I love Thanksgiving! It’s the one holiday that’s “mine”, and I really get into it! The tables, the linens, the food, the specialty cocktail – one creative joy after another. I do turkey, stuffing, potatoes, gravy. Others do side-dishes and pumpkin pie. But this year, for one good reason or another, the declines kept rolling in. I expected twenty , we’re down to four. I’m in a pickle. A Pumpkin Pie Pickle.

At first, I started looking at last-minute flights to see our kids. Go somewhere, like “she just flew the coop!”

Life inevitably brings unexpected changes. People move, families break up, loved ones get sick or pass away. Homes are destroyed. Unexpected events can be disheartening. Unmet expectations bring disappointment. Change can be challenging.

I think I’ll make a pumpkin pie. Add a small turkey, some stuffing, potatoes, sides, a specialty cocktail. Set the table with all the best linens.

This Thanksgiving will be bittersweet. Pumpkin Pie, with a Pickle. And it will be perfect!

The lease is up on my car, and I’m torn. I love the car! It has all the features I like. Do I re-up/renew the lease for a newer one, or return it?

Maybe it’s a season-in- life decision. If we only have 100 years to live, I’m in the 3rd quarter.  Leasing’s fun and carefree – use a car a while, get a new one.  Endless possibilities!  Re-everything = limitless living.

But then I find myself thinking “How many years left to work? Buy a car, own it, be done!”   Am I ready to commit to ending some things?

Life’s full of dilemmas like this, when we must choose between two good things. Release or Retain? Resolve or Retreat? Remain or Resign? Recreate or Replace? Neither is good nor bad. We evaluate, re- evaluate, make our decision.

The salesman showed me the new, revised model. I loved it, wanted it, and was willing to pay the price. I relinquished my car, re-upped the lease, and I’m re-inspired by the pure fun of driving! No regrets.

…but it may be the last time! Just saying.

Twenty “re” words in this post, not counting “ready”. Re-diculous:

I teach “lift” in my gym classes. Athletes, dancers, even horses do this, to distribute weight upward and move more efficiently. Lift the ribcage and shoulders. Lift the legs when walking, running, biking. By lifting, we create space for more fluid, quality movement. Lifting this way also protects the body, and improves appearance. Perhaps even attitude.

We lift burdens by providing practical help to people in need. We lift spirits with encouraging words. We lift our hands and heart to receive wisdom, help, encouragement, or give praise.

My sister Virginia’s spirit is lifted since retiring from a 35-year, goal-driven yet rewarding career. “To spontaneously jump in my car, take a walk on the coast, go to yoga class (without skidding in!), sit on my porch and feel the warm sun, have a conversation without feeling rushed, has been one of the best things/blessings in my life.” That’s lift.

Lift has many meanings, but they’re all kind of the same: Re-distribute the weight, move spirits upward, raise to a higher position. Lifting protects and improves our lives, our attitudes, and makes space for more quality and joy.

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Lately I’ve been a slave to my timer! Here’s why: I have difficulty focusing without distraction.So, I evaluate a task, guess how long it will take, set the timer, and begin. Works most of the time (pun intended), but often I’m interrupted and don’t finish on-time. Then I’m hard on myself. I do the exact same thing with deadlines on my calendar.

But invariably the interruptions are from people. And we all know people are more important than tasks.

So, I’m resolving to be real about time and deadlines. Not be rigid about time and myself. And to allow creativity, love and abundance to flow more organically in my life.
But I’m still gonna use my timer for “5-minute makeup” and “5-minute hair”. Just saying.