Welcome back to SOLO at SIXTY!
Yep… it’s the same old song! Great weekend, and another Carolina loss…after almost winning…AGAIN! But man was it a beautiful and fun day…AGAIN! Not sure how we have gotten so lucky to have beautiful Saturdays for football. But this weekend started before Saturday…
Did you have a good Halloween? Give out much candy? Please don’t think badly of me, but I skipped Halloween! Did not carve a pumpkin either. But I did have 2 cool pumpkins – one bumpy and one colorful… good enough, right? I mean the bumpy one is kinda spooky. Instead of greeting trick-or-treaters, I went for a late afternoon run, which was heavenly at 70 degrees. Passed lots of little ghosts, goblins, firemen, and princesses all trick-or-treating at UVA. Showered at the club and went back to work until 9:00 PM. Got a big jump on my month-end financials. And a big jump when a prankster friend stopped by my office to scare the #$%& out of me! So maybe I didn’t totally skip ALL of Halloween.
Thursday night found me at a dear friend’s house for dinner. With the amazingly mild weather, we ate on her back porch and just talked. A lot. So nice to do when you are SOLO and just need someone to listen. That was one of the hardest things about finding myself SOLO – who to share thoughts, ideas, complaints, hurts, and successes with? Found the answer – family and friends!
“Life is a journey with problems to solve, lessons to learn, but most of all, experiences to enjoy.”
On Friday I left work mid-afternoon and headed to Winston-Salem. Checked in on Mom, who was having dinner (an experience to observe at her table!), and visited with her a bit before rushing to meet my brother-in-law so we could go together to my sister’s art guild’s show and sale, benefiting Crisis Control Ministry. My sister sold several pieces that night! I was very proud of her and am always in awe of her talent. There were so many wonderful pieces of art there, but of course I thought my sister’s were the best! And so did everyone else as she won the BEST OF SHOW award for her painting of our ocean birds, titled “Watching and Wading.”
“Today was good. Today was fun. Tomorrow is another one.” Dr. Seuss
Spent the night in Winston-Salem, which gave me just a little over an hour drive to Chapel Hill to meet my daughter and son-in-law early Saturday morning for our tailgate and football game. It was CHILLY (hello Fall!) and my daughter and I wrapped up in her UNC Snuggie (given to her by her brother when he was at UNC) and a couple of fleece blankets. It did warm up quickly. We went with the breakfast theme again since it was another early game. Now that it is cooler, we are enjoying being on the sunny side of the stadium, where it is much warmer during the games. It was HOT the first couple of games, but now it is heavenly. Speaking of heavenly, the skies were Carolina blue with NO clouds. Thought it might be a good omen…I mean, if God is not a Tar Heel, why is the sky Carolina blue? Right? But once again, we beat ourselves… tied it up at 28 all only to throw an interception and burst all of our bubbles. Same old song… Although I must admit it is more fun to lose surrounded by fellow fans than to lose surrounded by opposing fans! And we’ll be back tailgating and in search of that elusive win again in 2 weeks.
“Life is what we make it, always has been, always will.” Grandma Moses
Ever find that some disappointments are easier to take in certain circumstances? Carolina losing is frustrating, but there is so much fun “outside” of the loss that makes it more palatable. Being with my kids, tailgating, just being in Kenan Stadium. Same thing for my SOLO status – it is disappointing and hurtful, but there are so many wonderful things that have happened because of it, that make it easier to take. Life does go on, and in a much better way. In every situation, there is something to be thankful for. Always. Sometimes it is harder to find, but trust me, it is there. We all grow from the challenges we face. Keeping a positive outlook is key. It may be difficult to maintain at times, but it is crucial when you are going through tough times. Of course, admittedly, being over 2 ½ years out from my initial separation makes this much easier for me to say. At the time, I don’t think I would have believed it, but now I KNOW it.
(Even though I hate the shorter days, this is one of the blessings of earlier sunsets… and at my sister’s art show. This was God’s artwork!)
“We can’t always choose the music life plays for us, but we can choose how we dance to it.”
So Hello to November, the Thankful month. Look for something to be thankful for every day, in every situation. It is there. Even in the “same old song” circumstances. I am thankful for season tickets even if it is a losing season, because it means I get to see my kids more often. Remember to let those you love know how thankful you are that they are in your life, because as we all know, none of us is promised tomorrow.
Best,
Leslie
PS – Have you been enjoying the Hallmark Christmas movies? There are 2 new ones every weekend – Saturday and Sunday evenings. Plus repeats 24/7. “Same old song” – blanket, fire, Hallmark movie. Doesn’t get much better than that!
SOLO at SIXTY 
Love reading your blogs!!! They are always uplifting and encouraging. So excited to hear about Melinda’s award! She is an amazing artist and deserves the accolades!
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Another good blog! I have been in a funk since Alison died. She died so close to Christmas, that it took the happiness and joy out of Christmas for me. This is my 5th Christmas without her. We all spent two of those past holidays In Florida and two at home.
This year I have decided to put up a tree and decorate everything early. I
Want to be in a happy mood this year.
You are very blessed to be so close to your children and sisters. Having neither is a bummer! Take care and keep having fun solo. It does have its perks! Love you 😘
Jeanne
What is your cell # ?
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