Charlotte, I hope that you and your daughter are doing well. Even though we sold out boat SV Changes and are not cruising, I’m still a member of WWS and joined when there were 300 of us. The pandemic and life as we’ve gotten older has made us not buy a new boat. I hope there comes a time when you feel up to writing again, but understand that you and your family are the first priority. Social media has not always been kind to you (understatement right??) but hope that changes in the future.
Hi Charlotte, I am new to WWS. I'm still learning how to navigate this. I am interested in working with you and the other women on the leadership level. Please call me at (802) 377-9417 or send a message back, I'd love to talk more. Thank you! Heidi
I myself has been experiencing a lot of emotions since the start of the pandemic like everyone else. Disbelief, fear, worry, loneliness from losing a 67 year old brother to Covid 19 at the beginning of the pandemic, our decision to isolate ourselves from other people including close friends to protect us from catching the virus. Although my husband and I , including our 2 adult sons, have been fully vaccinated early on, there is always a paranoia of catching the virus from other people we get exposed to, in spite of following all the safety protocols.
A little background of myself before the pandemic started, I have been off from work as a Registered Nurse since early October , 2018 due to my knee problems and ended up having a double Total Knee Replacement surgery in 2019, 8 months apart, finished the rehab but the recovery took longer than I anticipated, which bumped my retirement 2 years earlier than planned.So I retired soon after I turned 65 this year in June. It's a total change of lifestyle, mostly good , especially the part where I don't have to get up early to go to work, but part of me is missing the routine as a working person....My moods have been all over the place, stopped seeing my old psychiatrist and luckily I found a better one in Feb. of this year....Been dealing with anxiety/panic attacks, depression on and off all my life since I was 10 years old. Have tried all kinds of anti depressants but most of them made me groggy and have brain fog, until the doctor found the right combination for me 5 years ago....
Now that I have all the time in the world to focus on one of my passions, which is writing, aside from my daily journals, it's not as easy as I thought to write regularly when my mind is all over the place and my mood is still kind of fluctuating between gratitude/happiness to feeling sad and guilty for not being actively working as a nurse to help in this pandemic.....My family reassured me that after 43 years of working as a nurse and helping a lot of people, I deserve this retirement to enjoy life and do what I've always wanted to do that I couldn't do when I was still working.....
Am one of your biggest fan, and am always amazed and inspired by your strength and your ability to deal with all kinds of challenges in your life, I will always be pulling for you to succeed in all your endeavors and survive whatever obstacles come your way like you always do. Can't wait to buy your book or is it available already? I was star struck when I attended your Zoom meeting when you rehearsed your public speaking about your life story, which you did very well I might add......I miss reading your posts on social media but I understand your desire and need to take a break and I'm so happy to have found this newsletter because you are my idol, a good role model for all women of all ages,race, etc. a good wife and a good mother to your 2 wonderful daughters, and a very good writer! We will always be here to support you and all your works. Thank you for the inspiration!!
My experience of massive change--whether it's desired, unwanted, or out-of-the-blue-what-the-hell-just-happened—is that it sends my mind berserk trying to make sense of it. As a mom, my instinct is to fix things.
What I've learned is that it's my mind that wants to fix. It's in charge of executive function-- analysis, evaluation, counting, comparing, categorization, planning, etc. That's what it does. And when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
My mind is crap at emotion. It has been known to actively undermine what my heart wants. (This is when I start yelling like a four-year-old, "You're not the boss of me!" ) So, thank you for these tools to describe emotions. Maybe they'll give my heart and gut more street cred.
What buoys me these days is authenticity, the willingness to share humanity and vulnerability.
"I’m trying to allow myself some grace in what feels like a total creativity vacuum right now too because things have been hard."
I may not have experienced what you are going through, but I understand hard. I spent eight months of the past year in lockdowns in two foreign countries. My first mate died and I nearly lost my boat. What's important is to not feel isolated. You aren't alone either.
Yes. Yes. Yes. You captured it all so well. I don’t have a day job outside of family and home tasks, but I also feel that pull to do more again now that things are “better” than they’ve been. But the exhaustion brought on by just doing a few small things is unbelievable. It’s a new time and space for mental health - for ourselves and for our kids. I know mine struggle with loneliness and fear of being around other people. It’s such a weird dichotomy. Sending love to you and yours while you navigate it all. ❤️
The pandemic bumped up my retirement by two months, removing the opportunity for fond farewells in person with the clients I'd been working with for 16 years. It also coincided with a return of cancer so that my quarantine was demanded by the pandemic and by the pre-op requirements. The following treatments were interwoven with the pandemic and the emotional political upheaval of the year. Now, as we emerge from the worst of it (in the U.S.) my husband is diagnosed with heart failure.
It seems this has all been a demand by the Universe to appreciate the fragility of life and to understand, as never before, the utter groundlessness of it all. There is anxiety, a bit of panic, and a definite unease.
I am glad that you have your building project as a backdrop to all this craziness. Creativity will return but in its own time and that is okay. Life will never be the same and that is okay, too, as I think what's coming is better. Sending love and best wishes as you navigate the course ahead.
