SO MUCH HEARTBREAK

It's a typical Monday for me. 

I start my day as usual. I get up, shower, dress, and make myself some scrambled cheese eggs with mushrooms. 

After that it is time to get moving. I stop in our community room to chat with some friends before heading out, and we discuss what our plans are for the day. 

For me it is a trip to my booth to straighten up the inevitable mess from weekend shoppers. After that it is off to the senior center to ride the stationary bike and then I will drop into Fresh Market to pick up a rotisserie chicken. Later I will play cards with friends.

The day is much cooler than normal for this time of year and I notice that the trees are already turning. As I am driving it starts to rain and I feel a bit inconvenienced.

Isn't it amazing how we take so much for granted. As I am feeling a bit inconvenienced by a cool rainy day millions of people are losing their homes, their livelihoods, and some are even losing their lives. 

It breaks my heart. 

I had a comfortable cozy home to come home to today. I am warm, safe, and dry. 

While I sit in my dry home, people who were safe in their homes just a few days ago are clinging to their roofs waiting to be rescued. 

While I drive around today listening to the steady sound of my windshield wipers, others are abandoning their completely submerged vehicles. 

While I know that my grandchildren are safe in their home today, so many other children have been displaced and are facing a fear that no child should ever have to face. 

It breaks my heart. 

I am praying for those frightened people. I can't begin to imagine their fear. 

So much heartbreak.

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IS SUMMER WANING?

Why is it that summer seems to fly by so quickly?

Just when I am beginning to settle into it I look at the calendar and realize that September it almost here.

Winter always passes so slowly for me. 

It feels like I am chugging along on a slow train.

Then summer arrives and suddenly I am on a super train barreling forward to another winter.

I want to bottle it all up. The lazy days. The fresh produce. Simple meals.

I want to take more leisurely drives in the Kentucky countryside, opening my windows to breathe in the warm air.

Yesterday I found myself planning a Labor Day luncheon with friends. One of my friends said Labor Day was just two weeks away. 

WAIT! WHAT? SIGH!

I am going to do my best to enjoy what is left of summer. How about you? Do you have plans for the rest of summer?

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MALL WALKING

In the eight years that I have been living here, other than going to Macy's once or twice a year, I think I have walked through the mall twice. 

That has now changed. 

I love to walk, but after my knee injury I knew I couldn't walk my hilly neighborhood. My knee would start aching and swelling when I did. 

However, I was gaining weight and feeling tired. I knew I had to find a way to start walking again, so I went to the mall. 

At first it was tiring to walk around the entire mall, which is over a mile, and my walking sandals didn't have enough cushion for walking on concrete. 

Once I switched to tennis shoes and walked on an almost daily basis though, I found the walking was becoming a lot easier. 

I am now up to two miles on the days that I walk. I am feeling better, plus I have fun seeing what is in the shop windows as I walk, and engaging in one of my favorite activities, which is people watching. 

The mall is just a five minute drive away so it is also convenient. 

I know that walking isn't enough, so this week I have started on my healthy eating plan and a couple of days a week I go and exercise somewhere else. 

I'll share those with you later. 

I am never tempted to detour to the Cheesecake Factory. That would require a twenty mile walk to work it off. 

I would love to start swimming, but I don't have access to a pool so that won't be happening at this point. 

Do you have an exercise plan? I would love to hear what you are doing or if you have plans to start something new. 

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GOOD INTENTIONS AND LOSSES

I have good intentions I really do. 

I plan to write my blog at least twice a week. 

Then suddenly I realize that time has gone by and it has been a week since I have posted. 

Life has been getting in the way. 

I lost a very good friend last week. Leo was the first person I met when I moved into my apartment last year. He was such a funny nice man and he along with a small group of others have become like family to me. 

One minute he was laughing with us and the next minute he went to his apartment and had a massive stroke. 

It is definitely a down side of living in a retirement community, and as I am the youngest person here I know that there will be other losses. 

However, I wouldn't trade the experience of getting to know these older people. I love their stories. There has been so much tragedy in their lives, and yet they still laugh and look forward to their days. 

It's nice to have a community of friends where at any time of the day there is someone to talk to. 

But that gets me back to my good intentions. I still need to earn some extra money each month, so I need to schedule my time a little better. I need to get to my booth more often, list things on Etsy more often, and write my blog on a more regular basis. 

The one thing I have done is schedule an exercise program. I'll let you know how that is going. 

Good intentions aside, we all need to take care of ourselves both mentally and physically. 

A belated happy birthday to my mom who turned 93 on Monday. She has taken pretty good care of herself.

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