STRETCHING and GROWING!

I've been on a journey over the last five months that I never anticipated a year ago.  It has saddened me and changed my life dramatically. It has also forced me to stretch and grow in unimaginable ways. I'm writing this from Germany, where close friends have supported me and welcomed me in countless ways. When I return home to Minnesota, I'll have much to reflect back on.  Here I've had the time and space and energy to allow myself to re-focus. It's been emotionally draining at times, as many divorces are, and I suspect that those emotions will still be powerful at times when I return home.  And at the ripe old age of 67, I'm not looking forward to re-entering the work force.  But who knows?  Maybe it will be just what I need, financially as well as emotionally.

It's been enormously important to get out in the countryside and

reflect upon what I want the next phase of my life to look like.  It's also been incredibly healing to get out in nature and enjoy a new passion--photography.  The walking has lifted my spirits and given me much to write about.  I decided before I left home that I wanted to work on a memoir, and for once, I'm staying focused on that. Quite often I've had what I thought were good ideas and then let them slip away because I thought they just weren't good enough. Now I know that if the memoir records my truth, nothing else really matters.  And I've discovered that there's a lot of humor in everyday life.  You just have to be "open" to it.  

I will confess to experiencing some homesickness and loneliness and culture shock during my stay in Germany, even though I'm with friends. Despite having some ability to converse in German, the language sometimes overwhelms me. And being more of an introvert, there are mornings when the thought of spending part of the day with friends of my friends seems a little daunting.  But then I remember the words of a couple of good friends--"Don't just stretch, Lynda, go for the gold."  And "remember, not many people get to experience what you do." Of course they're "right on." And it gives me a great opportunity to WRITE ON as well.

What a grand adventure it's been to travel to Munich once or twice

a week and explore such an exciting city.  I feel the giddiness of the tourists at times.  There are hours when I just sit on a nice bench in the heart of the city and watch people stroll by.  It's reminded me of a summer spent in Hamburg nearly 50 years ago.  There are so many places to go and things to see, but I opt for simplicity this time around.  It may be the last time I come here, and I want to savor the moments.

Many years ago my mother often repeated the phrase "time marches on."  Indeed it does, and before I lose another moment, I'd better find my walking shoes.  It's a rare sunny day and I have new paths to discover.