Juggling in June – Where’s the Be? – retirementtransition

I read a number of other mid-life bloggers and often find inspiration in their words. Many of them do an end of the month update on what they have been doing. Similar to a previous blog post,, Deb’s blog discussion (link here) about juggling things resonated with me – my month of June felt like a juggling act.

In June I focused on trying to live and not just wait till the whole house recovery trauma is over. I am trying to remain hopeful, despite more delays (no, we do not have a building permit yet). I realized I am “doing” quite a bit, but not “being” very much. Doing distracts me from the frustration of waiting, the churning stomach anxiety of uncertainty, and the anger with incompetence. Am I doing too much? Maybe. But I am also not doing some of things that really need to be done! And I want to start doing things to move the return to our home forward, like choosing countertops, light fixtures, appliances, and furniture. Yes, Patience is my WOTY and it is hard to be patient with the frustration of things not progressing or the anxiety of things going wrong.

“Patience is to be calm no matter what happens, constantly take action to turn it to positive growth opportunities, and have faith to believe that it will all work out in the end while you are waiting.” Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart

On the doing side of things, there were a number of highlights in June:

A family gathering in Syracuse for my great-niece’s graduation; I had not seen most of my family in over a year. It was a lovely busy (and exhausting) weekend catching up and doing things as a family.
A number of dates with hubby including fun days at Mote Aquarium and Dali Museum. I realized I need to plan more we-time.
Reaching out with and agreeing to invitations for creating new friendships. A number of my tribe are leaving (have left) the area, so Intentional Connections is back on the to-do. Intentional Connections was a focus area when I first retired, and again when we moved to Florida, so I do know how it’s done.
I did return to doing yoga (not quite regular yet), did some crafting and some gardening, and continued cardio drumming, book clubs, regular massages, and mental health therapy.

But there was also a great deal of mind space anxiety, “Am I doing it right?” Frustration about the water bill still coming despite cancel note accepted. Did I enroll in Medicare correctly? Send another note to another new lawn service communicating expectations! Am I being a good friend to friends who are dealing with significant life issues themselves? Doing a (ridiculous) ICC grant requirement follow-up. Worrying about SBA loan silence – what do I need to do? Another FEMA-frustration phone call. Do I push on new Elevation Certificate or not?

One thing I’ve learned, if a government agency, building department, insurance company or any other bureaucratic organization asks for a form or letter with specific words, just do it. It doesn’t matter if the information is redundant (already sent in multiple times), is not applicable to the situation at all, or even is simply an insane request. It doesn’t matter that it might take you hours of follow-up or even an argument to get the document(s). Just do it so they can check the damn box and move on in the process.

June did seem to fly by as I juggled house recovery items, getting back to living life, and some travel. The lack of forward progress on the house recovery is weighing on me. I will continue to do the things recommended to help – self-care, time with friends, doing things I enjoy. And yeah, I will figure out how to juggle in some time to just BE!

Do you struggle with balance of doing and being?

Picture Credit: Flowers at Boldt Castle, Syracuse during a family visit there