Author: coachrita365

Does Absence Make The Heart Grow Fonder?

What’s the solution when one partner strongly wants to do something the other strongly doesn’t? What advice would relationship experts give to couples facing such a dilemma? The moment I considered the possibility of going on a four-month cruise around the world I knew my husband would not be going. If I went, I would be going without him.

The moment I considered the possibility of going on a four-month cruise around the world I knew my husband would not be going. If I went, I would be going without him.

The timing was good for me but taking four months off work wouldn’t work for him and being confined to a cruise ship with 1300 strangers for that long just isn’t his thing. Should I not go because it meant being apart for four months; and, if I did go, how would being apart for that long affect our relationship?

Many women of my generation grew up in a culture where the husband led, and the wife followed. He made the money and the decisions. It would be unheard of for a wife to go on a four-month cruise without her husband. It just wasn’t done. She would be told that if she left her husband alone for that long she might not have a husband to come home to; and, it would have been a rare man of that generation who would have “allowed” his wife to go without him.

Sounds archaic I know, and much more like a dictatorship than a relationship, but that’s the way life was back then. Relationships today are much more of an equal partnership, aren’t they? Or, are they? The reaction others have had when they learned I was going on the cruise without Dan was interesting. I got a look that said: “really, you’re actually going to do that,” and Dan got a look that said, “and you’re going to let her?” When people on the cruise learn I’m traveling without my husband their reactions are typically the same combination of you are? and he let you? 

What’s the solution when one partner strongly wants to do something the other strongly doesn’t? What advice would relationship experts give to couples facing such a dilemma? I’m not sure because we didn’t ask any. I think a healthy relationship is one where the partners can have open honest conversations and make the decision that’s best for them regardless of what others think.

A relationship consists of two independent people who have chosen to share a life, but does that require each to give up their own? A happy relationship is not a dictatorship with one person making the decisions and the other person giving in, giving up, and going along to keep the peace.  That only creates resentment for what you gave up and blame for making me. “If it hadn’t been for you, I could have.”  It’s not a relationship based on fear of losing the other person but on trust that I can be me, you can be you, and together we will form a partnership that will endure time spent apart.

Do I want to be away from my husband for four months? No. Does he want me to be away for that long? No. But, making the decision to travel around the world means we will spend 128 days apart and that’s not easy. We talk every day and sometimes twice a day if possible, with time zone differences. He follows my itinerary and researches the places I’m visiting. I send him pictures and share what I’m learning. He may not be with me in person, but I feel like we’re sharing this amazing experience.

Will absence make the heart grow fonder? I only have 96 days left to confirm that it will – not that I’m counting.

Next blog topic: “Hello from the End of the World.”  Adventures in Antarctica

Mastering The Art Of Doing Nothing

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by work or play, try pausing and asking yourself these two questions. It could be the first step to making life more enjoyable and less stressful.

My vision of what life would be like on a four-month cruise included not making a bed, doing laundry, or cooking; visiting amazing places around the world; relaxing on my balcony with coffee delivered by room service every morning and a glass of wine at sunset; and, sitting by the pool with a book in one hand and a Pina Colada in the other on the days we were at sea. It would be the first time in my life when I could completely relax and enjoy doing nothing after 35+ years of a pretty demanding career with only an occasional one-or two-week vacation. The thought that transitioning to doing nothing might be difficult, never entered my mind.  

I’m beginning the fifth week of my 18-week cruise, and I must confess that I’ve flunked doing nothing.

The cruise began with four days at sea, plenty of time to learn my way around the ship, visit the spa, fitness center, beauty salon, shops, two swimming pools, movie theater, dining room, casino, library, and have a drink at each of the 7 bars. Every night we receive a schedule of the next day’s activities that include a minimum of four options for every hour from 9 am until 7:30 pm. Live entertainment begins at 7:30 pm and continues until 11 pm. Then, there’s dancing at a couple of the bars that goes past midnight. I wanted to do it all, because it sounded like fun and I didn’t know how to do nothing.

