I posted this photo on Instagram yesterday because the sun flooding into the kitchen was amazing.
I hear that we’re not supposed to post the same photos on Instagram that we post on our blogs. And then I roll my eyes because who made up that rule and how did he/she become an “expert?” I am reminded of one of my favorite movies, Gigi, and one of my favorite songs in that movie, sung by Maurice Chevalier: I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore.
And I am. By ‘young’ I mean my chronological age and also my blogging age. I’m coming up on 10 years as a blogger and I’ve reached that happy place where I simply don’t care what should and shouldn’t be done. I don’t care about followers and numbers and my brand, because I don’t have a brand and don’t want one. I will leave all of that to the younger and more energetic, bless them.
I’ve really been thinking about this a lot lately, both in terms of blogging and my professional work as a coach. And I’ve had talks about it with my best friend, Laural, and my husband. We’ve all reached that point in our professional lives where we’ve accomplished a great deal and are proud of our work. We no longer feel competitive. We don’t need to grab another rung on the ladder. We’re not retired, we’re all still working, so this isn’t about that. But we are accepting of who and what we are and, boy, is that a peaceful and wonderful feeling.
It took a while to get here but it was worth the wait.
Look! My parents’ sansevieria is going to flower again! There’s another budding stalk on the other side of the plant. Hello Mom and Dad. I know you’re here.
And I have a succulent baby. This one will take a while, but I’m cultivating patience.
The kitchen table has morphed from being a mail catch-all (still is) to a conservatory for some of my plants. I posted this on IG so that Don would see it and therefore have some warning before he arrives home on Sunday. Yes, Sunday. He thought he had shows on Sunday and was coming home on Monday until he learned differently yesterday.
His second recording session went well and he felt better about his voice. There will be some overdubbing done on all the vocals this week, but other than that, the cast album has been recorded. Everyone is now packing up their trunks (which will be picked up on Friday) and sending boxes home.
I, on the other hand, am dealing with the mundane: recycling and taking things to the dump. And running to the grocery store.
Happy Wednesday.
hooray for peace and contentment! hooray for blooming plants and signs of love from those we love! hooray for jumping jacks and another photo of your beautiful home! hooray for don singing on the soundtrack and getting home one day earlier than expected! hooray for recycling things! hooray! hooray! hooray!
kathy in iowa
Hooray! Hooray!
People follow you because of the person you are; you can make your own rules. Many of us have been following you since the beginning!
Ah, thank you, Carolyn Marie! You’ve made me smile this morning!
Isn’t it wonderful to reach the point of, “I am who I am now and I am totally OK with that”? Took me a while to get there as well. I, for one, am glad you include pix in the blog you put in IG because I’m not into IG at all. As a garden/wildlife photographer “affectionato” myself, I really enjoy looking at your photos.
Thank you, Kay. And yes, it is wonderful!
You mean there are rules out there in cyber land? Probably the same ‘committee’ that tells us what’s trending and what’s not, would be my guess! Your home is turning into this charming green house…I love it! I think plants add so much personality to a home. I have a special place in my dining room…that receives morning light…that is perfect for nurturing little plants. Happy to hear Don will be back home early…I bet you are delighted! ;)
Exactly. The ‘rules’ are geared toward bloggers that are trying to make a full-time living via social media. Thank goodness I’m not!
I agree about plants. Plants and books, in my opinion, make a room come alive.
Your plants are doing so well! It’s a good thing in the winter to have green inside. I too am not trying to prove anything to anyone. I am who I am and I’m proud of the woman I’ve grown to be. I can’t believe it’s almost Dec. Let the fun begin!
I’m proud of the woman you’ve grown to be!!
Hooray for baby succulents! My absolute favorite!
I love little baby plants. Succulents are fascinating because you can set the leaf on the soil and eventually a baby will pop up!
Claudia, your baby cactus is a bit farther than mine…mine is still just a leaf, but it’s plump and standing up, so I guess it’s still growing, albeit v e r y s l o w l y. It’s been almost a year! Love all photos of your cottage. I’m not on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, pinterest, etc etc. (Haha, I don’t know what the etc etc’ are, I’m in the complete dark about social media.) Find something fun and exciting at the grocery store!
Yes, mine is growing very, very slowly!
Yes! I’m happy that you are you and that I am me! No pretense necessary, if there ever was! Age-related contentment should happen to everybody.
It should – and far earlier! But I guess that’s part of the journey, right?
what is that old saying? an expert is a has-been know-it-all drip under pressure!
one of the problems with the world is … too many experts now on everything under the sun.
they are an odd group of animals. they tend to congregate in panels.
and they seem to enjoy talking over each other!
then there are the life coaches. experts on everything. and they have all written E-books.
the ones who amaze me are the 22 year olds who claim that distinction! not that a 22 yr old might not have gone through an entire lifetime of numerous problems in their young years.
there are always exceptions.
‘ I’m Glad I’m Not Young Anymore’ is one of my favorite songs from Gigi.
I can hear him singing it now!
kudos Claudia AND Maurice! it’s the secret of happiness! I hope it spreads!
