midlifejourney.com

Author: W. Miller

Putting up Christmas decorations, ornaments and a tree each Christmas is just such a great feeling. The joy and warmth it brings, particularly when all the family are involved; well, it just has to be the greatest feeling all year! But to get the best out of it takes some thought and planning.

If done properly Christmas decorations just turn your home into a Christmas wonderland. And when you set up decorations and lights outside you are sharing your love of Christmas with everyone who passes by.

First though you must always be safe. Many fires have started through misuse of Christmas decorations. Never put inflammable decorations or ornaments near a fire or any such source of heat. Always read the safety instructions. Your Christmas tree can be a hazard if drapes or curtains are left to hang too close or touch it as the lights can get quite hot. Never use real candles on your tree. Continue Reading »

Author: Marjorie Salad

I have discovered that learning to deal with clutter is a big part of the recovery process. Managing clutter is just another part of getting your life in order. Many of us deal with more than on thing in our lives that are out of control and we learn to tackle these things one day at a time and one task at a time. But we all know that it is not always that easy.

When it comes to clutter, many times it is the symptom of something else that is going on in our lives. Often it has become so overwhelming we do not know where to begin to correct the problem. Here are a few simple tips for getting started-remember to take it easy. Take it one room at a time and one corner at a time, if necessary.

Sort-put like things together so that you can begin the organization process. Put all your clothes together, all your papers in one place…well you get the idea.

Purge-If you have not used it in the past 6 months, chances are you don’t need it. We live in a society of excess. We like our possessions and some of us have not learned to part with material things that are holding us back. Be aggressive when it comes to purging. You will soon learn to appreciate your space as much as you do your possessions.

Assign a home-one of the biggest problems with clutter is the things do not have a permanent home. Assign a place for the things you are keeping. As long as your things are in their assigned places, you should not have things lying around. All it takes is a few things out of place and the next thing you know you are dealing with major clutter again.

Containerize-purchase the necessary storage devices to keep your possessions organized. Many storage items today are decorative and serve a dual purpose. You can purchase items that can be used as a table or seating that also have storage capabilities.

Maintenance-this part is very important. Take 10-15 minutes each day to maintain your main living area. This daily maintenance will keep your from having to ever be overwhelmed with clutter again.

Clutter can hold you back. It will affect other areas of our lives. It is essential that you get to the root of why you cannot part with things in order to move forward with your life.

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About the Author: When you begin the process of decluttering it is not easy to know where to begin, but fortunately there is help available. Find out how you can declutter in one day.De

Milestones in life happen once in a while. They are markers on our journey: a birth, a death, a wedding, a divorce, new job, retirement… we all have them, and in midlife they seem to happen all the time. Everytime I turn around someone is hitting a milestone, or their children are, or their parents.

How do you celebrate the milestones in your life? How do you mark this significant moment? Alone? or with friends? Do you spend a lot of money to show how important the milestone is? (Throw a big party, buy a monstrous gift, take a long vacation?, send the biggest floral arrangement?) Or are you the type to lo-key these events… send a card, call on the phone, do not much of anything?

I remember when my parents finally paid off the mortgage on their house we had a “burning” event. Wasn’t really a party, just a few of us in the backyard setting the documents on fire. Small but meaningful. And memorable.

How do you celebrate those meaningful moments?

There is nothing so satisfying in the early morning as the perfect cup of coffee. Hot, but not too hot, strong, but not too strong. It’s a relatively simple thing to brew: a matter of finding the right balance between water and bean. I have discovered the French Press serves up a fine cup of jo., and use that without fail when I am home.

On the road, you are at the mercy of the one who prepares the brew. And it can be a disaster. Muddy coffee, weak coffee, flavored-ugh!, sugar?-never. More often that not, a disappointment. How can such a simple process go so wrong?
It makes me want to stay home.

Author: Christine Phoenix-Green

Since 60 is the new 45, and 35 the new 28, it is a little hard to gauge exactly where “midlife” starts and ends. Today there are all kinds of options and variations in how people live out the different phases of their lives.

For instance, each of my daughters are mid-lifers if we count ages 35-39 as a midpoint, but each of them have just become mothers for the first time with the enormous and focused responsibilities that that entails..and in that respect, they are at a different midpoint stage than I was at at their ages, seeing kids off to high school and college, being freer and just getting ready to look to new creative horizens for myself. They, in their mid-to-late thirties with small children and full time jobs, are now going to bed exhausted at 9:30 pm, and I, a grandmother, am out dancing Irish sets until 1:00am!

Where, exactly IS “mid-life” and what are we supposed to be living out? The different topics here on this site open up wonderful avenues for sharing stories about how to find our way through the now-extended passage of mid-life with great information for practical use, and humour for the journey we all share in common that sometimes makes us reflect on the foibles and challenges faced in a culture that idealizes youth, fame and wordly success.

What I have found in my practice of certain modes of Spiritual Guidance, which includes astrological insight, paying attention to dreams (personal “gifts of the night” ) and participation in the creative arts for self-expression or prayer, that there is another aspect of “midlife” that also, for many people, starts to focus us away from the glitter in search of the Gold…in otherwords, in a sense, an occassional, if not persistent, turning inward to question if the life we are living or have been pressured to pursue reflects our deepest desires or truly uses the gifts and talents we came in with to live fully, lifting the culture around us to its highest potential.

The culture can be sometimes “glitter”, but living an Authentic and Soulful YOU life is pure Gold, and mid-life is the opportunity to consciously reset your priorities and chart a course that is more soulfully in tune with your own personal destiny from the Inside- Out rather than from the Outside-In. Sitting with someone and their astrological chart at this time, is an amazing tool for dialogue and reflection on what is most natural, harmonious, and peaceful for you. This “mystery” modality can guide you personally as we all move through the haze and maze of culture that has tended to homogenize life’s experiences, feeding us images of what should be important, that may not reflect you at this time, or indeed, at all!

Christine Phoenix-Green can be contacted at cphoenixrising@earthlink.com for information on personal Insight Astrological, Dreamwork or Spiritual Guidance sessions.

Read more articles on the Spirit page of this blog.

Christine Phoenix-Green
cphoenixrising@earthlink.net