Blogging, Family, Friendship, Reflection

Where Have I Been? Where Am I Going?

Retirement Reflections

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Over the holidays, I wanted to focus on presence. I took a month-long break from blogging and significantly reduced my time online. Although the first series of images suggests that my primary activity was dining, I revelled in quality time with family/friends and am grateful for our time together. Our youngest son flew home yesterday, so we are now back to an empty nest.

For those who are reading, thank you for your patience…and for not forgetting about me. I have given a quick teaser of what’s coming up for me this January/February. I will try to send you an update from some of these events. In the meantime, you can find a small ‘Circle of Kindness’ piece that I wrote in Woman’s World Magazine (on sale beginning January 16). My writing will also appear in Jill Weatherholt’s blog publishing on February 21.

I greatly look forward to reconnecting and finding out what has been happening for you.

Published by Retirement Reflections

Prior to retirement, I lived and worked in Beijing China for fourteen years (Middle School Principal/Deputy Director at The Western Academy of Beijing). Leaving international life behind, my husband and I retired to Vancouver Island in June 2015. To document both this transition and our new adventures, ‘Retirement Reflections’ was born. I hope that you enjoy reading these reflections, and will be willing to share your own.

90 thoughts on “Where Have I Been? Where Am I Going?”

  9. Oh my gosh! Congratulations on your Woman’s World piece, Donna! I’m so proud of you! I subscribe to the magazine, so I’ll be sure to watch for your piece. What a great way to start the year. Welcome back! ❤

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    1. Hi, Janis – I like your hint. You can find Woman’s World on sale at most grocery store check-out counters. The good news is that you can easily read what I wrote while in the check-out line (and then sneak the copy back on the rack). 😀 Cheers to 2020 IRL adventures!

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  13. Welcome back and Happy New Year, Donna! Glad to hear you had a merry Christmas with family and friends. Food brings people together and holidays tend to have special foods that we don’t eat at other times so why not enjoy them. Congrats on your published work in Woman’s World. I’ll look out for it and for your post on Jill’s site.

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    1. Hi, Natalie – Wonderful to hear from you. I hope that you had a great holiday. I truly did others things than eat during my break…but gathering around a dining table is a great reminder to take a photo. 😀
      I look forward to catching up.

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  15. Hope your break was restful and productive, Donna. Exciting news about your work being published. Have missed your presence and am looking forward to everyone being back “in full swing” following the holidays.

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  18. Focusing on real presence and limiting online (technological) presence is a noble intention and pursuit. I say bravo.

    Although you were missed, I completely understand.

    I spy a beautiful wedding photo in your collage and it brought a huge smile to my face. Where do the years go?

    Here’s to 2020 and sharing our experiences with each other! Whether in “real” life presence or the next best thing, our online blogging family 🥰😄🥰

    Susan Grace

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    1. Hi, Susan – I’m glad that you spied the wedding photo. Richard and I were married in January 2000, making this our 20th anniversary. Where does the time go, indeed?!!
      How did your move go? I look forward to reading about your upcoming adventures. Thank you for your friendship and your incredible support.

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      1. Hi Donna,

        The move went great and I documented its reverberating effects in my January 1 blog about cleanses, i.e. a move can be a component of an ultimate cleanse.

        Giving up the apartment felt as if I unloaded a full ton of bricks off my back and now I can breathe a bit easier.

        I certainly look forward to reading about your adventures in 2020 and am thrilled about your extracurricular writing assignments! I’m in the desert right now paying a quick visit to hubby and then it’s back to Pacifica to help my daughter. It’s going to be an interesting year and I am ready!

        😍😍😍
        Susan Grace

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  19. Hi Donna – welcome back to the blogosphere. I took two weeks off so I could focus on family over the Christmas holidays and then leapt back in last week. I shared my #WOTY and thought you might be doing one too?? Lovely to have you back and judging from the comments, you were missed. And congrats on the magazine feature xx

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    1. Happy New Year, Leanne! Thank you for your kind wishes. I hadn’t intended to do a resolution or a word-of-the-year for 2020. But…’invitational’ keeps on popping into my mind…so that just may be it. I’m headed to your site now to discover your WOTY. See you there!

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  21. Nothing wrong in taking a blogging break, Donna. In fact, I can highly recommend them. They give you an amazing insight into life (past, present and future) and help refresh our minds and bodies. I’m always amazed by the beauty of life when on a break. It always makes me very thankful for not only what life has given me, but for who I am.
    Wishing you and your family much happiness, good health and laughter in 2020.

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    1. HI, Hugh – Being thankful for who we are, and what life has given us, is a wonderful state of being. I learned a great deal about blogging breaks from you. You are completely right — they can totally help to reset and refresh. See you at your site – I look forward to catching up!

