jumping. All my favorite things … NOT .. well actually liking it better, kind of grows on you like that annoying cousin. Now that you have the backdrop of the story, I will get to the point. Along with my eating, I have equipped myself with technology to measure my progress in my health journey. I am a data girl subscribing to the concept of information is power. However, in this case which I am finding out the hard way, that measuring everything is not always the best choice.

I have been wearing the Oura ring for many years based on my good friend’s Laura recommendation. I have loved seeing trends with my sleep, vitals, readiness and other health measurements. I also subscribed to the functional health app. which democratizes proactive monitoring and interpreting a panel of 100 blood tests. And now just to have one more data point, I decided to wear a glucose monitor to see how my body reacts to food, stress etc.. In other words, I have tried to automate myself thinking this would help me on my wellness journey.

This all sounds like a smart plan until the finding of my gadgets begin to contradict one another . It started after I had the proactive blood work and for the most part the results were great. However, it showed that my cholesterol was high and thyroid was a bit off. This was confusing because I had these tests a few months ago with my doctors and all was well. So with this new information, I rushed back to my physician who reviewed the reports from the functional health app and declared they made no sense. She retested me in the office to ensure there were no issues. And guess what my thyroid was fine and aligned with more former results a few months ago from my annual check. In addition, I received a kind but firm lecture from her with the general message, “measuring for no reason causes more issues than it helps at times.” She was right.. but yet I continued…

As mentioned previously, I bought a glucose monitor that integrates with the Oura ring. I have to admit I got sucked in to whole longevity marketing vibe and late night scrolling on social media. Anyways, I wore the first monitor for 15 days while eating my healthy protocol and everything was normal – my sugar was steady range. I decided about a month later to wear the second monitor to make sure I used my full investment and everything started out the same with no big surprises. However, about 11 days into the second round, my glucose shot way up and I could not bring it down. It said my body was stressed yet, I felt absolutely great. I tried not to panic and took advice from Chat GPT to bring it down such as deep breathing, drink water, and brisk walk around the block to no avail. Then, my mind took over – like OMG, I am sick and I do not even feel it. I started to rationalize this crisis away, maybe it is a fluke or I ate too many berries but I could not get the glucose down for 2 days no mater what I did. I was eating low glycemic food and found it hard to believe that flaxseed was throwing me into diabetic shock. It was totally weird and freaked me out. Should I go to urgent care ? I was having a major malfunction and honestly losing my minds bit. I asked a few friends in the medical profession and no one seemed too worried and thought maybe I was burning glycogen – and it could mean that I am healthy. Ok that made me relax a little. Things seemed to somewhat stabilize trying to maintain low stress, drink water, exercise after eating and watch my food. It was a little better but still high. Then I was complaining to another friend who suggested that the monitor maybe failing/defective as it gets close to expiration. Her son has diabetes and this happens frequently. When I checked the monitor’s age, I received a message that it was expiring in 24 hours. So I think it was glitching out and maybe I was not having a significant medical incident. When I calmed down and reflected, can you believe I actually considered buying another monitor to double – triple check… but I did not because that is super crazy- right? This is an honest moment, please do not judge – ha-ha.

Moral of the story – don’t obsess by measuring the inner workings of your body just trust your inner senses. These tools that were supposed to help, actually made me a bit insane. I think it is important to get in tune with your body, health and not rely on technology to dictate your journey. I need to pull back on hourly measuring to once a week or month and focus to trending in the right direction. I added so much stress, cost and activities that were counter productive to wellness with technology. So I guess this was a cautionary tale of stupidity…. To be healthy you need to relax, be patient, stay the course and really take the time to get in touch with how you are feeling. Embarrassing but true… Sometimes the old fashion way is the best way !! Oh … and happy and healthy Thanksgiving to all!

The Balancing Act

As I am still on the post high from my trip to Tuscany and coming back to reality, I have been exploring the concept of “balance.” And here is a news flash – it is hard and I am not doing the greatest job. I set out to improve my health, wellness, sense of adventure, prosperity and I have realized that juggling all these balls, a few are dropping. Good news though… it’s been a productive year full of new experiences, better eating, changing my fitness routine, interesting work, spirituality and then incredible amount of time sitting on my ass and watch YouTube (guilty pleasure). If anyone would take a peek at my playlist – I would be mortified. As my content includes tarot card readers, mediums, fashion, health and travel tips. I have very eclectic interests and revealing my You Tube history seems very vulnerable and exposing my dark side – haha.

