When Your Retirement Dreams Must All Change

"  ... be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you... to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under Heaven.”   --- Hebrews 13:5, Ecclesiastes 3:1

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While scrolling mindlessly here upstairs, I heard a loud thud.

Darn. I knew that meant Tom fell. Again. And while I traipsed down the stairs, I thought (once more), "At this rate, our retirement years will be lived awfully close to home. Like, inside these very walls."

I found Tom sitting upon his bed and asked if he'd fallen. He said he had then he paused and added, "I guess we really won't be traveling much when I retire."

This past year of rough times, we've often had that conversation and many instances? I've felt myself begin to slide below the quicksand of self-pity, beneath its taunting, dark voices.

But no! I cannot afford to do that. I believe in making all my days special (well, I try) and no one has even one special day underneath the mire of self-pity.

How vital to fight against the lies! Those which erase our gratitude and the creativity needed for adventuring within our remaining dreams.

We fight against self-pity with truth. 

So when I hear, "Too bad only your friends can fly places and camp and travel by car or train, but not you," I remind myself that truthfully? At the end of our last train trip I thought, "Truly, four times crossing this country was plenty. Tiring. Enough for me. Forever."

Frankly, home is the most comfortable, pleasant place on Planet Earth for me. My family. My cats. My books, wide front porch, my bed in a wallpapered closet room, our inspirational movies, cozy rooms, gardens and the calm, blue river down the street.

Also, God sweetly gave Tom all the opportunities he'd ever wanted, via various jobs, to travel, both domesticly and foreign. He's so grateful, but only recently has he let the dream die of more such trips. 

Tom's learning to appreciate the whole thing of seasons. How none are meant to last forever, but instead, to be forever appreciated for the time they lasted.

So now? We both love, via Youtube, watching others travel. And what a joy to let them make all those plans, do all that plodding along walking, spend all that money so they can share their adventures with us ...

...we who can no longer travel around the world, but rather, only around the block. With gratitude.

I'd planned to add the other future-related lies self-pity pings me with lately, but let's not lengthen this to the point of distraction.

Since you and I are both aging, probably the voices we hear are quite similar.

What remains? Tell them to hush, then arise in a God-given determination to move forward in joy.

"Does opposition weaken your resolve, even depress you, or does it make you all the more determined to keep pressing forward?" 

-Joyce Meyer

If we never let anything steal our determined sense of creativity, we'll always live in a lovely place.

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Would you like to visit one of Agatha Christie's homes? Here you go.

I've been considering returning to crocheting and oh my. This young woman certainly inspired me with her  nine lovely blankets!

Wow. It's difficult to believe this was ever a dated ranch house. What a lovely job she and her husband did on recreating their home.

I loved all the details this woman thought of! Thrifting to create the old money interior design aesthetic like Ralph Lauren

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Our very silly cats, Happy and Poncho.  ツ

Oh, and again... this post is not just about my no longer being able to travel. Rather, it's about bravely facing the things we all must change as we and our circumstances evolve (devolve? heh.).

One of the very best things we can do as we grow older? Become more determined to only let challenges inspire--not defeat--us.

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Please remember: My posts are always about more than they appear to be. 

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 "For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses." ... Matthew 6:14,15