Roseanne Amoils
I just got back from visiting my parents in Dallas where I spent my teenage years. Now that my mom can no longer travel (advanced Alzheimer’s – a story for another day), I find myself there quite often and have started to re connect with friends from high school and college some of whom I haven’t seen or spoken to in ‘half a life.’ What’s refreshing is that we’re all still the same but more? Not just older; but wiser and more experienced.
Take Brenda who still has the same laugh and infectious enthusiasm. We went on a teen tour to Israel in the summer of 1978 where along with 30+ other teenagers camped in the Sinai desert brushing our teeth together at the Bedouin camp site on the shores of the Red Sea, hiked to the top of Masada at sunrise, and prayed at the wailing wall. Fast forward 30 plus years to hear about her thriving speech therapy practice and plans for her son’s Bar Mitzvah.
It’s a great confidence booster to spend time with old friends because they remember the good things we forget. In my travels back to the past, I’m reminded of what I used to do for fun and what I accomplished before becoming a multi-tasking mom. Remember when you had the time to do what you really wanted and do it well without worrying about cramming it between school drop off/pick up or during lunch at the office?! Being back in Dallas with my parents and old friends, without my husband or kids, helps me re-connect with my former self.
As I sit on the plane going home contemplating my reality — multi-tasking mom of two school-aged children running a coaching business between drop off and pick up — I’m mulling over what can be different this year. How can I do more of what’s important to me without sacrificing the needs of my husband, kids, dog, and house too much?
Using my coaching skills – why is it we women can give great advice to others but not so often listen to our own words for ourselves — here’s what I have in mind:
* A self renewal retreat every 90 days to reconnect with my life purpose and immediate goals
* Monthly gathering with friends just for fun
* A set weekly exercise schedule for my achy bones that scream for a good stretch every morning when I hit the ground running to everywhere but the gym.
How about you? Let me know how you’re faring at roseanne@whatsnextclub.com. What you share may inspire a future submission to BA50.com.