Well, Reader, it's a big day.

Today the movers came and collected my belongings to be shipped to France.

As a backdrop, I moved out of a 2400 sf home and, via a 10 x 20 storage unit and then an 8 x 16 POD, what's left has been boxed up and placed into a 7 x 8 foot container. As much tossing, sorting, selling, donating, hair pulling, and crying that has been done, I'm shocked at the amount of stuff that's left.

I'm sure when I start to unpack in in France my thoughts will be

• "What the hell was I thinking?"
• "I don't need this!"
• "Why did I pay to ship this?"

I KNOW this will happen, but I won't be too hard on myself. I think there's a limit on just how many things and memories you can let go of at a time. I'm certain I exceeded that limit.

So here I am, waiting for that feeling of release and lightness to land. I can see snippets of it, but with so much still to do, it has yet to land firmly.

A Few Things

Here are a few things I've learned - or accepted - from having the privilege of experiencing this massive life transition:

1. Loss is never wrong. It just is. You may not want it or like it. It may hurt like hell and you feel like you'll never be the same again. You probably won't. But you'll be you and yet, different and stronger. Look for the lesson and the blessing, release it, and look to the future. Repeat.
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2. My comfort and boundaries are as important as anyone's. We women are taught to be polite and considerate of the feelings of others. Yes, however, not at the expense of our integrity, values, or mental safety. What others think doesn't matters, until it doesn't.
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3. No one can give you something they don't have. Don't expect a plumber to come rewire your ceiling fan. Don't look for compassion from a person without empathy. Accept people in your life for who they are, not who you want them to be. If you can't, let them go.

This hasn't been an exclusively "woman after retirement" post, but it IS a woman on the edge of something new and unknown. Still BOLD, yes?

Speaking of On the Edge

It's been a theme that's shown up for me a few times recently. I've taken to pulling an Oracle card in the mornings to journal on.

Yesterday, this is the card I drew. Hmmmmm. The oracle's message: "Facing the unknown is the only choice you really have if you want to progress." (Wisdom of the Oracle deck by Colette Baron-Reid)

Further more....

This morning, while I was waiting for the movers to get here I was reading an unrelated blog post about the importance of taking risks. The post ended with this:

Hmmmmm - I wonder what tomorrow will bring.

Think about all the times in your life you've felt pushed off the edge and all the ways your life is more full because of it. Share your thoughts in the private Facebook Group - or hit reply and let me know.

xo

Lynnelle "On the Edge" Wilson

PS - Notice the rebranding, starting now. I'm no less BOLD and not changing missions. Just putting more Lynnelle out there than I've let out front before.

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