Spring Cleaning and New Beginnings

                   



I really need to tackle my closet...I have shoes parading all across the floor, too small clothes piled in a corner to give away, and purses and other stuff piled on the shelves every which way.  I find myself wearing the same stuff all the time cause I can't find what I want so I just grab what's closest and shut the door.

We moved here a little over a year ago from Scottsdale, Arizona and I still have boxes to be unpacked and we won't even mention the state the garage is in.

So you can see I find it very hard to do "spring cleaning" but since I'm retired I figure I have the whole year to get it done.

But there is one area that I do love to work in, and that's my yard and garden.  I have been busy cleaning out and de-weeding flower beds and putting in new plants.  Coming from Arizona where my garden consisted of three rose bushes that I babied constantly and sometimes grass, Florida is so green and things grow here.  I've learned the difference between annuals and perennials and also made the acquaintance of red ants...ouch....It just shows that you are never too old to learn something new.  I love planting flowers as well as herbs, tomatoes, and jalapeños.  There is something innately satisfying about playing in the dirt and then later eating the fruits of your labors.  I spend a lot of time on my patio enjoying the sight and smell of the flowers I've planted and that is where I do most of my deep thinking, and this is where I made the jump from new beginnings of my flowers and plants to the new beginnings in my life.

Let's start at the beginning.  When I married nearly 50 years ago I started a beginning of a marriage with all its ups and downs, highs and lows, compromises and growth.  I learned.  Next I started a beginning of being a Mom.  No playbook was given so I loved and trusted my instincts to protect these babies and to give them all I had.  At times it was hard but there were many more joyful times.  I learned.  Then I became a teacher of "littles", pre-k and kinder.  I loved my little people and enjoyed collaborating with other women.  I learned.  Next came being a grandma, one of the greatest joys in my life and the love I feel for them is unlike anything I have ever felt.  I learned.  Then came retirement and I had to share days that used to be my own with my husband and have some around all the time.  I learned.

Now I am at another beginning, trying to build a life here in Florida.  We moved here to be close to daughters and grandchildren and I love that part.  I can watch them grow and mature into great and wonderful people.  I love my new home and enjoy decorating and gardening.  I love spending time with my husband and exploring new places to visit and eat.  I love being an annual pass holder at Disney and just taking off for the day.  But I miss my friends of 40+ years and my church family where my girls were baptized, received sacraments and were married and even went to school.  I miss my neighbors and people I worked with.  I miss lunches with girlfriends and cards with other couples.
It's hard to make new friends at my age or find other couples with the same interests we do.  It's easy when you're young and have small children, or kids in school.  It's a lot harder when your "mature" and living in a new place.  Any suggestions would be welcome cause I'm trying to learn.

Something to think about:

What beginning am I in now?
What have I learned from my past beginnings?

And yes, I am still trying to learn how to put pictures on here.