Tag Archives: inspiration

Encore Quote ~ You Worried Too Much

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If you read my post earlier in the week, you’ll know that this is one of the things I wish I’d learned much earlier in my life.  So many of the things I’ve learned since we started the voyage include slowing down, being present, reducing stress, breathing.  The quality of our lives has improved so much that we often think, “Why didn’t we know this before!?!

So how about it, fellow Voyagers.  Are you stressing over things that in the end won’t really matter?  Are there things you can eliminate?  Ways you can slow down?

I wish you a peaceful and worry free weekend!

Lynn

If We’d Only Known Then…

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Last night we were at dinner at a local chain restaurant and overheard (um…eavesdropped upon) some young people discussing their desires for the future, and about how it would be so difficult to obtain those desires.

We’ve been journeying on the Encore Voyage for over six years now, and so many times have found ourselves saying

“If only we’d have known then what we know now!”

Not that we’ve got this retirement gig completely figured out, but there are so many things we’ve learned since we retired that would have made our pre-retirement lives so much richer!  Here are my top ten:

  1. Practice mindfulness – We both rushed through 30+ year careers, and while we’ve had a lot of fun times, I wish now that I’d paid more attention. I wish I’d have spent more time breathing deeply and relishing those special moments.  We never get them again.
  2. Become an Automatic Millionaire – This book, by David Bach, is a game changer. The takeaway is simple.  Use an automatic, direct deposit of some amount of money to an investment account WITH EVERY PAYCHECK.  Pay yourself first.  Use the power of compound interest to make you wealthy.  For those who believe they don’t make enough money to save – baloney.  You will never miss it, and believe me, you’ll just buy one or two fewer beverages at Starbucks.
  3. Pay attention to how much junk you’re accumulating – We have neighbors whose garages are stuffed full! My brother-in-law spent half a year going through a deceased parent’s lifetime accumulations!  All those things you are buying or saving now may end up in boxes in the future.  Do you really need them?
  4. Life is about collecting experiences, not stuff – See number 3 above, then mentally calculate the monetary value of the “stuff” you’ve accumulated. Now translate that value into how many plane tickets you could have bought! How many hours of your life did it take you to earn that “thing?” What experiences could you have had, given that same amount of cash?
  5. Take care of your relationships – It is the people in your life who make you whole – Not the work you do, the house you live in or the car you drive. At the end of the day, the people are the ONLY ones who will matter.
  6. Learn to say NO – During my working career I filled every minute of every day. I wish now that I had understood the value of not being so busy.  I wish I had learned to spend my time on what is important, rather than on what was urgent.
  7. Quit responding to negativity – It has taken me many years to learn to turn off the news; to stop allowing negative media, social or otherwise, to infiltrate my life; to stop listening to the negative blather of people judging others. It may seem a bit Pollyanna, but the same is true on a more personal level.  Do you engage only with people who lift you up, or do you spend time with those who bring you down.  Are you a positive influence in the lives of others?  The less you engage in negativity, the more peaceful your life becomes.
  8. Pay attention to your passions – What are the activities you truly love? Are there things you always wish you could do; things you’ve always wanted to try? What gives you a warm glow inside? It’s good to know what will bring you joy when that time comes when career is no longer the priority.
  9. You are responsible for your own happiness. Miserable people focus on the things they hate about their lives. Happy people focus on the things they love about their lives. The choice is a conscious one.  The power of gratitude is very real. I have realized now as I look back that I spent a great deal of time worrying about things that didn’t really matter.
  10. Character counts – Tell one lie and all your truths become questionable.  Do something that is ethically or morally questionable and people will forever question your motives.  At the end of the day, your character truly is your honor.  Take care of it and it will serve you well into your retirement years.

This is a short list of ideas we wish we had known.  I’m sure my fellow Voyagers could add plenty more.  I’ll be interested to hear.

Lynn

Encore Quotes – The Joy of Life

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I truly believe in the motto, “Life is about collecting experiences, not stuff!” We’ve been off in the last couple of weeks collecting our experiences in sunny Arizona. It seems I always try to have our next adventure somewhere in the planning stages. (Next month – Kauai!)

