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?

Putting my armor on and then my bathing suit

Featured

(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.

Making Time for What Truly Matters

Featured

I have been thinking about how exciting it used to be as children to go outside, find friends and play (probably not something our kids can do today – which is unfortunate). The joy to be carefree and get immediate gratification by merely just running out the door to see who was around and ready to get some fun on. Oh, those were the days and now it seems like an impossible feat to drop what we are doing at the moment, like deciding to enjoy the girlfriends instead of picking the dog up from the groomer. Mel Robbins talks about this in her book “The Let Them Theory” that adult friendships are indeed more difficult because you must have three pillars which include proximity, timing, and energy and all are essential to maintaining meaningful relationships. When we were young, it was built into our lives and made things so much easier. I miss the spontaneity and free flow that life used to offer to me. Now we see friends during a random encounter, and we throw out that vague statement, we should get together…. It rarely happens because it is a hassle to coordinate schedules, commit to a future date (and this is totally my thing – like what happens if I am not in the mood to see you in a month? It is my critical flaw – hey just being honest). It’s just not exciting and I wonder.. WHY ARE WE SO BUSY ALL THE TIME? What are we really doing? If I see you and am feeling impulsive– I just want to go now, catch up and be silly. Our lives are bogged down with work, the kids, other stuff, and we are walking around our time on earth like zombies, dulling joy and not prioritizing these key connection points that are vital (and I am equally guilty about all the stuff I just reflected on).

Have you noticed when you do finally have that coffee or meal with your dear friend, you say, why didn’t we do this sooner? We need to make this happen more! … but it never does. I recently had a group of ladies over that I really like and admire. This was an eclectic group, and I sent invites out about three weeks ahead of time. I knew if I tried to coordinate schedules, the afternoon tea would not come together. I knew that if I invited twenty or so, I would only get 60% and figured, I am going for it. It was on February 22^nd at 2:00 p.m. which represents in the spiritual world balance, harmony, and alignment. As busy ladies, we never have a chance to kick back and chill on a Saturday afternoon. I had been feeling very nostalgic and wanted to use my mother’s china dishes and teacups, kind of a nod to the women before me. We did a gentle stretch session led by my friend Vanessa (check her out at CelyFit) and then we enjoyed an afternoon tea with finger food. The day was all about making connections and having meaningful conversations. We went around the table and answered questions about inspiration and gratitude. I could see that everyone was very Zen and open – it was a great few hours of grounding and loving the female energy. Time went by fast and as expected, people trickled out to meet their daily commitments once again. And that was that… I received many notes and calls about how nice it was to just slow down and meet one another. That made me happy as I fully enjoyed each one of my friends.

I guess the point of all my rambling is … we need to be available for girlfriends and step out of routine and day to day demands. A major part of wellness and mental health is having “your people” around you. They are the ones who are unconditional, like you for all your attributes and subtle flaws. You can instantly cut through the bullshit, false premise and be real. I recently had my best friend Marla intown and we were able to have a quick dinner with our other pal Renee (my two friends who read all my blogs and keep my followers up to about 10 people – ha-ha). We were able to make plans last minute and it was like coming home (although I was home – but you get the gist). Your friends are your anchors in life. You can sit together reminisce, talk about things you would never discuss with others (and it is funny – relationships, growing old, weird physical changes in your body). Nothing is better than a deep belly laugh and that was what it was like. We were in college again, listening to the Go-Go’s, playing Trivial Pursuit and of course drinking cheap alcohol. At that time, we would wonder what the future had in store for us; never did we imagine our adult lives would overtake our time and we would have to schedule our most special moments. I need my girlfriends (and yes, a few of my guy friends too 😊) and am going to commit consciously to be more available and present because my relationships are fuel for my soul. On another note, I am initial stages of the exploration of a senior kibbutz type situation in the United States (and when I say initial I mean, I just have been thinking about it and maybe a short internet search). A concept where we can all come together in our later years to be able to recreate a thriving and connected community. If I am being candid, this may involve just the gals (our guys can visit – maybe? side glance) Wishing everyone a happy Mercury Retrograde (you may not be feeling so great now – it will pass by April 7 – hang in there). And call your friend and just go out immediately, you will be glad you did!!