suddenlysinglewomen

While messing around on my laptop today, I came across a feature here on WordPress that I had never seen before. A daily writing “prompt”.  Not that I EVER need prompting for sharing my thoughts but this one jumped out at me. So I’m using it for this post.

I believe that we all have thoughts about whether we are where we thought we’d be in our life all the time. If you don’t? Good for you, you must be very happy, very satisfied and living your best life.

I hazard to say that most people do not feel that way. A year ago in my life . . .

1. I had just bought a new horse and was so looking forward to giving my riding passion five more years. I was “legging back up” to three feet (the height of the jumps) and I’d found the horse to get me there. 
2. I had finally finished the last of the details of my remodel and could finally sit back and enjoy no more projects.
3. I had sold my home in Texas and could put that maintenance behind me.
4. I had readied myself to buy a new car and knew exactly what I wanted. The age of the current car was creeping up so it was time.
5. I was working out and felt in really good shape.
6. Winter here in the mountains was settling in and I was looking forward to all those sunny and blue sky days that the Vail Valley is known for.
7. Good friends were coming to visit at some point during some part of the winter, after the new year, and we’d snowshoe, fix chili and enjoy evenings around the fireplace. Or they were joining me in June for my big birthday celebration that we’d been planning for three years. I believe in giving plenty of notice, ha ha.
8. I was going to get back to needlepointing, and put some projects together in my needlepoint bag and placed them next to that comfy easy chair by the above mentioned fireplace.

So, best laid plans??

1. The horse came up lame, we noticed that he was not moving comfortably in one direction. We began to assess what could be wrong, and after multiple vet visits and consultations ($$$) he was diagnosed with a suspensory ligament issue in his front left leg. Thus began months of stall rest and zero “turn out”. No riding, no running, no playing, no being “a horse”. He’s currently been moved back to the original trainer who helped me find him and slowly “coming back”. Lucky me, I get to pay board at two places while he’s rehabbing. Stay tuned – – –
2. Are you ever truly finished with your home? With the remodel finished, some of the workmanship was not really holding up. Thus begins the effort to get sub contractors back out to give you “what you paid for”. There is so much work in this valley that if the quality is not what you paid for, they do not care – because there is always another job waiting for them. It’s slow but I am finding people to come in and help, but paying twice for something is not really the way it’s supposed to be . . . right?
3. Yes, the home sale did go through, even tho’ I had reduced the price after putting more money into fixing most of their demands. Note to self: do not go back by to look at it because they are not keeping it up like you did. They did not repair the things they demanded you pay for, and the most beautiful home on the block now looks like the least maintained.
4. The Toyota engineers, in all their wisdom, totally redesigned the third row fold down seats and did away with their retractable rear window in the model I was going to buy – the same one I currently owned. Don’t we all buy cars according to our pet’s needs??? Thus began the search for a new car manufacturer with an SUV model that met my needs. It turned into “find a model that fits MOST of your needs” because there was not one model out there that met all my requirements. (Maybe I should switch from German Shepherds who love to hang their heads out the back, to chihuahuas??  NAH!!)
5. I found out where the meniscus was in my knee, I had back surgery in May for a bulging disc between L5 and S1 and in the Fall fractured my 5th metacarpal on my right hand. I am a frequent flyer at the orthopedic docs office up here. Needless to say my workout class and Pilates class were put on hiatus.  
6. It was the longest, coldest and grayest winter that the locals could remember in 30 years. Do I have good timing or what???
7. One friend came to visit last winter. So many excuses. Most people bailed on the June trip. So many excuses.  ’Nuff said.
8. Yes, that needlepoint bag that was full of the canvases and threads sitting next to the comfy chair by the fireplace?? It’s still there, and if you were to pick it up, my guess is that the floor beneath it is clean and dust free, ha ha. Nope, didn’t get to it. 

I wasn’t unrealistic, but perhaps I was too optimistic? 

So this year, I did get all my Christmas cards and shopping/wrapping done early – maybe that is what I was doing instead of needlepointing.

I am going down to the Denver area tomorrow to check on my horse and if all goes well, get to ride him a bit. No jumping yet, but I’m hopeful I’ll move him back up here in a couple of months.

As I sit here and type this, the sky is amazingly blue and the sun is shining and it’s going to be 42 for the high today – a year ago is was 1 (I know this because of my FaceBook memory that popped up).

I’m now the proud owner of a new Defender, and though it is smaller in the back for the dogs, they are learning and negotiating their space when they lay down. No, the window doesn’t go down, none of the SUVs have windows that go down anymore, but we’re making due.

I am finally (no jinx here) all put back together with no upcoming visits to an orthopedic office, no physical therapy, no braces or casts (have I mentioned how great Tylenol Arthritis is? Thanks Diva J) or contraptions.

The friends who really matter? I know who you are now. Many thanks for not abandoning me. I hope to never disappoint you. And if you don’t really wanna snowshoe when you visit? I’m OK with quality fireplace time. ; -)

I’ve had 7 friends lose their husbands this year, some expected, some not. They got it right when they married, true love matches, and I hope I can be there for them when they need. My loss of a marriage certainly not the same caliber of pain that they are going through. My aloneness is trivial compared to theirs.  

I’ll probably not write again till after Christmas, since I’m sure I’ll be busy getting all those needlepoint projects done for NEXT Christmas (or not) but please enjoy your family and friends during this holiday season and remember that it’s OK if you’re not really where you thought you’d be a year ago. Sometimes we are actually exactly where we are meant to be. One year older and one year wiser.

Holiday Hugs to you all.