I am continuing with my quest to thrive each month and here's my review of May:
Spiritual:
May is a significant month for Buddhists as we observe the birth, Enlightenment, and death of the Buddha. There were various ceremonies to mark the occasion at the temples, and, although I was invited to attend, I chose not to for various reasons. Instead, I kept my spiritual side thriving with daily prayers, meditation, and doing my best to live my life according to the teachings of my religion.
Daughter:
My daughter returned for a short visit in May, to attend a friend's graduation. Dancer and I enjoyed having her home again and we celebrated a delayed Mother's Day while she was here. Her foot continues to improve, which is good. We continue to keep in touch through daily phone calls, texts, and video chats. I am happy to say that our relationship is thriving.
Health & Well Being:
May saw a lot happening where my health and well being were concerned. I had two lab tests and two follow up doctors' appointments. The lab test results were mostly good, but, there were some areas of concern that need to be addressed. The doctors' visits went well and the scales confirmed that I've lost a little weight since my previous visits, which is good.
After many phone calls and emails, back and forth, the authorizations for the referrals were finally approved in May and I was able to make two additional medical appointments for June - a scan/ultrasound in the first week of June and a visit with the specialist in the second week of June. I am not willing to speculate at this time, but, I should know more after the scan and the appointment with the specialist and, hopefully, whatever it is can be treated.
In the meantime, I am rejoicing in the fact that this May marks 10 years since I had the mammogram which detected my breast cancer. They are 10 years that I didn't even dare to dream of at the time. Looking back, I feel that I might have squandered some of that gift of time, but, looking forward, I am determined to make the most of the rest of my days and thrive.
Family, Friends, & Community:
I had quite a few social interactions in May. As usual, I kept in touch with family and friends by phone (mostly), emails, texts, etc.
In addition, I visited cousin V who is recovering from knee surgery and I attended my late friend A's daughter's graduation and accompanied her and her family to dinner, afterwards. There was a visit from friend R, too, who came to collect some packages that were delivered to my address and had lunch with me.
Neighbor S brought over some dinner on the Saturday before Mother's Day and I took over some blueberries and peaches to her, later in the month. I had a visit from neighbor E who arranged for my kitchen ceiling to be repaired and I took over some peaches for him and his family, later in the month.
I participated in the blogging community, too, and spoke with the monks at the temple.
In addition, there were the more casual interactions at the vet's clinic when I took Dancer for his arthritis injection and at the clinics when I went for my own medical appointments.
I'm pleased with the amount of interaction with my family, friends, and community, in May, and I feel that this area of my life is thriving.
Finances:
I was able to keep my finances maintained in May. I did increase my grocery budget by $50 in May (partly because my daughter was spending a few days with me and I was planning to send some food up with her) and managed to stay under budget (with all of $0.23 to spare! LOL.) I am thankful that I was able to increase my grocery budget. Overall, I think I am thriving on my retirement income, minding my pennies (which, apparently, are not being minted, anymore).
Time Management:
I feel that I am getting better with my time management. I even got caught up on my backlog of paperwork, although I've a bit more to do with the filing (partly because I need to clean out the files before I can fit in another piece of paper in them and that's slow going). However, I kept all my appointments and didn't miss any real deadlines (not my self-imposed ones). There is room for improvement, however, as I often feel that I am not making full use of my time. Or, maybe I'm spending too much time on the computer.
Leisure/Hobbies/Crafting:
May's leisure/hobbies/crafting activities included blogging, reading, sewing, gardening, watching videos online, and participating in a monthly photo challenge. I feel that I thrived in this area of my life.
House:
The biggest achievement in this area was the kitchen ceiling repairs. It was something that had been on my Mile Long To Do List for years and just kept getting delayed for one reason or another. But, finally, the ceiling was repaired and painted, the water damage to the hallway wall was also repaired, and another crack in the ceiling in the living room was patched, all thanks to neighbor E and his crew. In addition, the house was maintained with regular cleaning.
However, I fell short of my decluttering goals for this month and most of what I decluttered were papers and statements from the file cabinet, which were shredded and recycled. I am of the opinion that every little bit counts and I will continue to declutter in June, too.
I am thankful to have a home that is comfortable and pleasant. Home maintenance will continue in June, too, with the painting of the living room ceiling scheduled for the first week in June.
Garden:
The garden continued to thrive in May. The oranges have all been picked, the blueberries are coming to an end, and the peaches are ripening (and being eaten by the birds before I can get to them!). Vegetable seeds have been planted and tomatoes are ripening. I have more seeds to plant in June, as soon as M can prepare the planting beds. I'm looking forward to having a thriving garden in June, too.
Over all, the month of May has been good and conducive to thriving. Obviously, with some on-going health issues and home repairs, everything is not quite how I would like it to be, but, I am staying focused on the positives, making the best of things, and thriving to the extent that I can.
How was your May? Were you able to attain some of the goals you had made for the month?