But new experiences don’t necessarily need to come from travel. Sometimes those experiences can be found in our own backyards. There are a million things around here to try! Just this morning I saw a “glass fusion” class advertised on Groupon! Our city has a rich community education program, or perhaps we might just check out the winter landscapes in one of our beautiful parks.

So how about you, fellow voyagers? Where will you locate your next “changing horizon?”

Lynn

Encore Quotes – Insomnia

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I know I don’t usually post a quote on a Sunday, but I’ve had so many comments lately about how much I’m reading that I couldn’t resist!  I’m that kind of girl who says, “Just one more page.”  Then 10 minutes later says, “Just one more chapter!”

My wish for all of you today as that you find some time to cuddle up with a great, juicy book that just grabs you and doesn’t let go!  Happy Sunday!

Lynn

Encore Quotes ~ Find Time for Reading

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Hey there voyagers!  I’ve spent a great deal of time this week thinking about books and reading.  For myself, I’ve been staying up waaaaay too late reading, and I’ve just finished my 6th book of the new year.

I also spent time talking with a young friend whose 4th grade son does not like to read.  I put together a grade level appropriate list of some of the best children’s books I could think of.  A child who is not motivated to read is either struggling, or has not experienced the right book!  What fourth grade boy would not be enthralled by the idea of owning a pet Grizzly bear (Gentle Ben by Walt Morey), or by the thought of living alone in a hollowed out tree and training a falcon! (My Side of the Mountain by Jean Craighead George)

The best advice I could give her for developing a young reader is to read TO him!  Aloud, and snuggled up in the most comfortable place she could find!  I always told the parents of my students that their job was to keep the love of the book alive! Reading aloud to children helps them develop the imagination necessary for independent comprehension.  And the right books will get them hooked!

And then I got to thinking about my fellow retirees.  Are there any young people in your lives to whom you could read aloud?  To whom you could give the very special gift of your time and reading expertise?  Is there someone for whom you could light the reading fire?

Have a great weekend, and enjoy reading a wonderful book!  I know I will!

Lynn

By the way, can find me on Goodreads here.

The New Year’s Paper Work Flood!

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Some people start diets, some people make resolutions to get fit, to eat right, to save more money.  I don’t know what happens to me, but I become a paperwork fiend!

I must admit that I am an organizational guru!  If you were to blindfold me, stand me at my front door, and ask me to put my hands on pretty much anything in my home, I’d be able to find it…unless it is made of paper.

I think it happens as a result of preparing for the next tax year.  Time to file the remainder of the last year’s bill statements, and purge the files to prepare for 2018.  But one thing always leads to another.  I start filing one thing, and then end up cleaning out another storage box.  That, in turn, leads to cleaning out the top drawer of my desk – gotta organize those paper clips, ya know – which leads to cleaning out the other desk drawers.

Wait…what is on all of these flash drives?  I certainly don’t need to keep student data from 10 years ago, and hey – this one is full of photographs!  Yikes – They need to be backed up to the cloud!  Guess what I’m doing right this minute!

And now that I think about it, what is in all of these computer files?  Time to do some deleting…and what about Dropbox – there’s lots of stuff in Dropbox that I surely no longer need, just taking up space…and One Note – what about that?!!!

By the time I’m done, I’ll have this place will be ship-shape.  But did I mention that I have not yet taken my Christmas decorations down?

Lynn

My Retirement Yoga Journey

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Anyone who knows me, or hopefully reads Encore Voyage, should have figured out by now that I am one of the most snarky, sarcastic chicks you’ll ever meet.  I am most emphatically NOT the type of person who comes to mind when you consider the practice of yoga.  But as we headed down this road in retirement, I began to notice that getting up off of the floor isn’t as easy as it once was!  I was losing core strength and stamina, and I didn’t like it ONE BIT!

Even I couldn’t imagine myself sitting in a room acting all zen-like.  Heck, most people can’t even imaging me being quiet for that long!  That said, about two years ago, when my brand new gym opened, I started one of the gym-based yoga classes.  I figured I wouldn’t feel too stupid if I started out new like everyone else.

