What's Happening

I live in Asheville now. I binge-watch shows on Netflix and Amazon. I drink coffee in bed every single morning!  Some days (like today) I lounge in bed until noon-ish. Mind you, I'm not sleeping until noon...I'm awake. I'm doing things or at least thinking about things. I play Wordle. I check out Google News on my phone. It's the news Google thinks I'm most interested in so far it hasn't really been wrong. It's more like soft news, really. Or, not really news at all.

The algorithms have it right for me. I don't want hard news. It's way too heartbreaking. I know what's going on. I have opinions about it, as does everyone else. My views haven't changed much since I was in high school. My values are very much the same. 

I live in a cottage that was built in the 1920s. The floors are uneven, but it has the original wood floors. There are a few improvements we hope to make, but none that are urgent. I love this place as it is. Even if we never make improvements, there is nowhere else I'd rather live.

My girlfriends and I still have Girl's Night. It's a little harder for me to navigate because I'm coming from almost four hours away. But, Girl's Night helps sustain me. It is incredible to have friends that know you now and knew you as a teen as well. Our hearts are the same. These women make my life so much fuller. 

I'll be married before the next Girl's Night. 

Every time I come here to start a post, I stall because of the time since the last one. My instinct is to tell every little thing that's happened since I last wrote. But, a laundry list of activities would not be interesting would they? 

I'm still "retired", though I work for "fun". I have a lovely part-time job downtown in the Federal Courthouse Building. It gives me a place to go each morning and a place to wear my cute clothes. I really enjoy wearing work clothes. I work 25 hours a week, with genuinely kind people. My role is really small, yet they say I'm helpful. It's lovely to feel useful without having significant responsibilities. There is zero stress for me. Just show up, do my part, and go home. It's wonderful.

I took a job at the beginning of the year. It was full-time and one that used just the right amount of my knowledge and experience. I was competent very quickly. I knew the concepts, I just needed to learn the computer application, which was quite intuitive. What threw me was that I didn't fit in. I was excluded socially. Mean Girls still exist in the world of work. I hadn't experienced that before. I've experienced difficult personalities before, but not Mean Girls. 

I remember experiencing a surprise interaction that I did not know how to reconcile. I texted my friend who I used to work with. She and I easily became friends outside of work...but she knows the "work me." She said, "These are not your people. You need to leave now." She was right. They weren't my people. 

That whole awful experience made me remember that life is too short! 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year. This year holds so many promises that are both awesome and scary. But mostly awesome.

Yesterday was my last day at work. I've officially retired as of yesterday. I have been with the company for nine years! It really was a good fit for me. I was competent and I was a resource for others. I liked that feeling. I'm sad to let that go.

My new chapter will begin in Asheville in mid-January. This is the fourth time I've moved in January in five years! I've tried to downsize my stuff each time. But I'm always overwhelmed when it's time to pack up and move again.

We bought the house Asheville house in the Fall. I hope to be finished with moving after this one. Owning a house again is big. I had said I didn't want to own again. My last house was just too big to make sense. When I left the last house I began apartment living in earnest. Each apartment I've lived in has been new with beautiful new appliances and lovely finishes. My favorite thing in all of the apartments has been the porches. I've made sure each porch has faced east, where the sun rises and slowly heats up while providing so much light! 

I said I wouldn't own again, but things changed. This is house everything I've always wanted but thought I'd never have. Our small cottage (962 SF) was built in 1927. It's in an area of Asheville that includes older houses, most have had some updating and new infill homes. The new infill homes are larger with modern architectural detailing. The neighborhood is eclectic. 

Here's a sneak peek at the charmer.  There are many more pics to come.

Autumn Changes

This weekend was spent in Asheville. I spent time in a local brewery and also picked up a Guide to Asheville Breweries. There are a lot of breweries to visit. 

Before this year, the last time I'd been to Asheville was May 2015. Whew, time flies. I mean, it really does. I just looked back at my previous blog to see what I could remember about that last visit. I had forgotten that it was the first time I used Airbnb. I was probably late to the party, but I've had several great experiences after that one. It's sort of been my preferred type of stay. 

I'm spending more time in Asheville than I ever have before. Spoiler Alert: I'm moving there! The official move date is somewhere between January 15th and January 22nd (when my lease is up). 

This poor blog has been so quiet...if you follow my posts you probably think I've abandoned it. But, no, I've just had big life changes that have taken my energy. 

Tonight, when I sat down I ran down the list of things that I've done this year...that would explain my absence and lack of writing. I knew I'd been busy, and I'd used the "I've been busy" moniker when I wrote last time. In my last post, I ticked off what I've been "busy" with. It still feels like a lot of big things. 

After catching you up with my life in September, I preceded to make more big life changes. I found out that I can retire early in 2022. At first, I thought, "Oh...how nice, but I don't think so." It really was a surprise that I have the ability to collect SSI two years early. It only took a few days for me to decide to accept this surprising opportunity. I feel like if I don't take advantage of the early retirement that I will be missing out on a cosmic gift. So...I'm officially retiring as of December 31st. 

It feels right. This allows me to take a breath and start fresh. 

I'm leaving my career and I'm leaving where I live. I'm moving forward with "fear and trembling." 

This idea has stayed with me since I was a college freshman in Philosophy 101. 

“If anyone on the verge of action should judge himself according to the outcome, he would never begin. Even though the result may gladden the whole world, that cannot help the hero; for he knows the result only when the whole thing is over, and that is not how he became a hero, but by virtue of the fact that he began.”― Søren Kierkegaard, Fear and Trembling

My life changes are not as dramatic or dire as what Kierkegaard is contemplating, but I take comfort in the grace of his words. After all, we are all heroes of our own lives; I am the hero of my own life. 

As I was writing this, I wanted to go on into my own philosophy of life planning but realized I have written this before. 

I really want to go on...telling you all about the new plans. I'm really quite excited about them. But, the truth is, my body has not adapted to the "non-daylight savings time", meaning I'm usually in bed by now. I'm fairly certain my post has been coherent until this point, so I will call it a night.

Until next time!