Welcome to My NEXT Chapter
Well…I’ve decided to join the ranks of so many others before me and start a blog.
For years, family and friends have asked for updates on our home renovations, gardens, craft projects, and the many adventures that seem to find their way into our lives. Rather than sending photos here, stories there, and trying to remember who I’ve updated, I thought, “Why not create one place to share it all?”
This blog will be exactly that—a place to celebrate our home, our gardens, creative projects, and the little moments that make everyday life so rewarding. It will also be my creative outlet, my journal, and perhaps a way to organize the endless ideas floating around in my head.
Most importantly, this blog marks the beginning of the biggest change in my life.
My NEXT
After many years in the professional world, I’ve retired. Even writing those words still feels a little surreal.
For most of my career, I worked as a Regional Operations Manager in the veterinary industry. Anyone who has worked in leadership—especially where people and animals are involved—knows every day begins with the best intentions.
The plan usually looked something like this:
• Review today’s priorities.
• Work through the to-do list.
• Meet project deadlines.
• Solve a few problems.
• Move on to the NEXT thing.
Simple…at least on paper.
Then reality would arrive.
The phone would ring.
A text message would pop up.
An email would land in my inbox.
Suddenly the day became something completely different.
Maybe it was:
• A brilliant new opportunity.
• An unexpected staffing issue.
• Equipment that suddenly stopped working.
• A leaking roof.
• Or one of a hundred other surprises that couldn’t wait until tomorrow.
Some days I’d proudly cross half the list off. Other days I’d rewrite the entire list before lunch.
That became my normal.
Always planning.
Always solving.
Always moving on to the NEXT.
When "NEXT" Followed Me Home
Without realizing it, I brought that same mindset home.
Gardening became another project.
Painting a room became another task.
A sewing project became something to finish quickly before moving on.
Even relaxing somehow became something to accomplish.
Instead of enjoying the process, I found myself rushing toward the finish line.
I was checking boxes rather than appreciating the journey.
Somewhere along the way, the simple pace I used to love quietly disappeared beneath years of achieving and doing.
Thankfully, someone kept reminding me (My husband, Mike) :
“We have a home we don’t need a vacation from.”
Those words couldn’t be more true.
Our home isn’t another project.
It’s our haven.
It’s where we’re happiest.
It’s already enough.
The Question Everyone Asks
As retirement approached, everyone seemed to ask the very same question.
“So…what are you going to do next?”
It sounds innocent enough.
- But after decades in management, my first instinct was exactly what you’d expect.
- Make a list.
- Create a plan.
- Organize the projects.
- Schedule the activities.
- Measure the progress.
Thankfully, another voice spoke up.
A quieter but stronger one.
One that had been waiting patiently beneath all those years of calendars and deadlines.
It whispered: “Maybe you don’t need another list.”
What I had really been missing wasn’t more things to do. It was the freedom to choose my own pace.
Learning a Different Rhythm
So yes, I do have plans.
I want to read books that have been patiently waiting on my shelves.
Sleep in without feeling guilty.
Take long walks.
Travel.
Spend hours in the garden without worrying about what comes next.
Start craft projects simply because they sound fun.
Share more time with family, friends, and our pets. Watch the seasons change.
Learn new hobbies. Finish old ones. Or perhaps not finish them at all.
Some days I may accomplish a great deal.
Other days I may simply sit with a cup of coffee and admire the flowers.
I’m learning that both kinds of days are equally valuable.
For perhaps the first time in a very long time, I don’t want every morning to begin with a checklist.
I want it to begin with curiosity.
What You'll Find Here
This blog is about more than retirement.
It’s about rediscovering a slower, richer way of living.
Along the way I’ll be sharing:
• Home projects—both the successes and the “what was I thinking?” moments.
• Garden adventures through every season.
• Craft projects, creative ideas, and new hobbies.
• Travel stories and little day trips.
• Life with our pets.
• Lessons I’m learning about slowing down.
• Reflections on the years that brought me here.
• And the everyday joys that often go unnoticed when life moves too fast.
There may be beautiful gardens.
There will almost certainly be dirt under my fingernails.
There will be unfinished projects, plenty of laughter, and probably a few mistakes along the way.
Here's to What's NEXT
If retirement has taught me one thing already, it’s this:
The next chapter isn’t about doing more.
It’s about noticing more.
It’s about replacing deadlines with seasons, rushing with wandering, and checking boxes with creating memories.
So, whether you’ve joined me because you’re family, a friend, another gardener, a fellow crafter, or simply someone looking for a little inspiration to slow down, I’m so glad you’re here.
Thank you for stopping by.
I hope you’ll grab a cup of tea (or coffee!), settle in, and join me as I discover what this NEXT chapter has in store.
After all…
Sometimes the best adventures begin when there’s finally nowhere else you have to be.