At the time, my thinking was that this might be a nice gentle type of workout. (I’m not a big fan of feeling my heartbeat in my ears!)  I ended up attending two classes a week for the better part of a year.

What I didn’t realize is that

Yoga sneaks up on you, and quietly changes
the person you are, from the inside out.

  • Slowly, steadily, your body becomes stronger, through the many asanas or poses.  Anyone who thinks that yoga is just a bunch of stretches has been misled.  Yoga is not for wimps!  I can work up quite a sweat in a yoga practice.
  • Your balance is improved from attempting balancing poses.  As we age, lack of balance is one of the most common causes of falls.  I figured it couldn’t hurt to be able to stand confidently on one foot while putting on my jammies, right?
  • You do not need to be flexible to practice yoga!  Flexibility is a benefit of yoga!  I heard someone say, “You are only as young as your spine is flexible.”  I have found that my lower back pain has disappeared as a result of my practice.
  • Yoga is about self-acceptance!  One of my favorite aspects of the yoga journey is that it is not about competition – not even with yourself!  It’s about listening to your body and finding what feels good and right in that moment.
  • There are many different types of yoga for many different purposes.  Some move quite quickly, and others are more restorative.   Certain yoga poses accomplish different things, and with a little training, you can pick and choose what is best for you.  (As for me, hot yoga…two words – never.again!)
  • Attending to the breath in a yoga practice yields a mindfulness and a quality of meditation that surprised me.  This is where my snarkiness got tamed.  I wasn’t expecting it.  The more I practiced, the more I was able to see the carry-over into the rest of my day.  I don’t get crazy in traffic.  I don’t feel rushed.  I am generally more peaceful, appreciative, and balanced than I was before. Crazy – I know!

I did find when I was first starting out that it was helpful to have a knowledgeable yoga instructor who could really guide me into the intention and correctness of the poses.  It’s not about just yanking yourself around, trying to get into some shape.  Yoga is much, much, more.  Now I find that I really also enjoy a home practice, and YouTube has an endless supply of yoga videos, of all lengths and styles.  A particular favorite of mine is Yoga with Adrienne.  Adrienne Mishler has just the right personality, and is not too fast or too serious.

So how about it retired yogis?  Anything else you’d like to add?

Lynn

Oh…one more thing.  If you do take up yoga, don’t cheap out on purchasing a yoga mat.  Get a nice, slightly thicker one.  Your knees will thank you!

#JusJoJan Day 4 ~ Are You “Passionate?”

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I’m not sure why, but this concept of Just Jot It January has intrigued me.  Each day, there is a one-word prompt, and participants are encouraged to just jot something down in response.  Well, today’s word is “Passionate,” and when I saw it, visions of my dad came sharply to mind.  You see, my daddy had this saying:

“Find someone who is passionate about what they do,
and they’ll always do a good job for you.”

As I have grown older, I have come to understand the truth of what he said.  It doesn’t matter whether the person is your banker or the guy who shoes your horses – if he is passionate about his work, that work most likely will be of quality.

It was easy to tell that our builder was passionate about what he was doing as he lovingly rubbed his hands over the wood.  The guy who repairs our appliances is so proud of having built his family owned business with his sons.  It’s not about the money being made or the importance of position.  It’s about the love of the task.

I’m curious.  Do you tend to hire people who are passionate?  Do you surround yourselves with passionate people?  Are you passionate in your own pursuits? Leave a comment and share your thoughts!

Lynn

Encore Quotes ~ The Best Portion of Your Life

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Happy Friday, Voyagers!  Today, I hope you remember that the best portions of your life have nothing to do with Christmas presents or all the other trappings of the season!  Instead, I hope you all truly enjoy those special moments gathering with those you love!  Have a wonderful weekend, and

Merry Christmas!

Lynn

Encore Quotes – Learning and Living

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Happy Friday, Voyagers!  It’s been a week full of learning for me.  A little challenging, a little frustrating, a lot of fun!  One of the critical components of a successful retirement voyage is that you not stagnate.  That you always have something that will challenge you, drive you, motivate you to get out of your recliner chair.  My hope for you this weekend is that you will rekindle some interest – find some curiosity within.  So how about it – what new things will you learn next?

Lynn