SECOND HALF AND BEYOND

IT'S TIME. That's what I said to myself in April of 2014 while gazing into the Caribbean Sea.  I was on vacation, sort of.  And at that moment I knew one thing for certain: that it was time to make a change in my life before it was too late.

​

Eight years earlier, I was 41 years old and my husband Kurt and I embarked on an adventure of building a home on the island of St. John. A contractor by trade, my husband moved to the island to build our mini mansion (1200 sq. ft and it's still not completed, but that's a different blog.) I, on the other hand, flew back and forth to the island from our home in East Hampton, Long Island every two weeks. While at our home, I work as one of the Town's two local Town Justices and "held down the fort."  When I flew to St. John, I worked as a gofer, physical laborer, cook, and mason, just to name a few of my trades. I learned how to use rebar in a foundation, knew where the electrical supply houses were on St. Thomas (there were two), knew that food was incredibly expensive (what? $9 for a cantaloupe?), and after much trial and error, I knew how to load 41 concrete blocks into the back of a two-door jeep wrangler with the back seat removed.  We started work at 7:00 a.m., quit at 4:30 p.m. exhausted, ate, showered, slept and started all over again every day except Sunday. I wasn't what you would call thin, but I was fit and I felt physically invincible. 

​

That all came to a jolting halt in May of 2007 when two things happened: first, we ran out of money for the project, which I have since learned is a common phenomenon for unwary house project adventurists in St. John; and second, I was running for re-election for my job. The good news is that I won re-election and have continued to do so ever since, for which I am eternally grateful (I love my job!). The bad news is that my weight bloomed to 181 lbs. and I didn't even see it coming. But more than weight, I was off my game.

​

So, in April of 2014 having just turned 49 I had a silent freak-out. While in St. John partially working on the house and partially vacationing, I decided to take a walk from our house down a steep hill, then along some flat land to get some exercise. I thought to myself, "no biggie, I can do this - after all, I walk my dog a mile, sometimes two, every day."  I walked down our driveway and my legs were burning.  And, my friends, that was not the steep hill but the driveway! When I actually walked down the steep hill, my heart was racing. I was astonished. I recovered on the flat section but was dreading what I faced on my walk back home. I passed my neighbor walking who is in her 70's, and she wasn't even breaking a sweat. I mumbled out a hello and a few pleasantries but that was all I could muster. Then, I stood at the bottom of the steep hill, glancing up, thinking "OMG!" 

​

If there is one thing I have going for me, it’s determination. I put my head down, remembered from my days as a runner that taking baby steps while ascending a hill is easier on your heart and muscles, and slowly made my way up.  Back at the house and after I recovered, I could not help but compare the old invincible me of 2006 which helped build this house, to the 2014 version of myself: a weakened, overweight, tired, mess. What the hell happened?

​

LIFE IS A JOURNEY - there will be highs and lows, goodness and grief, achievements and failures. This blog is about that.  It’s about what happened to me and is happening to many women and men when they hit their 40's, 50’s, 60’s and beyond. It is for the younger generation, hipsters, millennials, or whatever is the term of the week, who might actually learn something from it all. It is about the continuing journey and finding the "proverbial" silver lining - even in the worst of times.  It is about finding our joy and living it. In 2014, it began with getting my health in order.  Now, it is about living a life, not checking off days. 

​

We will explore emotional and physical health, technology, priorities, food, habits, hobbies, money, tricks, techniques and tales - all with the goal of living the second half of our lives to the fullest.  I want to succeed, I want you to succeed, whatever that means to you, and I want you to be happy.  Stay tuned – there will be something for everyone.  And thank you for reading the first installment of my story.