We've Moved Again and Life is Good

I try to not put a whole lot of personal stuff in my blog. My personal opinions, sure, but our activities and such, unless they are writing related, are probably not that fascinating. We live, just like everyone else.

BUT - we have moved again and this is an easy way to let folks know. We are now in Santa Barbara city. We were previously in Montecito. I like to know where people are in general. Don't need to know their address exactly, but for some reason, I do like to follow what town friends and family live in and, to a lesser degree, where they have traveled. There are some people in this world that I am happy to know they are simply present, however far away.

A hundred years ago, this was not terribly difficult. Most of the people you knew lived in the same town. Today? Totally different story.  My grandma used to make me write to all my friends and family when I would visit her here in Santa Barbara in the summer. Not so hard when I was 12. Now that I am over 50, I've met and know literally hundreds of people. Maybe thousands. No, probably just hundreds. I can never communicate with them all individually.

So, the blog will have to do some double duty, like an all-year Christmas letter. I asked and the blog said it was okay. (Yes, it is a sentient being that has a will of its own. It's told me to pay attention to it and write sometimes. You know -- like call your mother.)

The "We've Moved Again" part of the title is complete and now we move on to the "Life is Good" section. I hope for those of you for whom (who? sorry - too lazy to look it up) life is not so good, to please use my words as encouragement and not bragging.

Life is Good - I've discovered that the reason for life is to learn something (anything), and have fun. That's it. We are all really making it way too complicated. I'm lucky yes, but I've also made decisions that have simplified my life and allowed me to then - tah dah! - live simply.

I'm not espousing a particular dogma or method, but much of the craziness and drama we experience is due to ever so complicated lives.

Try getting rid of things you do not need.
Do not let people who make you feel bad continue to do so.

Things and People. Everything we do in daily life (I'm not talking experiences here, like vacations) can be put into one of those categories.

Work? People (usually)
House? Things
Family? People (usually)

I don't know what happened to me to disavow the way of life I worked so hard to achieve for many years. I was never seriously depressed, never had anything life shattering happen. It just evolved. At work, I couldn't do the things that corporate medicine wanted me to do anymore, so I stopped doing it. My house started to feel like it was taking something from me, instead of giving me shelter, so I got rid of that too. My family rocks - totally don't need to ditch them. Again, lucky.

For those of you who think you cannot change things, ask yourself if it is really true. Really true. Think about it. Sometimes it's not true, it's that you are afraid. And that's okay. But do you really want to get to the end of your life and realize you lived in fear? I don't. I was brave once. And that's all I really need to know - that I was brave once and I could be brave again if I need to be.

That's why Life is Good.

Peace,

Jo