After four days of going nonstop from sunrise to midnight, I realized I was tired, and we hadn’t even made the first stop on our itinerary. What am I doing, I asked myself, didn’t I come on this cruise to relax and visit wonderful places around the world?  It’s great that there are so many activities offered on the ship the days we are at sea, but I don’t have to participate in all of them. I didn’t come on the cruise to learn to line dance or do arts and crafts, and It really is ok to relax, do nothing, and save my energy to explore the wonderful places I came on the cruise to see.

Since leaving Ft. Lauderdale on January 4th, we’ve stopped in Dominica; St Lucia; Belem, Recife, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Uruguay; and, Buenos Aires, Argentina. My favorite so far is Uruguay with Buenos Aires a close second. I believe Uruguay is a hidden gem most Americans don’t think about visiting. Antarctica and Chile are next on the itinerary and then we head over to New Zealand and Australia at the end of February. There’s plenty to see and do when I’m exploring places I haven’t been before and then relax and do nothing, other than decide what to eat and what to wear when we are at sea. So, that’s what I’ve decided to do.

I’m beginning to feel more comfortable just relaxing. My days at sea begin with coffee on my balcony and a 2 mile walk around the ship. After that, I just go with the flow. I don’t feel the need to keep busy every hour, which is a change for me. Before the cruise I was always thinking about what I had to do or must do and somedays feeling overwhelmed and unable to get it all done. Even though life on a four-month cruise is very different, I came on the cruise and repeated that same “must do everything” behavior that felt natural to me.

Changing behavior is always a challenge, and the transition to a new behavior feels strange. To keep me focused on the desired behavior I’m asking, “do I really have to do this, do I really want to do this?”  Often the answer is no, and I’m free to relax. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by work or play, try pausing and asking yourself the same two questions. It could be the first step to making life more enjoyable and less stressful.

Will this new behavior last? Will I be able to master the art of doing nothing? Or, will I find that doing nothing is overrated and strike a balance between doing too much and not enough? I have three months left to find out. 

It’s Never Too Late To Find Your Mate

Everyone has a story that I’m curious to hear, learn from, and share with you. Last week I met a woman named Maggie and am sharing her story with you to illustrate that if you’re open to exploring new places, meeting new people, and embracing new ideas, you can create a new life after the one you never wanted to end has ended.

I’m cruising around the world with 1300 people I don’t know. For the next four months, I’m living in a community of neighbors of all ages from multiple countries who have multiple reasons for making this journey. For some, it’s their first world cruise, and for others, it’s their 7th or 8th.  The oldest passenger is 98 and on his 28th world cruise.

Everyone has a story that I’m curious to hear, learn from, and share with you.  Last week I met a woman named Maggie and am sharing her story with you to illustrate that if you’re open to exploring new places, meeting new people, and embracing new ideas, you can create a new life after the one you never wanted to end has ended.

Maggie lives in Portland, Maine and lost her husband after a 40-plus year happy marriage. She was miserable, depressed and basically didn’t leave her home for 15 months following his death. After losing four of her close friends over a three month time period, she decided she had to make a drastic change, or she would die too. At 72 and still, in good health, she believed the time was now or never.

Her current environment was keeping her stuck in a life that was only a memory. A change of location, free of opinions of those around her about who she was and how she should live her life, was essential to create a future without her husband. So, she decided to go alone on a cruise around the world. That takes courage for someone who had never travelled alone in her life.

The first few weeks were difficult, and she was sure she had made a huge mistake until she met Larry, who lives in San Diego, California, on one of the shore excursions. Larry had recently lost his wife of many happy years and was also cruising alone. They had a nice conversation and decided to meet for dinner the next evening, and the next, and the next. 

At the end of the cruise, Larry went back to his west coast home and Maggie went back to her east coast home, but before leaving the ship they decided to book the next cruise – a shorter one – together. They both loved cruising, were compatible travel companions, and could save considerable money by sharing a cabin, so they became cruise mates.

