Peaceful

This has been the most peaceful autumn I've experienced in years.

I don't know if it's the change in season, if it's the sunshine or the bright blue skies. 

Whatever it is, I'll take it! 

EPIC

It has been an epic week. No strike that. It's been an epic seven weeks.

K is back at work after a wonderful sabbatical. 

So much happened during those seven weeks and despite our girl scouty list-making and goal-setting, most of the big important stuff was completely and utterly unplanned. 

We never imagined we would leave FOUND. Never thought we'd just hang it up and move on.  I never imagined I'd wake up one day and decide to sell my violas but yesterday, my main instrument (and the one I'd been hanging on to) found a new home with one of my beloved former students. 

She'd been borrowing it for months and when I asked on a whim if she'd like to buy it some day she replied "Do you want cash or is a check ok?".  So just like that, I said a tearful goodbye and sent them on their way to new adventures. 

This has been a season of letting go. Letting go of old inventory, massive amounts of clutter and stuff we don't need, want or use. We've let go of situations and people that don't support us, don't value what we do and don't bring joy to our lives. We've rekindled and deepened relationships with treasured friends, made new ones and even had a few adventures already along the way. 

Tomorrow is the anniversary of our very first date. It is also date we started Marmalade Mercantile. EPIC doesn't begin to describe our hopes for the future.

58

Oh Happy Day!  

This morning I had the sudden realization that I was in fact only 58 years old, not 59. 

Normally I don't get so far ahead of myself, but somehow I'd decided I was turning 59 this year. 

So YAY, I'm only 58 and that means one thing...

Now I have two years now to achieve my "before I turn 60" list.

Cake

Tomorrow is is my birthday. And because I'm a prone to pondering I've been thinking about how this year went. 

These are my truths.

I'm not always strong but I've learned to be brave and most of the time this has gotten me through.

Sometimes walking away rather than trying harder is the right thing to do.

No one is irreplaceable, including me. 

It's ok to not know what's coming next. 

Gratitude changes everything.

Hope is the way forward. 

K is my everything.