It seems every day starts out the same and continues along a similar path and ends in the same way. When did my life get to be so quiet and predictable? Was it when I retired, when I moved into a room in someone else’s home, when the COVID pandemic took over the world? I am not sure, maybe it was a combination of all those things. I have been creating a new life for myself ever since I made the move back to Ontario just as I did when I made the move to British Columbia. There is a certain comfort in having a daily routine that is predictable and constant no matter what else is happening in the world around me. As I age and become more and more forgetful it is also necessary to maintain a certain routine to ensure that I remember the important things that are medically necessary for my health and wellbeing. I used to think of the type of life I live now as boring and needing more activity, more social interaction, more problems to solve. I would seek out problems or create them just to have something for my mind to work on. Often the problems were externally driven through my work or relationships with friends and family. I loved watching drama on television and courtroom law shows that had a specific case that was being solved.

Now I look more for cultural shows –music, art, performance. I want to be entertained in a different way. I look for documentaries that will expand my world view and give me insight into those things I have never and will never experience in this lifetime. I am interested in travel shows, biographies, national geographic nature shows. The world is changing so rapidly and my grandchildren are growing up in a world that is driven by technology, natural disasters, health crisis and a human race that is influenced by such extreme points of view about how to live together that there is a sharper than ever visible divide that separates us from one another. I hope for a world that is kinder, more respectful and more responsible for how we treat one another. Why are so many people dealing with issues related to trauma than ever before?

Every day that I am blessed to live my life I am grateful for the time I have been given and want to use it to bring more love into this world. How do I do that? One day, one person at a time. I begin by being gracious and compassionate toward myself and then in turn to all whom I encounter. I make a conscious effort to speak with words of encouragement, gratitude, and kindness and when I am angry or sad or down in the dumps I give voice to whatever is bothering me in ways that do no harm. Self-talk is where it all begins. When we are kind to ourselves and recognize the truth about our own shortcomings as well as our strengths and honour them both equally then we can be with others in a more loving way. We speak and act from a centre core that is ultimately loving and kind toward all life no matter what form it takes.

I started out writing this piece because I was bored and needed something to do, to write about. I am having an ordinary day taking care of my body and my home and somehow that is not enough right now. I want to do or be more in this world. What does that look like? When I watch my daughter and her family and all they are busy doing I remember when I was a young mother. Now I am a grandmother, single, living in a room in someone’s home and doing my best to get through each day and find ways to enjoy my space. I am learning to use my creative energy to produce works of art and writing such as this. I am using my interest and knowledge of nutrition to prepare food that is both healthy and tasty. It is the simplest things in life that seem to give me the most pleasure each day.

After decades of being an adult who did not know how to play I am learning and practicing playing as much as possible. One of the joys of being a grandparent is having young children to play with. My grandchildren are still young enough to be free spirited. Those days of being self-conscious and not wanting to be silly any more will come. For now I am taking their lead and being a free spirit. We do art together, go for nature walks, chase butterflies, look at beautiful flowers and eat Jello. One of the few things I indulge my own inner child with when it comes to food. Something about Jello, for me, is just so fun to eat.

So a day in my life is less about problem solving and more about finding joy in the simple things of life, appreciating the body I have that allows me to be active, being grateful for the mind that is filled with wonder and curiosity, and honouring the Spirit that is uniquely mine while seeing others in the same light through a loving heart. I am contented to be exactly who and where I am. Living a very simple life one day at a time.