Distractions - I mean, Balance!

     I like to think that I've always been good at balancing my life, trying to nurture my intellectual, physical, spiritual and emotional selves.  For me it isn't work vs play, but how to do both.  In my teaching days (when it was not unusual for me to be at school for 10 hours a day) it seemed that work took most of my time, but I made sure I had special things planned (or nothing planned!) for weekends and vacations.
     As soon as I return from a vacation I am planning my next one.  I recently read that the planning of a trip brings down stress levels and increases joy almost as much as the actual vacation.  I even enjoy helping others plan their own trips.  But I digress (or got distracted? :-) )
     Anyway, I like planning distractions and actually include them in my weekly/monthly planner.  And yes, I check them off as well!  I love having monthly lunches and dinners with old friends, some I've known since childhood.  My friend, Beth, and I have tickets for the 6 classic movies being shown at Tinseltown every Wednesday afternoon.  I love that I have a membership to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo (one of the top rated zoos in the nation!) and can go anytime I want.  I get monthly massages and enjoy weekly phone calls with Cindy.
     I love getting my spiritual battery recharged at weekly church services.  Singing has always been a wonderful distraction and good for my overall well-being.  I miss performing in musicals - until I remember the interminable rehearsals!  My biggest distraction since retiring is reading!  I often read three or four books (on my Kindle) at a time.  To me that's no different than having multiple TV series that I watch.  I love murder mysteries and am a huge fan of Ellis Peters' Brother Cadfael series set in 12th century England and Donna Leon's Guido Brunetti series set in modern Venice.  I love books that take me away!  Even to a fictional place like in the Harry Potter books or the Hunger Games trilogy or the writings of Tolkein.
     And then, of course, I love the true chronicles of the adventures of life in another country with authors like Francis Mayes (Italy), Peter Mayle (France) and Victoria Twead (Spain).
    And now you're probably wondering if I did anything with my house this past week!  Yes!  I scraped the popcorn ceiling in one bedroom and then washed it down, and washed the walls and the baseboards in that  room so that I can start painting this week.  One room at a time!  I also have made trips to Home Depot to pick up materials for renewing the wood floors and and kitchen counters and a new bathroom vanity.  So, I have accomplished tasks.
     But, distractions are an important part of my life and I have no doubt that living in France will be filled with endless distractions!
     By the way, the photo at the top is of the Neste Valley in SW France near the Pyrenees.  When I visited that area in September I immediately fell in love with this valley and hope to be able to find a place to live near this beautifully lush region at the foot of the mountains.
     Thanks for joining me on my journey.  Merci!