Speaking about my health front, it has been moving forward as I continue to follow the nutritarian lifestyle – nutritionally dense eating with moderate calories. The focus revolves around (GBOMBS) greens, beans, onions, mushrooms, berries and seeds/nuts. It has been tough trying to toe the line and socialize which I am working on at the moment. I intentionally made an agreement with myself that I would enjoy the food of Italy and I do not regret it. Well I do a little as I finally got on the scale and my freedom (as well as a few previous months) showed weight moving to the north direction. I am on track now but definitely paying for some of my sins.

On an interesting note, I took a functional health test (online 100 blood panel with clinical note analysis – which is really interesting). Most of my blood work was in range with the exception of the thyroid, heart and autoimmune needing some help still. Although. I was very happy to see that my biological age came in at “46 years old” (which is exactly my age – just kidding). I did have some stuff that surprised me that I must work on. It is always something… and I did get a small scolding from my endocrinologist who rechecked my thyroid and it was totally fine. She suggested testing for no reason may cause more problems than it solves – and I think she is correct. However, that did not stop me from buying a glucose monitor to measure my body’s response to various foods. So ….. guess what raised my glucose scores and it was not food???? It was the multiple calls with customer service from Sears Home Repairs – stress rates went nuts – public service announcement – do not use them as it will raise your insulin level – yikes.

Back to exercise, I grew up in the era prioritizing cardio, going hard, burning calories and of course, it is all wrong for us post menopause women. Doesn’t that figure, now I am trying to lift heavy weights, sprint and high intensity training which are all the areas I cannot stand (well I am now starting to secretly enjoy). On top of doing the right thing, you second guess the experts and try to exercise the old way and incorporate the new direction which turns into a sabotage mentality. So if I follow modern protocol, I feel guilty not putting in the cardio hours and when I do the traditional workout I feel bad that I am not doing the optimal workout for myself. I have noticed that I am stronger and my endurance is better. I have been jumping a lot too and enjoy a good rope spurt well to try to strengthen the bones. I am getting overwhelmed even writing about all this stuff. Oy….

Then comes spirituality and trying to improve my practice which involves discipline around getting quiet, meditating and tapping into my inner being. We have been studying our shadow. In common speak, getting in tune with those things that trigger or annoy you. I am a girl that likes light and love – I DON’T WANT TO WORK ON THE SHADOW – but I must. Therefore, lots of nightmares and sitting with it. I actually feel a little forward movement although there have been a few sleepless nights of strange and wacked-out dreams. I guess it is the price you pay to ascend spirituality.

As we head into the last quarter of 2025 (can you believe it) , I feel that I have knocked off a lot this year and am proud of myself. Maybe not totally proud – I mean I ate myself through Tuscany, Rome and a few incidents in Michigan. In defense of me, I had to go for it ( the best food and hot chocolate). Even if my pants are a slight bit snugger (it’s going to be an oversized clothes situation for a good month). I guess it is time to hunker down and put my focus on healthy living and you know what – I am looking forward to doing it. I actually did miss a big green salad, beans and all my usual menu items. That is progress right?

Italy – My Love

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For over twenty years, I wanted to go to Italy. I always tried to finagle myself through a business meeting or something, but it never materialized. So, part of my vision for 2025 was to travel and be more expansive and guess what… I WENT TO ITALY AND IT WAS FABULOUS. With all that being said, there is an additional pride as I was able to achieve a major “to do” item on my bucket list and I made it happen. Go Me!

The story started January 1st when I received an email about a retreat in Tuscany. Before I could even think about it, I was called by my friend Kris asking me if I wanted to go and the answer was an immediate “yes.” Thus, after much preparation and ensuring that I could travel lite with one carry-on suitcase, I set out on my journey….

