I used to think there was something wrong with me because I didn’t enjoy what “normal” people did. I could never get into Broadway shows, or cruises, or bus tours, or weekends in a big city, or marathon shopping trips, or the ballet, or watching sporting events, or tailgate parties, or cocktail parties, or participating in team sports, or line dancing, or the bar scene. (Can anybody say introvert?)

Like so many of the folks I work with, I forgot who I was and what I wanted after a few too many years of putting myself on the back burner while looking after everyone else. It took me a lot of trial and error, some open-minded experimentation, to learn what floats my boat.

 

I had to know what it was I liked in order to design this very exciting chapter in my life.

 

I was trying to explain to my daughter the other day what I adore about Ireland.  Just for fun, I’d like to share with you what I shared with her.  These, my friends, are just a few of my favorite things. (Cue Julie Andrews.)

 

1. Stray donkeys that interrupt our runs.

 

2. Visits to quiet cafes in the middle of the week.

 

3. Jack Russell Terriers everywhere you look.

 

4. Kayaking with seals just off the local beach.

 

5. Rainbows out our front window nearly every single day.

 

6.  Silly parades I would never go to at home.

 

7.  Bumping into sheep while  we hike.

 

8. Castles in the oddest spots.

 

9.  A rather loose enforcement and/or development of rules.

 

10. A herd of very social cows for neighbors.

 

11.  An equally happy husband.

 

Can you remember what brings you joy?  You don’t have to remember the big things; the little things are sometimes the very best start.

If you are vaguely unhappy and ready for a change, you’ll need to discover one activity, one interest, one place that makes you come alive.