They’re enjoying their third year of cruising and are currently on their second cruise around the world.  At the end of every cruise Maggie goes back to her home and Larry goes back to his, until the next cruise. It’s an arrangement that wouldn’t work for everyone but works well for them, and that’s all that matters.

What can we learn from their story?

1.       The power of choice. Life is a series of endings and beginnings. Like Maggie, you may experience an ending you didn’t choose and for a time believe you’ll never be happy again. You can choose to hang onto a life that continues to exist only in your memory or choose instead to explore options available to you that support how you want to experience life in this phase of your life.

2.       The power of a new environment. Change changes you and creates an opportunity to redefine who you are and what you want. That’s difficult to do in an environment that supports who you were. Staying in the same place with the same people when you’re no longer the same person doesn’t feel right because you no longer fit. A change of view helps you create a new view of you and opens your mind to possibilities you can’t see in your current environment.

3.       The power of “yes.” Flexibility creates opportunities while living your life guided by outdated rigid fear-based rules – often prefaced by the word “should” — only creates limits. You can say “no” at any moment you realize something new isn’t working. At least be willing to open a door to what could turn out to be something wonderful by saying “yes.”

4.       The power of relationships to move you forward or keep you stuck. Bringing new people into your life who don’t see you the way you’ve always been and criticize you if you do anything other than what they consider appropriate, is essential. Just as important is defining what relationship means to you at this stage of your life. Not every relationship has to be a forever relationship. I believe that being open to saying “yes” to relationships in many forms enriches your life and opens doors to possibilities you never imagined.

 

It’s never too late to find your mate!

Around The World With Rita

My philosophy for many years had been to make decisions based on faith and not on fear. I begin to question if that was how I was living my life. #yourchangeguru

If not now, when?

Why am I doing this?  Isn’t this financially irresponsible?  After all, I’m not getting any younger.

It’s December 26, 2017 and I’m in the ER waiting for the doctor to tell me I can go home, take Tylenol, drink plenty of fluids and I’ll be fine. What I hear instead is “you could be dead in 3 days. You have liver failure, pneumonia, and there’s a spot on your lung that’s consistent with Lung Cancer.”  Since my reaction to bad news is typically to argue against it, I looked at the doctor and said: “You must have my medical records mixed up with someone else’s. I’ve never had liver problems or smoked, and I’m sure I have the flu. Young doctor looked at me, shook his head and said, “we’re admitting you.”

It would be two months before the pneumonia cleared up enough for a scan to show that the spot on my lung was a granuloma and not Lung Cancer; and, for my liver numbers to get back to normal and confirm the problem with my liver was caused from taking too much Tylenol in too short a period from a combination of flu, cold, cough, and pain medicine. I now know too much Tylenol can kill you.

Two months is a long time to try your best not to imagine the worst. It’s also long enough to think about how you want to experience the future, if you have one.

I thought about choices I had made about how to live my life until that time in my life. My philosophy for many years had been to make decisions based on faith and not on fear. I begin to question if that was how I was living my life.

The moment I realized the ER doctor was talking about me and that I could be dead in 3 days, the thought that popped into my head was “I should have spent my money.” I had worked hard to save and make financially responsible choices because I was afraid of not having enough money to live on in my old, old, age.  Now, I began to realize I might not have an old, old, age. “I could have taken a trip around the world with some of that money, I thought, now I never will.”

Fast forward 2 years into the future and here I am – cruising around the world for the next 4 months. Was the decision to do this a mistake? Will I run out of money in my old, old age? Maybe. All I know for sure is that while I’m living, I’m going to live. I will not let fear of what might happen keep me from exploring what could happen.

That’s how I want to experience life at this stage of my life, and that’s my answer to the question “why?”

What about you?  How do you want to experience life at this stage of your life?

Something to think about.