Life is interesting, isn’t it?  You are walking along, minding your own business and someone taps you on the shoulder.  “Would you consider applying for this job?”  It seems innocent enough.  It feels right.  Why not?

A couple of months ago, this happened to me. I applied.  I interviewed.  I was offered and accepted a “part-time” job working as a combination office manager/secretary/book keeper.  The job is a short drive from the homestead.  It has been a steep learning curve in some regards, and an ability to use my talents of organization and time management in others.  I did not realize how the investment in time would affect my daily life.

Retirement has been an experience of opportunities and growth.  I am one of those people that can truly say I do not know how I had time to work!  Now, I am working four days a week and I struggle to fit in all that I want to do.  I am enjoying the job, so I have a strong desire to figure out how to find balance.

Again.

Balance.  This job is no different than other ventures I decide to pursue. I dive head-first into the deep end.  I swim and swim until I realize that I have gotten into the middle of the pool and there are things along the sides that I want to do.  I spend so much time swimming back and forth that I am utterly exhausted.  I hit that point a couple of weeks back.  I have been on a course to find a way to balance my time and energy.

I have started to carve out smaller sections of time for the things that I love.  I have found time to take a few pictures.  I have been practicing my violin.  I am getting up 30 minutes earlier each day to be sure I have time to get at least 30 minutes of exercise in before the main part of the day starts. Given my job has some flexibility, I am also able to adjust my hours to be sure I have time for yard work or gardening when the spring rains taper off and things dry out.  

Reading is also something I have been doing in short bursts.  Of late, I have been filling my head with information regarding whole-food plant-based eating.  

WHAT?

For the past 10 weeks, Hubby and I have adopted plant-based eating as our way of life.  

WHAT?

Yep.  We have talked about it before; given my vegan cross-country adventure with Katie Q and it was a resounding “NO” vote from Hubby.  Although the ethical issues tugged at my heart strings, I was not committed enough to try to shop and cook under two eating agendas, so meat won.  A friend at the gym told me about a documentary that he and his wife found interesting.  Hubby and I watched it.  It contained a wealth of information about the health benefits of eating a whole-food plant-based diet, including REVERSAL of disease processes.  Yes, reversal.  At the end of the show, Hubby looked at me and said, “Let’s try eating like that for two weeks and see how we feel.”  

That was 10 weeks ago.  

Making the change has required some rethinking in many ways.  Given our commitment, I have built a new library of resources, including cook books. The refrigerator houses a healthy assortment of fruits and vegetables.  I am learning to cook in larger quantities, so we have leftovers for days that run long.  I have embraced the use of a rice steamer and a pressure cooker for more efficient kitchen time.   

Why have we stuck with it?  Because we feel better.  We both have more energy, with no loss of strength or endurance.  We are both sleeping better.  Only once has Hubby had a battle with indigestion. Interestingly, it was after one meal… that contained beef.  He said he felt like there was a brick in his stomach for hours.  Early on we tried to shoot holes in the theories and find an “ah HA” reason to quit.  We have not found it.

The biggest hurdle is eating away from home. We are learning where we can go for a meal out and find selections on the menu that can be modified to suit our needs.  Mum has assured Sunday dinners for us include plenty of vegetables, and always some fruit for dessert.  I even modified the white cake recipe for birthday celebrations to make it egg-free. Mind you, it still had all the sugar!

This past week I spent a day with Mum.  We celebrated the anniversary of my dad’s passing. We truly celebrated.  We laughed and recalled stories of him.  I was reminded yet again how grateful I am for the gift of my family.  I am grateful for the gifts of love and acceptance.

Despite the increased demand on my time, I am finding my groove.  I smile throughout the day and I feel really good!  Blogging has been tough as I simply have not wanted to sit at the computer long enough to turn my many thoughts into words.  I realized I have missed it.  

Yes, life is interesting.  As I head out to face the day, I wonder what it will bring? Sure, I have a plan.  Always, right??  But you never know when you will get that next tap on your shoulder!