We decided to take Turkish Air via Istanbul to Rome. Not the most logical path, but we were able to get a great price and fly business class (btw a great airline). We landed in Rome, took the train to Florence and then a car to a villa in Tuscany. Sounds horrible huh – (NOT)? We were about to embark on a spiritual retreat with 18‘ish other women. Kris and I were assigned to the back wing of the villa where we found our rooms named Musetta (Kris)and mine was Giorgetta. We took on their persona the entire trip to really integrate into our temporary Tuscan culture. The grounds were beautiful, and we looked forward to a weeklong experience including our own private chef. I decided I needed to drop my eating restrictions and just enjoy the food of Italy. And that is an understatement as I ate literally everything, I could get my hands on. Not a proud moment but the idea of not trying the pasta and other local favorites seemed to me would have been a bad choice. I now am paying the piper, but I think it was worth it. I decided to wear baggy clothes and hunker back down when I came home. Denial and avoidance can be a strong tool – ha-ha.

As one would expect, we had an interesting cast of characters that attended this spiritual retreat. Having been immersed in the spiritual world, I knew a few people and was super comfortable exploring my inner self and of course, Italy. There were also a bunch of first timers such as a group of women who had been friends since they were kids, I fondly called them the triplets. There were a few ladies that had trauma in their life and needed some of the sessions to gain clarity. There was even one person who did not realize it was a spiritual retreat – which cracked me up. Let’s just say, we all had our reasons for attending but mine was just to be in the flow of Tuscany.

Every morning started with a meditation overlooking the most beautiful scenery and breeze. It became a suspended moment and I really felt present without a care in the world. Very few times in my life – have I reached the state of total peace – just happy to be where I was. There were sessions where we learned more about spirituality and tapping into source. We also worked on our inner child (mine was fine – for once I felt I was in good shape), and we did many drum circles which verified that I have no sense of rhythm and had a poor memory to remember a very basic song that only had four lines. Maybe it was the jet lag, who knows. We also had a cooking lesson with the chef, and he basically read the audience well. Most of us were given menial tasks like quarter tomatoes or cut the ends off the green beans. This chef really got me and I appreciated him taking on the heavy load …. We had a few more ambitious students who ended up carrying us by making the pasta, slicing the chicken and whatever else was served. The meal was excellent as we dined outside. I knew I was a slacker when it came to preparing the meal, and I ate with complete satisfaction. I owned my laziness.

We also had fun excursions touring Pisa (so excited to tell everyone – Risa went to Pisa). I know I am channeling Bernie’s humor (my dad). What amazed me the most about Pisa was that the Leaning Tower is next to a cathedral. I was always under the impression it stood alone. Can you imagine if you had to live next to a building that throws off all the symmetry – the wonder of the world is how they co-existed without a major fist fight. If that was my neighbor, I would take a sledgehammer to the tower – anyways I digress. We also visited a cute smaller town called Lucca which was charming with unique shops, amazing gelato, and this chickpea bread/polenta that was to die for and I am still thinking about it now.

Then there was Florence which was magnificent. The history, architecture and statues took my breath away. We had the best tour guide who showed true Italian passion when explaining the essence of Florence. She brought us to tears as she described the creation of the statue, David as if she was channeling Michelangelo. It was a site to see (I mean why was everyone naked – it seemed like a real party back then). The one embarrassing admittance of mine is that I had no idea that David was part of the duo David and Goliath – sort of put everything into perspective for me. Although if David asked me, I would have suggested he put on a loin cloth before he taking on that giant. I am a safety girl, and we need to protect our bits. 🙂

I think my favorite destination was Cinque Terre, a string of five ancient fishing villages known as the Italian Riviera – need I say more? We drove up the mountains (another theme of the trip was severe car sickness – not me but someone always was on the verge of puking). We went out on boats into the glistening blue water, listening to ABBA, Village People and other unexpected music – which did enhance the vibe. Many of the ladies dove into the water, someone in their underwear (you know who you were) and two of the guides in very skimpy briefs. I sat on the boat and enjoyed from afar. The thought of trying to dry off and go to dinner in wet clothes did not appeal to me. All in all, it was so much fun, and I loved every minute. Did I mention too there were a lot of sexy unfulfilled wishes with Italian men going on too. I enjoyed being an observer of all the antics of these middle-aged women.

