Life Without A Manual 2023

YOU GUYS!

I FOUND IT!

LOOK!

I FOUND THE MANUAL!

FINALLY!

All of my questions have now been answered, and if whatever else comes my way, I have THE MANUAL I need to tell me exactly what I need to do and everything I need to know about life.

APRIL FOOL!

I wish! Wouldn’t it be nice to have that manual on one of my many bookshelves? A guide to tell me how to tackle everything on my to-do list and live my best life?

Nope. Sorry. 😉 ,

The only thing I realized today is how much I still need that elusive manual, and the reasons seem to change with every passing year. When I launched this blog, “Life Without A Manual,” several years ago, my kids were in middle school and high school. I needed a manual for parenting teenagers, and since the “What to Expect” book series ended in the toddler years, I knew I was screwed. Thankfully, blogging allowed me to share my experiences with you, and in return, you gave me all the advice and support I needed.

Now – eight years later – my kids are young adults. They are away at college and are starting their own lives. One is graduating next month. (YIKES!). The other is just starting out in his college career. They still need me but in very different ways than before. And now, I can focus on my roles as a wife, an empty nester, a dog mom, and a member of the sandwich generation. I have a full-time job, and I’m writing a book on the side. Life is just as busy as it was when the kids were living here, and while I love this stage, a manual would still be helpful.

For example, where does my time go? I’ve got a lot of priorities and not enough hours in the day to attend to all of them. There are some days when I feel incredibly productive and others where I can’t seem to get it together. And although I know it isn’t true, it feels like everyone else gets more done than me in the same amount of time each day. What is their secret?!

Another question I’d like to answer is what I want to do with this next phase of my life. There is so much I still want to see and accomplish, and now that I’m over 50, I hear the clock ticking. I’ve never been to Europe – except for Greece, where I went on my honeymoon. Even then, I don’t think we saw as much of it as we would have liked. 😉 I keep telling my husband that this is the decade to do it while we have our health and the means to do it. He agrees, so it’s just a matter of when. Time to start planning!

Finally, how can I stay as healthy as possible for as long as possible? I know there is no shortcut to good health, but I’d like to find more enjoyable ways to do it and have it become an integral part of my life and not feel like another job. I want to live long enough to see my kids succeed in their chosen fields. I’d also like to become a published author and work toward that daily. And should I be so blessed, I want to meet my grandchildren and have a relationship with them. I’m not sure if that’s possible, but I hope to figure it out.

So, until I find THE MANUAL that gives me all the answers, I’m here processing everything through my writing and sharing those experiences with you. Comments welcome. Join me, won’t you?

One last thing, if you are new here and would like to read the origin story behind my blog’s name, it’s a good one – click here.

XO,
Elisa