I love this chart. Thank you for posting it. Wishing you ecstasy and serenity. :)
Charlotte, I hope that you and your daughter are doing well. Even though we sold out boat SV Changes and are not cruising, I’m still a member of WWS and joined when there were 300 of us. The pandemic and life as we’ve gotten older has made us not buy a new boat. I hope there comes a time when you feel up to writing again, but understand that you and your family are the first priority. Social media has not always been kind to you (understatement right??) but hope that changes in the future.
Hi Charlotte, I am new to WWS. I'm still learning how to navigate this. I am interested in working with you and the other women on the leadership level. Please call me at (802) 377-9417 or send a message back, I'd love to talk more. Thank you! Heidi
I myself has been experiencing a lot of emotions since the start of the pandemic like everyone else. Disbelief, fear, worry, loneliness from losing a 67 year old brother to Covid 19 at the beginning of the pandemic, our decision to isolate ourselves from other people including close friends to protect us from catching the virus. Although my husband and I , including our 2 adult sons, have been fully vaccinated early on, there is always a paranoia of catching the virus from other people we get exposed to, in spite of following all the safety protocols.
A little background of myself before the pandemic started, I have been off from work as a Registered Nurse since early October , 2018 due to my knee problems and ended up having a double Total Knee Replacement surgery in 2019, 8 months apart, finished the rehab but the recovery took longer than I anticipated, which bumped my retirement 2 years earlier than planned.So I retired soon after I turned 65 this year in June. It's a total change of lifestyle, mostly good , especially the part where I don't have to get up early to go to work, but part of me is missing the routine as a working person....My moods have been all over the place, stopped seeing my old psychiatrist and luckily I found a better one in Feb. of this year....Been dealing with anxiety/panic attacks, depression on and off all my life since I was 10 years old. Have tried all kinds of anti depressants but most of them made me groggy and have brain fog, until the doctor found the right combination for me 5 years ago....
Now that I have all the time in the world to focus on one of my passions, which is writing, aside from my daily journals, it's not as easy as I thought to write regularly when my mind is all over the place and my mood is still kind of fluctuating between gratitude/happiness to feeling sad and guilty for not being actively working as a nurse to help in this pandemic.....My family reassured me that after 43 years of working as a nurse and helping a lot of people, I deserve this retirement to enjoy life and do what I've always wanted to do that I couldn't do when I was still working.....
Am one of your biggest fan, and am always amazed and inspired by your strength and your ability to deal with all kinds of challenges in your life, I will always be pulling for you to succeed in all your endeavors and survive whatever obstacles come your way like you always do. Can't wait to buy your book or is it available already? I was star struck when I attended your Zoom meeting when you rehearsed your public speaking about your life story, which you did very well I might add......I miss reading your posts on social media but I understand your desire and need to take a break and I'm so happy to have found this newsletter because you are my idol, a good role model for all women of all ages,race, etc. a good wife and a good mother to your 2 wonderful daughters, and a very good writer! We will always be here to support you and all your works. Thank you for the inspiration!!
My experience of massive change--whether it's desired, unwanted, or out-of-the-blue-what-the-hell-just-happened—is that it sends my mind berserk trying to make sense of it. As a mom, my instinct is to fix things.
What I've learned is that it's my mind that wants to fix. It's in charge of executive function-- analysis, evaluation, counting, comparing, categorization, planning, etc. That's what it does. And when you're a hammer, everything looks like a nail.
My mind is crap at emotion. It has been known to actively undermine what my heart wants. (This is when I start yelling like a four-year-old, "You're not the boss of me!" ) So, thank you for these tools to describe emotions. Maybe they'll give my heart and gut more street cred.
What buoys me these days is authenticity, the willingness to share humanity and vulnerability.
"I’m trying to allow myself some grace in what feels like a total creativity vacuum right now too because things have been hard."
I may not have experienced what you are going through, but I understand hard. I spent eight months of the past year in lockdowns in two foreign countries. My first mate died and I nearly lost my boat. What's important is to not feel isolated. You aren't alone either.
Fair winds.
Yes. Yes. Yes. You captured it all so well. I don’t have a day job outside of family and home tasks, but I also feel that pull to do more again now that things are “better” than they’ve been. But the exhaustion brought on by just doing a few small things is unbelievable. It’s a new time and space for mental health - for ourselves and for our kids. I know mine struggle with loneliness and fear of being around other people. It’s such a weird dichotomy. Sending love to you and yours while you navigate it all. ❤️
The pandemic bumped up my retirement by two months, removing the opportunity for fond farewells in person with the clients I'd been working with for 16 years. It also coincided with a return of cancer so that my quarantine was demanded by the pandemic and by the pre-op requirements. The following treatments were interwoven with the pandemic and the emotional political upheaval of the year. Now, as we emerge from the worst of it (in the U.S.) my husband is diagnosed with heart failure.
It seems this has all been a demand by the Universe to appreciate the fragility of life and to understand, as never before, the utter groundlessness of it all. There is anxiety, a bit of panic, and a definite unease.
I am glad that you have your building project as a backdrop to all this craziness. Creativity will return but in its own time and that is okay. Life will never be the same and that is okay, too, as I think what's coming is better. Sending love and best wishes as you navigate the course ahead.