After the retreat was over, Kris and I went back to Rome to tour around and see some of the sites. Everything just flowed and we had a great time just having few expectations. Having this laid-back approach, allowed us to have many great interactions with people during our travels. We met a CEO who invented some very cool innovations to help people with heart problems and rheumatoid arthritis. We also had a great conversation with two feisty and modern best friends from Qatar. I was not sure what intrigued me more – their independent spirit or their 3 large a piece luggage choice for only a week in Italy. Their suitcases were huge as they rolled around on the train. To be young and wanting every clothing option possible. As Kris and I looked at each other wearing the same basic outfits in a different configuration. My sleep shorts were ready to walk away from me on that trip (but I did pack efficiently – which meant repeat wearing of things)

Rome was fantastic as we shopped, saw sites and discovered the most amazing hot chocolate ever (which deserved a second cup the following day). The food was fresh and delicious and walking the streets were completely satisfying. We laughed and were open to possibilities. The weather was great, and the company was better. I could not have imagined a more perfect vacation. When we flew back to Istanbul, we had a layover, so Kris came up with a great idea for us to visit the airport spa. I enjoyed the best massage I ever had for two hours (called the head to toe). Although there were a few places rubbed that I was not used to – I just went with it. We were then off on our 11-hour flight back (we figured we went 6 hours out of the way), but I did not care as I reflected on my love – Italy.

Now being back at home and thinking about the trip, I am so content, a little jet lagged and feeling completely fulfilled. I have been to many beautiful places in my life and am super grateful. But Italy is my special place holding a meaningful space in my heart. I do not know if it was the vibe, food or the people that affected me or the fact that I was able to fulfill a lifelong dream? I think it may be the most important factor is that I ended up visiting Italy when I was completely ready and present to take in all the beauty and splendor in my soul. Magnifico!!

Putting my armor on and then my bathing suit

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(Disclaimer – I am complaining and questioning the meaning of life and is only the beginning of this post then we move into sunshine, puppies, and flowers.)

In recent months, I am finding life to be more confusing than ever. The more I know, the less I have confidence that I know. This has really messed up my psyche. I suppose I never really cared much about politics, it just did not resonate with my daily life and quite honestly all the fear that each party’s side brought to the table never really materialized. However, it is impossible not to notice the blatant hatred towards one another. There are many people who possess one hardline issue and that is it. They fail to see the complexity of maneuvering broader polarizing forces that are at odds with one another on multiple matters.

When I have an honest conversation with my daughter, she and her friends question why we would bring children into this world and the general lack of hope for our future. This is really sad and as a parent, it is hard to come up with compelling reasons to challenge her thoughts. I do believe we all have more in common than we think, however, we are blinded by proving each other wrong and promoting behaviors that do not honor the most basic codes of humanity. Some of these shared values are love, truthfulness, fairness, freedom, unity, tolerance, responsibility and respect for life and I know we can all get around these priorities. As a child, when I learned about the Holocaust, I could never understand how neighbors and the population turned on one another, shipped the un-want-ables (Jews, Disabled, Minorities) off to concentration camps. People stripped of their possessions, dignity, rights based on jealousy and hatred and then left to suffer and be slaughtered. I now realize that the German population was probably afraid to speak up and they went along with what happened maybe not knowing all the details. Today I sit in the United States and I am scared to voice my doubts and concerns for the first time in my life. Our country is literally setting up concentration camps and making a joke of how those escape will be eaten by alligators. We are doing things I would never guess in a million years that I would see in the United States of America. We are seeing overt hatred for everyone – it does not matter if you are Jewish, Black, Woman, Hispanic, Gay, Trans, Democrat, Maga, Liberal, Republicans, Rich or Poor. We are damaging our alliances with the rest of the world, we are dismantling the core foundation of democracy in the US by challenging the systems that were developed for balance and semblance. Maybe I am an idealist, maybe I am being dramatic (don’t think so), I want to be proud and stand side by side with my friends, neighbors, community, country, the world and try to make it better for everyone. I want our children to be full of promise and optimism, not doubting the future. I want them to feel they can make a meaningful difference in a better environment that is based on shared values that I know we all possess. I think it is time for our generation to step out the way we are not acting like the role models our children deserve. We can do better and motivate our future.

