Today I Put Away My Mop And My Broom...

Today I put away my mop and my broom... work time is over for today.. As I still dream of a work space of my own... We must remember we do not want the entire home to be a workspace... We really need to learn to say " I Am Off Duty Now"... Even if we would live in a small space like a efficiency apartment, we need to learn the meaning of shutting down... the TV, computer, and move to a candlelit area... Learning to accept and enjoy the well deserved rest.. In retirement life has changed.. I love my home to be a cozy bed and breakfast type experience... I have never stayed in a bed and breakfast.. I always wished to... I mentioned it to Tom one time and he had a faster than a bullet come back... " Yes, you have... everyday you go to bed and you woke up and make breakfast"... Do you think this is one of the different factors of men and women we often talk about? LOL.. I did keep that comeback in my book of great responses however...Unlike years of raising children and working long hard hours to survive.. life is different now... Oh sure, clothes are cleaned and folded, meals prepared, toilet and floors scrubbed, and carpets cleaned, and furniture dusted but it is just different.. It is done in my time... at my pace and all my choosing.. No more one day a week day off from work and do it all in one day at home... Hopefully the next several months as the temps warm... will be more a summer retreat... Many, many days spent where our primary activity { except for Tom.. his is golf and the lounging after} is lounging on the deck, popping hamburgers on the grill and drinking beverages for a treat... We really are on vacation here most of the time.. For many of you I know your circumstances are quite different as I lived and totally understand... Tom and I do not require travel as we have the wisdom that there is not a better place in the world to enjoy and take in vacation than right here at home...

" THE HOMELIEST TASKS GET BEAUTIFUL IF LOVING HANDS DO THEM"

Louisa May Alcott

For myself and Tom there seems to be none better than our outdoor life.... For you whom do not have the outdoor space, with the right frame of mind and desire to enjoy ... you can learn to sit on the front step and watch the world go by... Just add a little cush and sit yourself atop a lovely cushion or pillow... If you have a balcony.. use it... Spend a dreamy hour or so there. We all know that life isn't a picnic... but we can make it one by enjoying simple ways of expressing one's self.. Home is a place to create rich life's with texture... It is the warmth in our hearts that truly reflect our surrounding... Take time and put down you mop and broom and enjoy....