Showing posts with label challenges. Show all posts
Showing posts with label challenges. Show all posts

Sunday, December 31, 2023

End of the Year Thoughts and Challenges



New Year's Eve is here! It is a time for figuring out where I am in this life of mine. It is a time consuming thought process. I spend time reading and researching online how I am supposed to feel or live at my age now. Honestly, I don't feel old even though I have trouble walking due to both of my knees. It has been a long road for me from living a modern homesteading life to where I am now. Yes, there are days I miss it and my horses and especially my cats. I had to accept it and move on. There are things I was expecting when moving here that did not work out the way I pictured. Yet life goes on and I have to accept it or just give up. Giving up is not something I can do. I still have a bunny rabbit and a disabled son to worry about and live for. I am living by my newest motto which is "Never too late". 




When you finally have the time to work on yourself things start to change in your life. I am sure if I didn't have so many things to do, my day to day life would drag on. Instead the days go by so fast I say, "Hey hold on day, I have more things to do!" I can easily get caught up in one project for hours and not get anything else done. It doesn't really matter since I now have the time. There are certain things that must be done at certain times and that is of course, household or pet related chores. Simple household chores take me longer than when I was younger. I accept that fact and just do them. I tried to have an aide assist me but that didn't work out. Besides I believe it is good for me to do these physical chores myself while I can. I take many breaks.




One mistake I was making was searching for "home decor for senior citizens" or "single senior women's lifestyles". Why should it matter how old I am or whether I am single or a woman?  I am a person and if a young person's style appeals to me that is all that should matter. I have changed my way of thinking since then. My home decor style has changed over the years but not due to my age or the fact that I am now single. One thing that stays constant with me is colors. I will always love bright colors. The only reason my age figures into my home design is because I use a walker. So I need room for it getting from place to place. My mobility chair is kept in the bathroom so I don't use that throughout my whole apartment. Just from the bathroom to the door. 




Learning new things is another activity in my life that keeps me going forward instead of just breathing. As I figure out the turns my life takes on I almost always learn something new. I have always loved to cook and even though I am alone here I still like to create recipes of my own. Since I follow the keto lifestyle, I like to get recipes out of my old cookbooks and change the ingredients to keto (low carbs, higher fat). The other new thing I am working on and believe me,,,,,,,,,,,,it taxis my brain! The Linux operating system in my computers. I was thinking of taking a course in it but have found some good YouTube videos on it. When I am working on that I cannot be interrupted at all. I turn the sign on my door to out. 




One thing I have learned is to not think of myself as old. I am older, yes. But there are many more people who are a lot older than me. Knowing people of all ages will show you that your age does not define who you are. So I accept that and live for today and will worry about tomorrow when it gets here. I wish you all a very Happy New Year! 




Copyright © 2023 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2023  Kathleen G. Lupole

Thursday, March 19, 2015

Rabbit Loves A Challenge

Rabbit

I wrote in my previous posts about our pet rabbit. I learn from him (and all my pets actually) every day (I call it  Pet Lessons.). He loves a challenge! He will keep at something over and over until he accomplishes it. Many people don't do that. Rabbit hated the bathroom being blocked off from him. I had put a board in front of the door (that I thought he couldn't jump over.......silly me!) and he kept sizing it up for a jump. Soon he was over it and I took the board down. One challenge over, time for a new one.

Working with Rabbit

Our stairs are pretty steep in our house. Sometimes, I can't go up them due to my bad knees. I never pictured Rabbit going up and down the stairs. Soon he was halfway up. A few days later, he was all the way up. He hasn't gone back up there, but I think when my husband moves his studio up there, Rabbit will up there a lot more. He likes to lay near my husband's feet (like a dog does) when he is on the computer. The thing I learned is to never give up. This little guy has been through a lot in his short life. Does it hold him back? Nope. He does what he must to accomplish whatever he is trying to do.


Jumping Down

The day before yesterday, Rabbit had a new goal. He wanted to jump onto my husband's lap while he was on the computer. He tried twice, but fell. Both times my husband wasn't paying attention to him and wasn't able to help him. Rabbit kept at it until he jumped right up on his lap. He bumped his head on the desk, but he was very happy to have made it. After that, he concentrated on the jump down. He didn't want my husband to put him down. He had to do it himself. Then it was up and down a few times that day. His day yesterday, was a whole other story which I will share soon.






Copyright © 2015 Kathleen G. Lupole
All Photographs Copyright © 2015 Kathleen G. Lupole