Moving to the happy portion and wellness

Sorry for the deep rant, but I needed to get that off my chest, all of that supports the importance of being true to your center. As part of my reset, I went to visit my dear friend Laura for the long 4^th of July weekend. It had been a few years since we had seen each other and it was nice to do very little together. Basically, the schedule was wake up ( I took advantage of the softest most comfy bed), eating a leisurely healthy breakfast of fruit and oats, some general kibitzing and then off to the pool. The weather was perfect as I was able to disconnect and had no thoughts on my mind (not even that stuff from the top of this blog😊). I floated in heaven, in a trans-like state listening to jazz and just thinking – I could get very used to this lifestyle. We would then decide after hours (who even knows how long as time did not exist for me), that maybe we should think about dinner. Laura and Frank (her fabulous husband) are vegans (lifelong for Laura) and have really perfected the art of yummy meals. I shared with her that I started this great garden that was next level for me. She then took me to hers, which looked like a farm to table garden with the most beautiful greenery I ever saw. I felt embarrassed how I went on about mine after seeing this one – a scene from Martha Stewart’s home. Her dill – was the most gorgeous dill I ever saw. Mine looks like a small dried out tree with little growth ☹. Anyhow, she would run out to the garden, cut some that provided that extra oomph to the flavor of our meals. Not only was this experience relaxing for the body, but it was also restorative for my brain and heart. Having a friend that is like a soul sister that is just on the same page, impressive, smart, ambitious and kind is just the best Zen moment. It helped me to recalibrate and head back to life in Michigan. Also, a nice shout out to Frank, who was so hospitable and took me in his bad ass Mercedes convertible down the hilly side roads of Pennsylvania into the Amish community. We went to farm stands and bought the most delicious vegetables for his special green bean soup which was a family tradition handed down from his mom growing up in Yugoslavia. We ended the long weekend, with my signature chakra cleaning for both of them (the least I could do). Hopefully this was the jolt of energy they needed to carry on without me for the rest of the week – haha.

As I was flying back home, I felt so grateful that I have established lifelong friendships with some very interesting people. They raise my spirit, ease my mind and help me truly get back to what matters most. Nothing is more fulfilling when you are on the same frequency as someone else and it is a synchronicity that motivates you and makes you glad to be alive. It was just the medicine this girl needed to get back into the grind we call life.

Thanks to Laura and Frank for being so warm and running the best resort/spa, a girl could ask for (and the price was right too😊). Peace and love everyone, and I truly mean that – we have one chance in this lifetime to do right – lets do it!

Birthday Nuggets of Wisdom

Last week I turned the big “59” and had exciting plans to shovel mulch and redo my garden beds. I woke up on a misty winter morning (seriously the coldest birthday I can remember), I was ready to receive a big dump of mulch and dirt from a bulk distributor. I thought performing physical labor in mother nature was just what the doctor ordered. I planned on working hard and being happy knowing I accomplished my landscaping project by the end of the day. Unfortunately, as I anxiously awaited my delivery, the company called and said they were postponing the order due to the weather. It made sense of course and therefore left me with no birthday plans requiring me to pivot. I ended up having a nice day feeling the love from friends and family and decided to just chill, workout, THINK and be grateful for all the blessings in my life. However, I did have to exert some extra energy to actually shower and change from ratty garden clothes to something more appropriate for a non-mulch day.

59 is a big number (I guess not as major as “60”, but kind of up there). I think everyone feels like their inside maturity is a good 30 years younger but when I look in the mirror, there is definitely an older face looking back at me. No amount of creams, hair products, or make-up, really can minimize that I am “like” a senior person physically. Then there is the contrast of my inside self that still cracks up over silly things like weird bodily noises, embarrassing antics and social faux pas of mine that happen on a daily basis. No matter how old I get, I will always be an awkward nerdy teenager who is never cool enough or care to be (I think just using the word cool shows how uncool I am😊). On any given day, I come home from running errands, etc. to see that I have food on my face, something in my teeth, there are times I even put my pants on backwards (been called out a few times – Adidas leggings do it to me all the time.) In my defense they have a tag inside the front of the pant which throws me off and then the logo is on my ass. I mean this is old people stuff that I used to roll my eyes at when I was young.

