Who knew that retirement planning should include consultation with an astrologer as well as a financial planner?
Not me.
While I often find horoscopes amusing and entertaining, I have never made a major change in the trajectory of my life based upon a daily, weekly, or monthly horoscope.
But there is a first time for everything, right?
If not now, then when?
Caveat: I have no idea whether your astrology sign will align with the stars’ prediction of a perfect retirement spot for your given predilections, but this article suggests that my decision to retire to the Gulf Coast of Florida was the right move for me.
More specifically, the article encourages those of us born under the sign of Cancer to consider Boca Raton, Florida:
iStock / 6381380
Forget what everyone says about you being too emotional or dramatic, Cancer. You’re actually one of the more laid-back signs of the zodiac and have a natural ability to adapt to every phase of life. When it comes to choosing the perfect retirement spot, all you need is a view of the ocean, some nice weather, and delicious food. If spending your golden years reading romance novels on the beach sounds like a dream come true, Boca Raton is the place for you. The laidback Florida city has a go-with-the-flow social scene that’s sure to hit just the right note.
Even though I don’t live in Boca Raton, Sarasota and the surrounding area offers many of the same amenities ~ ocean views, lovely weather, delicious food, and excellent libraries for Beach Reads!
So that’s the good news ~ I located to the best retirement destination for me.
Huzzah!
Now for the bad news:
BFF is a Scorpio and the Stars are sending him to South America.
I hope our long distance romance survives the separation.
Remember the Good Old Days, when you would take a photo of your dinner, mail the film in for processing (after you finished the whole roll), wait for the photos to be developed, and then run around to all your friends’ homes to show them photos of what you had for dinner?
No.
Me neither.
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Have you ever been in parking lot watching someone haplessly look for their car because they didn’t pay attention to where they parked it? Want to have a little fun with them?
Every time you see them hoist the key fob into the air, honk your horn and flash your lights.
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Aren’t you glad you were young and stupid BEFORE there were camera phones?
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I like to make lists. On paper. I also like to leave them on my desk so that I can guess what’s on the list when I get to the store.
Fun game.
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I don’t know how to use TikTok . . . but I do know how to write in cursive, do long division, and tell time on clocks with hands.
So I’ve got that going for me.
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You think you know stress. When I was a kid, if you missed your favorite TV program, you just missed it.
Forever.
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These days, we have SMART phones, SMART TVs, SMART refrigerators, SMART thermostats, but our smoke detectors are still dumb.
We need a smoke detector that shuts off when you yell:
I’m Just Cooking!
Aah . . . that’s better!
Source: E-mail from unknown author (sent by Joan M.)
We have a white board outside the clubhouse for announcements of interest (or words of encouragement) to the human residents of PBC.
If the birds, the coyotes, the otters, the occasional gator, the raccoons, and the squirrels ever stop to admire Frank’s handiwork, their admiration has taken place without notice by me.
Of course, that’s understandable since there is much I miss these days.
Anyway, getting back to the Signs of Fall . . .
On August 31st, we went for our evening bike ride immediately after answering ALL of the questions on Jeopardy. (And we even got a few answers correct!)
When we reached the clubhouse, the board was blank. WHAT? OMG!
We were astonished because the board is never blank. It may be out-dated, stale, redundant, repetitive, or irrelevant, but it is NEVER blank.
Hmmm . . .
This is one for the record books . . . Frank must have drawn a Blank!
Perhaps he fell down on the job . . .
And came up with nothing!
Perhaps he has a bad case of the grumps . . .
Or he’s lost in a perpetual swirling fog . . .
Or worse.
What if he’s got a bad case of dreaded writer’s block!
Relax. Breathe. Free Write. Repeat.
The next morning, which happened to be September 1st, I biked up to the clubhouse for water aerobics.
As I swung into the parking lot, I saw that the board had been dressed at some point during the last twelve hours.
“ At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.”
— Toni Morrison, Pulitzer & Nobel Prize-winning African-American author
Aah . . . so true!
Do you agree with Toni? Have you reached that point in life yet? Are you taking fewer photos and smelling more roses?
There is something to be said for just enjoying the moment, without trying to preserve it for posterity . . .
I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual . . . O how I laugh when I think of my vague indefinite riches. No run on my bank can drain it for my wealth is not possession but enjoyment. ~ Henry David Thoreau
Here’s to enjoying the moment HERE and NOW without trying to capture or possess it in perpetuity.
What a great opportunity to pump up your tires, kick up your kickstand, and hit the road.
Biking is good for your health and good for the planet. It’s also good for your wallet ~> no need to head to the filling station, saving big bucks!
Since moving to Florida, I ride most days because: (1) Florida is warm year-round; (2) Florida is flat as a pancake; and (3) hopping on my bike to ride up to the clubhouse or around the neighborhood makes me feel like a kid again:
WHEEEE!!!!!
Do you still bike? If so, share a bike tale or trail in the comments.
If not, want some incentive to get biking this month? Here’s a score card to play Bike Month Bingo:
The author addressed how our childhood friendships evolve as we head off to college, graduate, get married, have kids, start work, move across the country, care for parents, etc.
Increased responsibilities and demands on our time coupled with the lack of contiguity often mean that friendships, even longstanding friendships, fade.
We no longer see our companions on a daily basis to hang out, listen to records, play Frisbee, pop popcorn, and chat about anything and everything.
Instead, we make plans to get together . . . in two weeks time.
Friendships, like ships, diverge as we chart our life course.
Years ago, we “stayed in touch” with our compadres with annual missives at Yuletide which recounted the highlights (or low lights) of the year. Now, with the advent of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, we are able keep tabs on each other year round . . . without ever really connecting:
If you never see your friends in person, you’re not really sharing experiences so much as just keeping each other updated on your separate lives. It becomes a relationship based on storytelling rather than shared living—not bad, just not the same.
Via social media, we give our followers a “heads up” on the happenings in our life and they give us a “thumbs up” to acknowledge that they saw what we said.
But is that enough to maintain ties?
Probably not.
Friendships based solely on storytelling aren’t apt to have the same depth and dimension as those based on getting together on a regular basis to do something . . . together.
“If we only have the Facebook tie, that’s probably a friendship that’s in greater jeopardy of not surviving into the future,” Ledbetter says.
* * *
Social media makes it possible to maintain more friendships, but more shallowly. And it can also keep relationships on life support that would (and maybe should) otherwise have died out.
Oh, for the days when we “hung out” with our friends every day.
Not sure where to retire?
While I often find horoscopes amusing and entertaining, I have never made a major change in the trajectory of my life based upon a daily, weekly, or monthly horoscope.
BFF is a Scorpio and the Stars are sending him to South America.
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Are you a sleepwalker?
On the other hand, this place is PERFECT for those who are physically fit, in good health, and light packers.
Perhaps he fell down on the job . . .
“ At some point in life the world’s beauty becomes enough. You don’t need to photograph, paint, or even remember it. It is enough.”
Champ Jaxon has been playing guitar for a couple of years and has gained a degree of proficiency rarely seen in pre-teens.
It’s National Bike Month.
I read an article by Julie Beck in The Atlantic this weekend that got me thinking:
Oh, for the days when we “hung out” with our friends every day.
Spirit Lights The Way 