Welcome back to SOLO at SIXTY!
Two months of 2020 are in the books y’all. Can’t get them back. Honestly, I don’t want them back! I am looking forward to warmer weather and sunnier days. And with Daylight Saving Time arriving this weekend, we’ll have even more hours of daylight. We’ve been blessed with some warmer weather lately… makes it awfully hard to go back to cold days, though I know they are probably coming. Still… I am enjoying the sunny and 65 degree weather today!
“It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold: when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.” Charles Dickens Great Expectations
What did you do with your “extra day” this year? You know, Saturday, February 29th? A couple of people I know celebrated their actual birthday for a change. What a treat! Hard to imagine being a “leaper” (those born on Feb 29th). Me? I went out for a fabulous dinner Friday night with a friend, where I had a little too much really good wine (is that even possible?), and found myself sleeping in a bit Saturday morning (in my recliner I might add) before going in to work. I know, it may seem boring working on the weekend, but it was month end and I used the extra day to get a head start on the process. I have so many fun plans on my calendar in the next several weeks and I really need to be on top of things. Made sure I was home in time to see my Heels win for the 2nd time in a week! (And the win last night makes it 3 in a row!) WOOHOO! That is a major feat for us this year.
“There’s always something good coming. Remember that.”
This extra day of 2020 found me quickly approaching (like the next day!) the third anniversary of my big “D” (divorce). Always a time for reflection, just like other anniversaries, birthdays, etc. Recently, a dear friend suggested to me: “We cannot choose the times we live in, but we CAN choose how we live in the times we are in.” How true is that!? When something unforeseen in life happens, you can let it make you bitter or better. Thankfully, I chose better. And I do have a choice in how I live my SOLO life. And y’all, I am making the most of this extra shot at life and making up for lost time.
“Just because the past didn’t turn out the way you wanted it to, doesn’t mean your future can’t be better than you ever imagined!”
That extra day also made it possible for me to go for a good “long” run Sunday afternoon. 5.5 miles! I have not run this route (my favorite through UVA) since December 4, 2018. I am making up for the lost time from injuries and surgeries. So much so that I am heading out in just a few minutes to run this same course in sunny 65 degrees. Finally getting that part of my life back, and it feels so good! And posting early today preparing for next week when we jump ahead and this will be 4 pm.
My older sister is also making the most of her extra shot at life – retirement. She has taken her art to a whole new level. I am happily heading to Winston-Salem this weekend, because my very talented sister is having her art on display and for sale Saturday. She was accepted to participate in the 10th Annual Art Show and Sale benefiting Meals on Wheels, at the Senior Center (for you W-S people). Another great opportunity (and benefit of the SOLO life!) to see my family AND to celebrate my younger sister’s birthday. WIN WIN!
And even though we lose that hour of sleep this Saturday night, the benefit of gaining longer days of light will outweigh it. Right? I mean who doesn’t want it to be lighter in the evenings? It sure makes traveling easier for me – I can leave later in the day and get to my destination before dark. As I have said many times before, my favorite day of the year is the first official day of summer, which this year is Saturday, June 20th (due to leap year) – the longest day of the year.
“Oh Sunlight! The most precious gold to be found on earth.” Roman Payne
Are you struggling with the times you find yourself in? If your life is not going the way you would have chosen, don’t give up hope. Instead, look for the positives in your life and concentrate on them. There are always positives. Yes, sometimes you have to look really hard to find them, but they are there. Choose to make your life a WIN WIN, and do it soon, because as we all know, none of us is promised tomorrow.
“Hope… Sometimes that’s all you have when you have nothing else. If you have it, you have everything.”
Best,
Leslie
PS… Did you know that is it actually Daylight Saving Time and not Daylight Savings Time? And did you know that DST was not started to benefit farmers? As a matter of fact, farmers were against it. According to the History Channel, farmers had to wait an hour for the dew to dry before baling hay, and farmhands worked less because they still left at the same time to get home for dinner. Who knew?!
SOLO at SIXTY 