Way too many experts and I agree about life coaches. Really? You’re going to coach me as to how to live my life? I’d rather make my mistakes, learn from them, and move forward. I see a lot of young coaches out there as well as young bloggers/instagrammers who are so-called experts as well. I just smile indulgently, thinking…”You have no idea yet.”
WHO said you shouldn’t use the same photos on a blog AND Instagram – or anywhere else? Do we have a name here? I wonder why – honestly. What do these so-called experts think people are doing? Going from a blog to Instagram to wherever else all day long? Worried we’d get tired of seeing the same things on each platform? PUH-LEEZ! I’ve got some news for the person that gave that lil nugget of advice. I have enough trouble keeping up with “my people” on a single platform – I don’t have the time to follow A all around the Internet. As it is, when I started reading blogs I quickly knew I was going to have to limit myself or I’d soon be doing nothing else but. Lots of things would suffer otherwise. So I follow you and one other person – and sometimes I check some cooking e-mails that arrive – always in search of the Perfect Recipe for ___. I’m betting that are literally 100s of blogs I’d love to read, but we just can’t do everything we want to do. It’s that simple. Glad you’re ignoring that nimnull piece of advice and doing exactly what you want to with your own blog. That’s definitely the best part of growing older – you finally figure out that it’s not worth it to constantly worry about what others think. I think Tina Fey said it best: “Do your thing and don’t care whether or not they like it…” Hope Don keeps feeling better. Peace.
#Resist
There are always so-called experts out there telling bloggers how to market their blogs or, now, their Instagram accounts. They claim to know all about it. But, in the end, after 10 years of this stuff, I just laugh. I think their advice is geared to much younger people than you and I, who live and thrive on all aspects of social media.
I like Tina Fey’s advice!
Hi Claudia, I love that your sanseveria is blooming, I didn’t know that they did. How much sun does it get? Mine is in a north window with blinds…and how often do you water and feed it! I have two in a year round beach cottage….I thought that they would do well there, not needing too much water or attention. On another note, your stove is just adorable, it makes me smile. xxoo
It sits in front of a eastern exposure, but the kitchen gets a lot of sun because there are windows on all sides. They don’t need much attention, that’s for sure. I water mine maybe once every 7 – 10 days in the spring and summer and every two weeks in the winter. It’s a succulent, so it retains water in its leaves. This plant was my parents and has survived at least three or four moves. I don’t think every sansevieria blooms. I was really surprised last year when it bloomed and Meredith told me her plant (also from my parents) bloomed as well. I thought it might be a fluke, but here we are again!
Once I realized that there were no more ladders I wanted to climb, and no more people I wanted or needed to impress in my job, I realized I could happily retire. I think there is a difference in people who say they “had to” retire (perhaps for their own or a loved ones health issues, etc.) and those who simply say they retired. Once you reach that point, I think it is an easy decision ~ or at least it was for me. I had lunch today with some former co-workers and we all agreed that we are oh-so-happy not to have work deadlines, reviews, and job stress any longer. But for those who are still happily working, I am happy for them, as well. I guess “happy” is the key word.
The picture of your kitchen made me smile. It has been a stressful news day (again), and seeing the sunshine and Stella was a happy moment. (There is that word again!!) Hope you had a happy Wednesday. I know you are looking forward to having Don sitting at that table with you again very soon!!
I’m still working, but certainly not full-time, which keeps me in the loop, but not frantic, if you know what I mean.
Unbelievably stressful news day. I had to take a bath and even then I had to talk myself down while I was trying to fall asleep.
Your kitchen looks amazing! Just beautiful.
Thank you so much, Betsy!
Your kitchen is lovely. The sun shining on it only emphasizes the loveliness.
Marilyn
I do love it when the sun shines brightly and lights up the room.
Claudia.
You have such wonderful, bright, light in your house. Such a blessing and I enjoyed seeing the photos of the kitchen and plants.
Mine, here in S. FL, built to keep cool (without AC) is so dark inside that I have to rotate house plants in and out to keep them healthy. Luckily houseplants here are also outdoor and landscaping plants. I think all of those shown in your kitchen would do fine here outside. Sanseverias are extremely invasive and I try to dig them all out, but they regrow from the smallest piece of root. There is a “moonlight” sanseveria that is pale and interesting. I have it if you’d like a baby.
Such a bright & adorable home!
My sister keeps her sansevieria outside on her patio, a perk of living in Florida.
Thanks so much, Cara!
So you and Don will finally be together at home in December. But what’s happening after December. What’s happening with Margaritaville?
It’s going to Broadway next year. They have 6 weeks off and then they start rehearsals in NYC. Previews start in February. It opens in March.
Wow, you guys are really in a period where you’ve got some steady employment and, think of it, you’re retirement-age, so I think the two of you are amazing! Does that get tricky if you’re both on Social Security and just how much money you can make once you’re getting those regular gov’t disbursements? My husband is looking into that now…I think we need to talk to an accountant…is this too personal to bring up? I wonder if it’s hitting quite a lot of boomers who keep reinventing themselves after 60…we’re definitely a different generation from what’s come before!
Social Security will stop payments if you pass a certain level of income. It’s just temporary. Once your income goes back to a lower level, they resume again.
I loved Maurice…such a sweet French gentleman…
Me too.