September Celebrations and Re-Set

My September review shows that it’s been a month of celebrations in my postworksavvy lifestyle. September is my birthday month and a birthday provides an annual opportunity for a fresh start or a re-set.  For many, including me, September always feels like the start of a new year. 

Our 57th anniversary and my birthday were excuses for celebrations. Each celebration took place over several days. After all, why mark important life events such as birthdays and anniversaries only on one short day?

Our Anniversary on Labour Day Weekend

We celebrated our anniversary with a fun weekend at the cottage. The hot and sunny weather also had us celebrating the end of summer weekends at the cottage with our grandchildren as they would soon return to school and regular routines. Beach time, swimming in beautiful Lake Huron, steaks on the barbecue, a few glasses of good wine plus the joy of family made for a memorable anniversary and a fun Labour Day weekend. 

As we toasted each other, both my husband and I remarked that we have lived more years of our respective lives together than as individuals. Over 57 years our relationship has certainly evolved from a young married couple with dreams for a future together, through years of parenting and careers, and into retirement.  Both of us feel exceptionally blessed to grow old together. 

My Birthday

My birthday came just a few days after Labour Day — a reminder that I am nearing the end of my 7th decade!  Interestingly, as the years pass, I keep feeling younger than my chronological age.  Perhaps it’s a form of denial. 

Birthday celebrations included a lovely dinner at our son’s home one day and a special lunch with my husband at our favourite restaurant on another day. Throughout the birthday week, I received many telephone calls, cards, and texts as family members and friends communicated their good wishes.  Birthdays have a way of filling the heart with appreciation for all the gifts in my life!

September Re-Set

September is akin to January for me as it signals the start of a new year. Schools start a new year and years of going to school or sending children to school have programmed most of us to be ready for a new start every September.  

After my birthday, it’s time for my annual reset. Summer is ending and goof-off time is over — although the joy of our anniversary and my birthday prolonged those summer feelings of happiness, carefree joy and well-being.

Intentionality frames my September re-set.  I’m determined to achieve one or two small goals every day.  Instead of letting the hours pass aimlessly, I’m focusing on ‘to-do’ items and plans that have been on my list for months. If I can go to bed knowing that some purposeful task was completed, I’ll give myself a gold star for living with intention on that day. The difference between accomplishing something or neglecting it may be small but the payoff in feelings of accomplishment is huge.

Some of my small goals relate to necessary household or garden tasks that vary with the seasons.  These may involve hobbies, changing habits, or learning new things. Other goals include entertaining and taking my turn at hosting monthly meetings of clubs to which I belong. Since I’m a list-maker, it brings pleasure to check items off the list at the end of a week. 

My September re-set also involves making time for writing.  I’ve badly neglected my blog in the past months as I’ve been busy writing family stories for my grandchildren.  My excuse is that after 13 years of writing Postworksavvy posts, there’s nothing left to say.  But, things change over the years and previous ideas can benefit from re-thinking. 

Putting together a decent blog post requires a fair amount of time which means setting intentions to write consistently.  I’ll let readers evaluate the results!

As I review September, I remember the joyfulness of celebrations and how special I felt on those days.  Deciding that my reset will focus on intentionality provides motivation to achieve small goals and make purposeful changes to daily behaviours and habits. Spending precious energy on things that make a difference in my life ensures that I feel generally good about myself and my accomplishments.  That’s the path to happiness in my Postworksavvy lifestyle.