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  22. Is it too late to say Happy New Year? 🙂

    It sounds like your new year is off to a running start! Nothing quite beats the excitement of being published and you should be proud. Congratulations!!
    WP is still not playing nicely with me and won’t let me *like* this post, but I do!!
    As Deb said, don’t put down the achievement. It rocks 🙂

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    1. Hi, Joanne – Although I’m no etiquette expert, it’s never too late to say ‘Happy New Year’ in my books! I’m sorry to hear that WP is not playing nicely for you. I miss your posts.
      I look forward to seeing you this summer. Erica and I are already planning and scheming possible adventures together!

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  23. A very fun post, Donna! A picture is worth a thousand words. You definitely know your priorities. Presence, family and friends. I am glad I am part of your priorities. I was in a line up at the grocery store this afternoon. The woman behind me was leafing through a Woman’s World Magazine and planning to buy it. She ended up hearing all about my friend having a story in the Circle of Kindness section in their next publication, January 16th. I know she will purchase it and look for you. Another fan. You have many of them, Donna, and you know I am one of them! xx

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  25. Hi Donna! Welcome back…you’ve been missed but we all knew we’d see you again! And thank you again for reminding us that we CAN take breaks now and then and those who read our blogs and like what we have to say will stick with us and be there when we return. Looking forward to your “reflections” as the year unfolds. ~Kathy

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    1. Hi, Kathy – Thanks so much for dropping by. I did stay away longer than I intended. Now I need to figure out the magical equation of including blogging back in, but not losing my IRL presence. It can be a tricky balancing act. I look forward to following your insights, and your vlog. See you there!

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  27. I came back from my blogging break last week. Didn’t realize you’d bugged out when I did, but great minds. I hope to post once a week now, but we’ll see about that won’t we? Anyhoo, nice to catch up with again.

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  28. Donna, I love the presentation of the photos with the captions of your blogging break! It looks like a wonderful time with your family and friends. Congratulations on having a piece published in Woman’s World Magazine — no mean feat! 😀 I look forward to seeing you on Jill’s blog in February! It’s a hoot! 😀

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  29. We must have been on the same break timeline, Donna! Glad to read you spent less time online. It’s a great feeling to just be present and enjoy what is in front of us. I just posted today for the first time since December 15th and am sharing a better winter road trip experience. I look forward to more of your posts and your article from Woman’s World magazine!

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    1. Hi, Terry – It seems like a few of us had very similar break timelines. That makes me feel a bit better (atleast in terms of my FOMO infliction). 😀
      I look forard to reading about your winter road trip experience. I also look forward to following your upcoming Sunday series — see you at Ying Yang!

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  30. Hi Donna! Welcome back! How wonderful and exciting you have some pieces of writing published in the Woman’s World magazine and on Jill’s blog (Jill also writes for that magazine as you might know :-)). Is that a result from the travel writing course you took?

    One thing that’s always present in your photos is lots of smiles. You are a perfect example of enjoying life. Everyone is allowed blogging breaks and we all decide when and if and what we post. It’s our blog after all and there should be no obligations to anyone. Like Erica wrote in her most recent post: blogging has to remain fun and not a chore. I’m guilty of seeing it as a chore sometimes though! Don’t feel like you have to justify any break! Your readers and followers will always be here when you return. 🙂

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    1. Hi, Liesbet – I’ve missed you — and your very wise advice!
      A consistent for me is that I’m all in or all out. That has made retirement much easier…and makes blogging breaks easier too. Glad to see such warm, familiar faces upon my return! 😀

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  32. Hi Donna – it’s great to see you around again … as I know I’ll catch glimpses and ideas in and around Vancouver Island … refreshing my memories. Love the photo of you in 2000 – I’d spotted that too .. but wonderful your son as able to be over to join you over the Christmas time …

    Does Lynette have a birthday yesterday too … ah well I’ll have to check in … cheers Hilary

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  34. I never doubted that you would return. Hope that you had plenty of well-earned “Me” time. Helen and I are in Key West and loving the warm weather and enjoying lots of people-watching–there a lot of real characters here. Congratulations on the WW article. Obviously, I’m not a subscriber, but Helen will check it out. Best…Joe

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  37. Pingback: This was my 2019 blogging year – it was pretty complex! – Deb's World

  38. Thrilled to hear of your upcoming (first paid) writing gig with Women’s World and article on Jill’s website. Look forward to reading them both. Delighted to know that you successfully unplugged during the holidays creating wonderful memories with family for years to come.

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  39. Congratulations on getting paid for an article you wrote, Donna! It is lovely to see another post from you and know that you had a good Christmas break. I am still trying to catch up on my blog reading after the ‘holidays’ (which were such hard work but fun too)

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    1. Thanks so much, Leslie. You are always so kind. The Woman’s World article should come with a warning. It is extremely short — and modified. Still, it was a fun first experience. I look forward to catching up on what has been happening for you!

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  41. Donna, congrats on your Woman’s World article! It looks like you had a wonderful holiday break with friends and family. Looking forward to connecting soon.

    Jude

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