“Open Wings” – cottage whimsey quotes – Substack
I just love this! AND – I AM DOING IT in my life now.
____________
There is a whole list of things that I have always done, or thought I “should” be doing – that remained on my list – either a physical list or a mental list lurking in my head that attacked me when I was most vulnerable.
I would put these things off, telling myself I would do them at a later time, ‘when I felt better,’ ‘when I got to a certain weight’ ‘when my other things were done,’ and ‘at the first of the week/month/year…’
I brought procrastination to an art form. I should have received awards.
My husband has always described me as, “Mean as a snake.” (He has lived with me for over 56 years so far, so he must really LIKE snakes….) – but, like a snake, I’m shedding procrastination. If I don’t really HAVE to do something because if I don’t, I’ll –
- Starve
- My house will fall down around me
- I will be put in jail…
I simply have decided NOT TO DO IT. No excuses, either. If someone asks me, I just say, “no,” as kindly as possible with the one word. No explanations.
Since I have received a second chance at life, having a pacemaker installed when my heart stopped twice a year ago February 11th, I am living totally differently, embracing the things that mean the world to me and shedding things that don’t.
It’s quite freeing. You feel a huge weight sliding from your shoulders, allowing you to take deep breaths and relax.
Will you join me?
creativeartworksblog 
It sure sounds like you are enjoying your life free from to-do lists and without guilt. It sounds like a wonderful way to live. I am sure this was not what you expected when you moved to Thailand, but what a great surprise! I am happy that you get to enjoy your life the way you choose. Your happiness and your peace of mind are something that comes through in this post. (Donna)
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Thank you, Donna. This is the first time in my life I have been free to do this. It’s wonderful!
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I am joining you. Thank you for this post! I love the word, “no”!
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GREAT! Thanks. I hope you’ll feel freer, as I do.
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You know it, Linda (to answer your question). And yes, I LOVE that “Open Wings” quote too!! That was exactly my thought when I saw it and read it, even before reading your thoughts about it! Haha!
When you wrote about getting your pacemaker, I remembered thinking back to that time and how it seemed like I hadn’t heard from you for weeks… and how, though I am not a “worrier,” I was sort of worrying about you! Not long prior to that we lost a dear friend who had went to the hospital with pneumonia or something near to it, and she never returned. I’ve never quite gotten over her passing, because all we got was a Facebook post (a short one at that) about her demise. And we were close, having dined together, traveled together, and such for YEARS! Her nephew and cousin, her last living relatives, knew of us, and some other friends of hers like us, but for whatever reason couldn’t take the time to tell us if/where she was buried, or ANYTHING!
All that to say, I think I sort of gave you a bear hug when you survived and came back to your blog to tell us all what the heck had happened! I was sooo relieved!!! And just so you know, I am always here rooting for you, Linda. Every single day.
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You really made my day, Sheila. The whole unexpected episode, going in for the flu and some mysterious (to me) thing called ‘low blood oxygen’ and being treated for my heart stopping was one of the scariest things I’ve ever experienced. It just never occurred to me that I could ‘go’ before Harvey! And to have done it, but survived, was really overwhelming. Thank you for caring/worrying/being glad I was back, and more. There are no words for what that means to me.
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❤️🦋🥳
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🙏🏻
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