The Circle of Gratitude

Thankfulness as a Lifestyle

Celebrating my second year of retirement, I have found my footing. My days are not what I envisioned in September 2023 when I exited corporate life. They are better. I am grateful.

That doesn’t mean that everything is “perfect.” Life is rarely perfect and when it gets close, we often move the goal posts. I remember being transferred to California a few years out of college thinking if I made “X” amount of dollars, life would be a ‘piece of cake.’ As I met those goals, my vision changed and there was always something just out of reach. I probably wasn’t as grateful for what I had as I am today.

Thank you for reading! Photo by Ann on Unsplash

Older, Bolder & Better! focuses on health several times each quarter. Whether it is explaining health span vs. lifespan or exploring the traits of healthy centenarians (the fastest growing demographic in America is >85 years old.) The adage, “your health is your wealth,” is in clear focus. My healthcare team shares my holistic approach to wellness—spiritual, social, emotional, mental, and physical health. I’ve lost 25 pounds since retiring. My diet still isn’t where I want it to be; it is a work in progress.

I am especially grateful for all the new opportunities to learn and new people I’ve met over the past two years. Becoming an Amherst Writers & Artists affiliate is the literary hug I needed when I retired. Yesterday, I participated in an AWA session led by Annecy Baez, LCSW, Ph.D. I’ve shared a poem I began writing in her workshop at the end of this post. Recently, I was named one of the co-editors of Amherst Writer & Artists new Substack, “Writing Alone and With Others.” In less than a month it has 3,300 subscribers. Here’s a link if you’re interested: amherstwriters.substack.com

November 9th after a standing ovation for “Aging. Reimagined!” I cried.

Storytelling has opened an entirely new world to me. Being selected as the 2025 Frank Basile Emerging Stories Fellow was an honor. I performed my 5-story program in a one-woman show at the Indiana History Center to a live and livestream audience.

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Substack and its vibrant virtual community. I met a few Substack writers “live” in the Indianapolis area that have led to other collaborations. My family members and dear friends, old and new, have taken these journeys with me. Rather than limiting thanks to Thanksgiving, I try to incorporate gratitude in every moment of my life. Wishing you and yours a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This season, I’m grateful for the years that didn’t break me but built me. For the doors I pushed through. For the woman I keep becoming. This poem is a celebration of that ongoing journey — a reminder that age isn’t a closing, but an opening. The sky is still wide, still waiting, and I’m still charting it.

The Sky I’m Still Charting

When I opened myself without apology,

I soared like a bird that remembers

she once mapped the sky with her wings—

each feather threaded from every year

I had already grown myself into strength.

I soared older.

I soared bolder.

I soared better—

a testament to every closed door

I learned to walk through anyway.

Now the sky is no longer a metaphor;

it is a map.

And I’m not done charting it.