Ok, time to get to the point, with all those goofy things, there are a few areas that I am super proud of. I am glad that I have not lost my curiosity to improve myself and learn new topics that expand my horizon. I have really been exploring in no particular order, AI and blending it into my work (staying current), nutrition, health and fitness, spirituality and healing, mindless you tube content like fashion, amazon dupes, home/design shows, pet psychic and tarot card reading. It is eclectic assortment of viewing and also very interesting. So it has occurred to me for the first time that I have reached the point that I know you can never know enough, but I have wisdom of life and work. I have been through some major experiences and I have a point of view that has been acquired within my 59 years. I have become quite aware that we need to stop and take stock of our life. Pat yourself on the back for your wins, loses, heartache and laughter. With each day you keep moving forward and look back with generally appreciative thoughts about the good and bad times of the past. So you ask, what do I know with all the wisdom I have acquired, here is a rather long list of what I know for sure (I did start out describing it as brief and it is not😊):

Laugh everyday … even when you do not feel like it – find something there are endless opportunities.
Spend as much time out in nature – really tune into the harmony of the world – trees, birds, sky, grass, small animals (RUN… if you see anything large and scary).
Love your kids (and other people’s too) and mean it. Acknowledge their contributions to this world, good decisions, learning moments and their mere existence.
Trust your gut feelings – and take quiet time to reflect – many answers are shared with you when you are still. If something feels “yucky” it is and remove yourself from the situation.
Treat your body like a temple, eat quality real food (not processed) – it is like fueling your car. Need the right nutrients to be self-optimized.
Align yourself with people who raise the vibration – cut the negativity out of your life.
Focus on sleep – it has gotten a hell of a lot harder as we age and it is mandatory – it cleans your brain and builds wellness.
Be kind and good – take the extra effort to do something nice for someone without recognition.
Do not overconsume (still working on this one) – cheap clothing, unnecessary stuff just hurts the planet and our feng-shui.
Consider putting a low maintenance plant in your room – I am noticing air quality is better for restful sleep and Zen moments (and water “said” plant too😊).
Be generous and show people you care (still working on this one too). Put good karma out there – it comes back to you tenfold.
Try to be a role model to your kids and the next generation – break ancestral patterns handed down (try to be a better parent than the ones you had, reverse bad habits that have been passed down thru your lineage).
Challenge yourself and grow – take on a new hobby, interest – something that pushes you out of your comfort zone (still working on this too).
Love animals and treat them well – they are more than pets – they deserve time and attention – the bond is so gratifying.
Do not lose your soul and spirit to your employer. Be who you are and if you don’t fit in – go somewhere that honors you and your contributions (learned this one way too late).
Find your “people’ who accept you unconditionally and are easy to have a good relationship with. If it is hard to get a conversation going, you are being judged etc.. They are not your “ people. “
Be grateful for the small and big stuff. There is a ton of crap going on – focus on where you can make difference.
Listen to acoustic guitar (no singing) so relaxing and creates a great creative writing atmosphere.
Stay out of politics, it is an illusion and right now a no-win situation. We should honor the 10 commandments and be the best people we can – stop with all this noise that serves no one.
Magnifying mirrors will be your best friend – be sure to use it daily to catch anything that can really freak you out (us gals know what we are talking about).
Too much of anything is not a good thing. Try to grow old in a healthy way – Botox, supplements, cosmetic surgery etc.. generally look unnatural– rock what you have.
All beauty and hair products are hype – nothing really works – get the drug store stuff with the least amount of chemicals. I never received noticeable results from anything – it is a branding gimmick. Healthy eating, exercise, sleep and water is the key to youthful appearances.
Just take one day at a time, when we think out too far it just makes us anxious, and our worst fears generally do not materialize.
Love your home and make it a warm and enjoyable space for yourself and others.
Meditate, stretch, jump, lift weights and practice balance so you don’t become frail, and fall– it is amazing how fast that goes and high stats on people dying shortly after.
Do not take yourself too seriously … a sense of humor is critical. Recognize you are a small microcosm in this universe.

These are some of the lessons I learned in my vast life of 59 years that I feel compelled to share. I hope you find any of these helpful or at a minimum a fun read as they were random and the only ones, I could think of during this time crunch to get the blog out – ha-ha. I can honestly say that I am happy where I have landed and will work every year to make myself, my friends/family and the world better. As the wise Risa says … You do you!!! Peace and Love.