Happy Sunday, dear reader. Last week I shared a story that, yes, was more vulnerable and maybe even negative than usual. You know I like to keep to the sunny side of the street. But I felt it was important to let you know that I experience ups and downs just like the rest of you. My life, while blessed, is not perfect. Today I want to share a new perspective with you. I have had an ah-ha moment and a weight has been lifted.

And, as a special bonus, I’m excited to announce the launch of the Honey Good Boutique. It’s so much more than an online shop. It’s a community-driven space for women to inspire, empower, and find their inner dazzle. Read on and I will tell you all about it. But first, let me share the road that brought me there and inspired me.

A Tornado Spinning Out of Control

As a young mom, I heard what sounded like the roar of a train coming towards our home. I knew the sound. It was a tornado. I grabbed my children’s hands and hurried them into our garage’s crawlspace.

Until a few days ago, I felt like that tornado spinning and roaring out of control. Why? I can best describe the past year plus as a bittersweet journey. I had to learn to deal with an ill husband, a new lifestyle, and my pent-up emotions. After a year of daily worry and grief and new unpleasant experiences, I was spinning out of control.

I felt I had exceeded my limit of what I could swallow due to exhaustion and very little joy; the bitter—while I continued to be passionate about my love for my ultimate concierge and our future, the sweet.

Over the past year plus, I concentrated only on bitter problems and lost my footing on how to live our best life possible.

Notice that I said “our” and not “I.” I am my man’s woman. For 33 years, my man and I were a great team. He was the captain, and I was his first mate, and life was delicious. Like everyone, we faced our tragedies. Unlike some, we could handle ours because he was the yang, and I was his yin. We were a perfectly matched team. And, suddenly, the table turned. I became the captain, and he became the first mate.

An Ah-Ha Moment

Last week, on a long walk, I had one of my ah-ha moments. It came to me out of nowhere. I must have had subconscious thoughts going on in my mind.

With a sigh of relief, I accepted what I could not change. I accepted that I had done everything humanly possible for my ultimate concierge and I accepted the fact that it was time to look to our future and plan a charmed lifestyle. It was also time for me to coexist gracefully with the bitter and the sweet.

“I will invite adventure and be a frazzled, always razzled, and dazzled woman.” — Honey Good

Years ago, my ultimate concierge and I were invited, along with three other couples, to the hacienda of our friends in Mexico. At Sunday morning brunch, our host passed out a National Insurance exam. The host was the CEO of an insurance company, and for fun, he gave us the insurance exam to test our personality type. All of the men had Type-A personalities. One of my girlfriends was a Type-C, passive; the rest, including me, were Type B.

So you can understand why I am struggling with my new life. I miss my husband driving our car, so to speak. I depended on him, and now I have no choice but to learn to do what he did for us for 32 years. And it is hard, scary, and, at times, depressing.

I have learned a lot and I have a lot to learn. The best part of this story is that I want to learn.

I am a Whirling Dervish

Though, sometimes, I feel like the whirling dervish I watched dance in a restaurant where my ultimate concierge and I dined in Damascus, Syria. What a wonderful and fascinating evening we enjoyed with each other. The dervish swirled and whirled out of control as he danced among tables. He took my breath away! I was in awe as he danced in his multi-colored outfit. I am that whirling dervish today, though not in complete awe of my dance.

I used to be colorful, like the restaurant’s dervish. Now I have become overly annoyed with juggling doctor appointments, calling for prescriptions, attending doctor appointments, answering emails, dealing with various people, changing our homeowner’s policy. I’m forgetting my girlfriends, running a company, and making so many decisions instead of making plans with friends and giggling during phone conversations.

Instead of going to the theater and events with my ultimate concierge, traveling to a foreign country to learn new customs and meet people, having romantic dates at our favorite restaurant with my hubby, and making all of our decisions together, I feel I am going it alone.

There are no more dinner dates with friends, no more exotic travel at the drop of a hat, no more stimulating conversations between us, no more desire to shop till I drop, and my lists go on and on. I know I sound spoiled, but trust me when I tell you I was grateful when life was grand. Today, I am grateful for daily blessings, especially for having my husband.

Our lifestyle has pivoted, and I will find our place in this new, unexpected adventure. Yes, I call it an adventure because life is what you decide to make it. I want us to survive in the best manner possible.

Lean Into Your Circumstances

Regardless of age, many of you have periods that tip your sweet apple cart, too. Please wear your survival gear as you learn to walk your new path. One day, your goal, like mine, is to march like the buoyant drummer!

Sweet reader, examine your circumstances. Yours will be different from mine, but regardless, decide what to do slowly and methodically, and over time, you will have your ah-ha moment. Circumstances are never the same, but the action to survive with a positive outlook is.

I have been learning, without realizing it, to pivot into a new type of world with my ultimate concierge. It has taken me over a year to find myself.

