With gratitude, I have chosen to live a charmed life with my ultimate concierge at my side.
I have lived a charmed life. I used to say, “I am so busy, I am dizzy” because of a dazzling lifestyle. With my ultimate concierge by my side, life was almost perfect. We had dismal experiences, but we survived. We were a team. Together we defeated our troubles. On a personal note, I soared. I reached the heights because I was in my 40s when I met my ultimate concierge and real maturity was baked into the recipe of Susan Honey Good.
With my children grown and happily married, I had time to work on my mind. No, I did not sit down and devour books. I am not that type. Instead, I had the time and the curiosity to experience living life on different levels. I took advantage of everything; leaving me with a head full of knowledge and a mind full of purpose. With my ultimate concierge by my side I devoured life. With my mother’s DNA a part of me I left no stone unturned, and I am grateful.
I continue feeling that, “I am so busy, I am dizzy” because I am, though my life dazzles to a different tune.
THE ATTITUDE OF A CHARMED LIFE
You know that life throws every woman curves. No one is immune. This is the time you have to make choices. You can put “the mettle to the pedal” and swim upstream or sink, like a rock, into despair.
Every woman has moments when she loses hope. When this happens to me I swear I find a solution that puts me back into the business of living a positive lifestyle. In other words darling, I find mental solutions to ‘zippity-do-da!’ Here is an example.
Yesterday it poured and poured, non stop. Our home was dark and gloomy even though well lit. Everyone was complaining, including me. Suddenly, a light switch went on in my brain and I said to all those complaining. “It is the month of March. The rainfall nourishes the earth. The trees and bushes drink up the water. Soon the city will be green and lush.” Everyone smiled…even America!
You have the power to rise-up. And, you can rise in style. You must take your time to look for solutions that will bring you satisfaction. Satisfaction leads to joy. I know. I am living through hard times, and I never stop looking for answers to elevate my mood. Each step forward empowers me to take the next, and the next, and the next step. The mind is a wonderful engine. It allows us to continuously create new paths. It allows us to live a charmed life.
This reminds me of a true and priceless story.
MIND OVER MONEY
As most of you know I have traveled the world with my ultimate concierge. A friend of mine could not afford the luxury of travel so he traveled through books! Without bags of money he was Marco Polo.
I would meet him in the park, a block from our condo in the sky, and discuss travel. You would have thought he had actually dined in Paris, rode camels in the Sahara and climbed the Great Wall in China. I swear, I marveled at his storytelling!
Sitting in his home or on the park bench he educated himself. I could see in his eyes, his expressions and the sound in his voice that he was living a charmed life on his terms.
Our meetings and conversation took place on a particular park bench. He would start by saying, “So, where are you off to now?” I would tell him. While I was away he was traveling along side of me in his books! Upon my return I would reunite with him on the park bench, and we would share the trip! He gained as much (and often more) knowledge through literature than I gained through travel. The moral of this story: When there is a genuine desire combined with a great attitude there are ways to lead a charmed life.
A DIFFERENT TIME IN MY CHARMED LIFE
There was a time in my life when money was very, very scarce. I thrived like my friend, and I was happy. I did not shop in stores or travel the world. Instead, I shopped and traveled in my head, and I took on projects that continue to serve me well to this day. In many ways the lack of money was a saving grace. It allowed me to turn my attention inward to high quality endeavors. I lived a rewarding life; a charmed life. And, so can you.
The choice is yours. You can create a charmed life.
CHOOSING YOUR CHARMED LIFE
If you are unhappy with your life because you recently retired or an empty nester, a widow, lack money, are a caregiver to a parent or a spouse, have problems with friends or family, or are lonely and bored, don’t despair. Remember to focus on the good aspects of your life. You have the ability, like my friend, to force your mind into a positive attitude. Listen to your heart and put your energy into making a plan that affords you personal joy. You can live a charmed life.
