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How to Aspire in Today’s COVID-19 World

Life Has Changed as We Know It!

In today’s world, more than ever, you have to orchestrate your own harmonious circumstances. Creating a productive lifestyle in these abnormal times puts you to the test. So, you have to pull out all your mental ammunition, because there is no tooth fairy to assist you. You must aspire to do things you know you should be doing or dreamed of doing.

Life as you know it has changed dramatically in Elsewhere, the name I invented that describes how you feel about the world you are forced to live in. Can you remember a time you were worried about dying from a virus? Or forgetting your mask at home!?! Personally I worry about my building that is all boarded-up coming under attack by violent protestors! This is insanity.

So, what do I do so I don’t have an anxiety attack or a meltdown? I do not listen to television which is not honest news anymore. Instead, I am productive and proactive of my sanity. I play music.

Peace and Serenity

When life was as you knew it before, you were probably complaining that you had no peace or serenity. You were stressed to the nines and frantically running here and there or packing for a trip to visit the children or flying or cruising off to some far and dramatic place in the world. Maybe you were upset you smudged your weekly manicure and, and, and…

Well, now you have plenty of time to regain your sanity because you have no place to go and plenty of time to think! So, determine how to be productive at home. Chill out, Darling! Get focused. And aspire… don’t retire.

I Received a Note Today From a Woman Who Aspires…

“This flower arranging video is just what I needed today. I didn’t have a frog to keep my arrangement in place. I had forgotten all about chicken wire and tape. My flowers are falling over from the wind and rain. I love bringing them inside and making arrangements to enjoy throughout the week.

Honey, I have been following you for over a year, but this is my first time leaving a comment. I wanted to send a picture of my arrangement but didn’t know how.”

I wrote her back and gave her suggestions on how she can send in a photo and I feel certain I will hear from her. She was proactive after she watched the video. No magic wand. No magic assistance. She aspired and she desired and created her arrangement and wrote to me for the first time and made herself very happy.

I Have a Productive Idea For You

I grew up in a large family in a small town, Kankakee by the Sea. My grandfather had five sons who produced fourteen grandchildren. From the time I was a small child, I was very proud to be a part of this family of mine and I am to this day.

My cousins and I left Kankakee by the Sea, except for my cousin, David, who is holding down the fort, so to speak. We are scattered here there and everywhere and as far away as Israel. There are four doctors, three authors, two attorneys, one significant artist, teachers, and a few who also plant significant gardens. Everyone has families and are married or have significant others. Each of my cousins is very interesting and their lives are so varied and very productive.

How do I know? WE ZOOMED AS A FAMILY!

How We Aspired to Meet on Zoom

One month ago we all received an email from my cousin, Michael. He suggested we have a family reunion on Zoom. And, we did just that, Darling. And, it was so heartwarming and I felt such a sense of bonding with my cousins, some of whom I have not seen in years. We told our story in short form and we are meeting again on June 20th to continue where we left off. After our next Zoom, we plan on inviting our spouses. We have reunited and I love the feeling of reconnecting.

Our meetup would not have happened if we were living in the real world. Where else but in Elsewhere would we have learned to Zoom! Nowhere. Because of Michael and Zoom, we have reunited and we are all so happy to have this feeling of reconnection.

Darling, this may be a grand opportunity to bring your extended family together to have a Zoom reunion.

A Time For Reflection

This is a time to simply be and take time out to reflect.

Are you restless? If you miss traveling, you can read about the places you want to visit or you can take a course in a foreign language. You can gather your extended family on Zoom and travel back in time to revisit your heritage.

This is a time to replace bad habits with constructive habits. Discipline.

“I wish I was far more disciplined,” you hear yourself say. This is the time to force discipline into your life. For example; Floss every day. Brush your pooch every other day. Work out daily on your treadmill or take a walk. Plant a garden. Why?

When you discipline yourself you experience the combined feelings of calm and achievement. When you discipline yourself you feel organized and efficient. This is a time to take on new projects that you have been putting on the back burner, some to your liking, and some because you procrastinated.

Helping My Family to Aspire!

This is a time to have a heart-to-heart conversation with your children and grandchildren. Over the past few months, I helped my grandson Joe decorate his apartment through texting and phone calls. He sent me photos of his wood floors, we discussed his favorite colors and made a color scheme. I sent him photos of the colors from our condo to give him an idea of what his color scheme would look like. A few days ago I received photos of his completed apartment! You can do this type or any type of project with those you love, too.

My grandson Scott called a few days ago. “Hey Honey, I want to tell you about my new business. Do you have time to listen?” He ran every detail by me. I was so impressed. Our sharing continues to bond our relationship.

My daughter Jenny and I texted and spoke several times. She is an artist, is designing gorgeous masks and setting up a website. I helped her.

My granddaughter Skylar fell in love with baking and we talked about cookbooks and bread machines. I could go down the list.

Aspire, Darling!

You can do what I am doing and many of you probably are. It is very productive and satisfying, giving to your family.

And, please be good to yourself. Aspire, darling. Don’t use the excuse of living in Elsewhere to deter your goals. Even Elsewhere has worth.

Ask yourself, what are you taking away from this long experience?

Have you learned a new degree of patience? Are you better at persevering? And, are you open to speaking out against what you do not like? Are you wiser because you have had the time to learn new skills, read great books? Are you closer to your family? Have you learned to accept what is happening?

Please reread the last paragraph. I feel certain you will agree that your time in Elsewhere has had some pluses because there are always positives that come out of negative situations. There is no perfection.

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June 9, 2020

Passages After 50

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  1. patricia nisenholz says:

    Good morning Honey~
    Over here in HP.. we have a weekly FAMILY zoom.. This began with cousins from NJ.. RI.. NY, Tenn. Chicagoland and our UK cousins. In the beginning, the younger generation joined us.. but I think we became boring to them!! This has now expanded to include cousins from California, Israel, Scotland. It has been fascinating to learn about one another, listen to US cousins rewrite history :).. learn about the history of the family ~ This past Sunday we celebrated a birthDAY of one of the UK cousins.. wth signs etc. It has become the highlight of our “sheltering in place” ! (I do have a couple of pics if you want to see.
    Glad you are doing well.

    • Susan "Honey" Good says:

      How exciting! And, birthdays!! I will bring that up when we next meet.I may do this with my grandchildren. Send photos. I am happy for you. Do you belong to my private Facebook group? I just started it and it is great. Today we have a Zoom on Books. We meet every Wednesday at 4:00pm Central time, 2:00pm Pacific time, 5:00pm Eastern. The group is GRANDwomen with Moxie…where loneliness disappears. I would love to have you. The women are lovely. Maybe some of your relatives might want to join and Zoom with us. The group on Zoom is small. We are setting up sub groups of interest now. I believe women need women. Think about it. We have one woman on Zoom from Portugal. And, I think another is coming today from Australia. Warmly, Honey

  2. Justine Clark says:

    Thank you, Honey, for your honest fears, and how to overcome them!

    We have an old adage, from thrifty people many decades ago. “ Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without “!

    While I feel no fear of violence, as I live in the country, in the middle of the woods, I know that things could come to that! I trust God with my life, and pray!

    Your words of encouragement are very much appreciated! ❤️

    • Susan "Honey" Good says:

      Enjoy the silence of the day. Enjoy nature. Thank you for your saying and your appreciation. God Bless. Warmly, Honey

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