Don’t Let Caregiving Dim Your Light: Discover Your Path to Renewed Happiness

My Answer Came to Me: Acceptance

Not long ago, I taxied over to my physical therapy haunt. After my session, I walked home—two and a half miles and 5,000+ steps. The morning sun and light breeze accompanied me.

I asked myself, “Why do I feel like a whirling dervish and a swirling tornado? Why am I overly annoyed and out of sorts?”

From out of nowhere, my answer came to me. I have spent over a year constantly dwelling over my husband’s illness. I have spent a year without expressing my pent-up feelings. And, I had been hoping, praying, and dreaming for over a year that my ultimate concierge would recover better than was expected. Ultimately, I put every resource as his disposal.

That morning, on my long walk home, I finally accepted reality. My ultimate concierge will not get better. On that lovely day, out of nowhere, I left grief and entered the phase of acceptance. My new hope is that he will remain stable.

Tears poured from my eyes like a downpour, and people stared. Acceptance began to set in on my walk, allowing me to think of our future and stop dwelling on his progress.

As the tears drenched my face, I felt a thousand-pound weight lift off my shoulders. I was about to enter a new chapter in our lives based on truth. From here on out, I will give up our mountain of the past and concentrate on a new type of scene. No more pretending, no more lying to myself. A calmness I had not felt in over a year returned.

Living Life In Divine Chapters

Last week, I texted my grandson, “Do what your heart tells you. You will be fine.”

I will do what my heart says, and I will be fine.

Over the past year, I lost sight of my needs and concentrated on my hubby’s. I am glad I did. It was my choice.

It is time to conserve my energy and factor in some downtime so I will not become overly annoyed. I will live our life in divine chapters, breathe, have fewer discomforts, prosper with new passions. I will be true to myself, accept certain things as they are, always be grateful for my blessings, continue to raise my awe and wonder, ask for what I want, and enlarge my world. Always, I will invite adventure and be a frazzled, always razzled, and dazzled woman!

After accepting this new chapter, I feel better equipped to focus on our positives. I feel empowered and uplifted. I will become a strong Type-A while keeping true to my Type-B qualities. And, I hope my choices will be uplifting because I have learned that worry and desperation hold women back. Once a woman accepts what she cannot change, she will be able to shift and focus on the positives.

The Honey Good Boutique

On another front, the Honey Good team and I have been working on opening the Honey Good Boutique. It began as my staff’s idea. Honestly, at first I was feeling unsure about the idea. Eventually, when the theme behind the boutique had substance, the idea of wearing and owning things with inspiring and empowering quotes, I got excited.

This boutique is for you because everything I do on Honey Good gives back to my community of women. After all, women need women.

I write authentic stories on topics for women. My book was written for grandmothers. My three free private Facebook groups for widows, estranged mothers, grandmothers, and a group to celebrate life are for you. And now, I have an online store for women.

My online store differs from other stores because every item will have an empowering saying. Every saying is a quote of mine, and every quote is with you in mind. My boutique is personal yet it speaks to who we all are. I would love nothing more than for you to feel empowered every time you wear your shirt. To know that each time that you lift your mug to your lips or sling your bag over your shoulder you are affirming who you are: A Queen Bee! I am very excited.

Behind all of my quotes is a message. My favorite quote is: “I am frazzled, razzled, and dazzled. Why?”

• Opportunity: Don’t miss an opportunity! So many women let their opportunity pass.
• Quality: Quality above quantity. We live in a world of excess. Live a quality life, and you will feel your dazzle.
• Hesitancy: Hesitancy is a no-no. If you have an opportunity that your heart tells you to grab, grab it! And, as I always say, you can figure it out later!
• Freedom: The human spirit of freedom. Do whatever it takes to be free. Pay off the loan. Go back to school. Take that dream trip. Breathe in fresh air and fresh thoughts.
• Bounce back: Everyone falls. Those women who bounce back live their best lives with dazzle.

Women Need Women: Let’s Embrace Our Community

As I reflect on this journey of self-discovery and resilience, I am filled with a newfound sense of gratitude and purpose. The challenges I’ve faced over the past year have shaped me in profound ways, teaching me the importance of acceptance, hope, and authenticity.

It is through this journey that I’ve realized my passion for creating a space where women can connect, support, and inspire each other. The Honey Good Boutique is more than just a store; it is a community. When you purchase something from my shop, you’re joining a movement of women who are embracing their strengths, overcoming challenges, and finding joy in the journey.

So, as you embark on your own journey, remember to be kind to yourself, embrace the bittersweet moments, and find strength in your resilience. Together, we can navigate life’s challenges with grace and emerge stronger, more empowered, and more connected than ever before.

The grand opening of the Honey Good Boutique is September 30th! However, as you, my dear Sunday Story readers, have been with me through these ups and downs, I am thrilled to offer you a VIP first look and throw open my virtual boutique doors to you. Click here and take a peek at the Honey Good Boutique.

I am smiling.

What would you like to see in my boutique? Please share with me in the comments!

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