MY MOTHER SET AN EXAMPLE
My mother is an example of a woman who never stopped growing her mind and chose to live a charmed life. Continuously active, well into her 90s she completed a daily crossword puzzle, played bridge, canasta and mahjong (and would have continued, but alas her friends passed away) played the piano, and mastered needlepoint. I recall when she broke her leg skiing she made beautiful toe socks with jewels and went dancing with my wonderful father! Her mind was never idle.
YOU DO NOT HAVE TO FEEL LONELY OR ISOLATED
If you cannot leave your home or choose to stay home, you can play card games online, listen to podcasts, watch interesting movies and documentaries, and take classes through the internet. Learning to be tech savvy over 50 will help you find connection while at home.
Without leaving your home you can turn on your creative side. Make a few changes in your home décor, organize your closet or design a new storage space. There are always ways to live a charmed life.
If you desire to travel and cannot, you can enlarge your life, like my friend, Marco Polo. Here are some great ideas to spread your wings without ever stepping foot on a plane:
- Read newspapers such as the London Times.
- Spring and it’s calming weather is around the corner, you can shop in exotic markets or fairs in your city or town.
- Expose yourself to concerts in the park.
- Enjoy art in your local museums.
- Listen to jazz in a jazz club.
- Join a mixed cultural dining group.
- Get to know yourself better through journaling!
This is how to live a charmed life. Be open and be creative.
A CHARMED LIFE EVERY SEASON
We all want to change with the seasons; the seasons are moods that bring out a woman’s unique energy level. Winter is solstice and spring is equinox. The name equinox is derived from the Latin word aequus that means “equal.” An equinox is the exact instant when the sun is directly over head. The day and the night are of almost equal duration. It marks the first day of spring. This is your time to spring forward with equilibrium, darling.
I know times have been emotionally tough in our country. Without doubt, it is has had a negative affect on everyone from the very young to the young at heart.
IS A CHARMED LIFE POSSIBLE?
Darling, I listen to the news. Lately I have been hearing that loneliness is the number one illness in the United States, and I am not surprised. COVID started the demise of social interaction and none of us, including me, are back into the full swing of life. Everyone shops online. Plays cards online. Takes classes online. Watches movies online. Meets with their doctors online.
There is no hustle and bustle in shops and department stores. The store fronts in my beautiful Chicago have space available signs in the window instead of mannequins dressed to the nines. Our streets are in need of repair. People of all ages walk down our once beautiful Michigan Avenue dressed poorly because ‘who cares.’ Robberies are commonplace. No one can walk home from a restaurant at night, and owners with small dogs are being attacked in broad daylight by thieves who steal then sell the dogs!
It’s no wonder loneliness is threatening many women. People are staying home because of fear and lackluster. So, amidst this climate, how can a woman of any age lead a charmed life?
Choose love and connection to create a charmed life.
THE SECRET TO LIVING A CHARMED LIFE
Here is the secret: you have to give yourself a shot of positive adrenaline; a combination of self discipline and desire to put on your tutu and dance! What does that mean? It means you have to use your willpower to uplift yourself. No one can do it for you. If you want to live a charmed life you have to create a charmed life. I suggest the following tips:
10 TIPS TO CREATING A CHARMED LIFE
- Learn a new skill that will ultimately make you happy.
- Volunteering is a marvelous activity for emotional wellbeing.
- Love! Quality time with your family fosters emotional health.
- Social connections with women will help reduce loneliness. Join one or all of my private Facebook Groups.
- Sleep. Go to bed and wake up at the same time. Eight hours of sleep should be the minimum. If you cannot, take cat naps during the day.
- Live in the present. That is your present. The past is over!
- Deal with stress. Take time during the day to smell the flowers in your life.
- Eat healthy. Missing breakfast causes irritability and fatigue. Concentrate on reducing refined foods, especially sugar. Consume protein and drink water.
- Exercise, darlings! You do not have to join a gym. Walk, swim, stretch, take Pilates, or yoga.
- Live, love, and laugh so you can grow to be 100 years young!
Dear reader, do not disconnect yourself from life. Become a woman who is broad in thought, warm to others and recognizes her wisdom. That is how to live a charmed life
Do you live a charmed life? What is your secret? Comment below, let’s discuss!
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