Living with Intention, Moment to Moment

Satisfaction is a fresh patch of green grass.

Joy, heartbreak, regret — and fresh sod.

It’s been a good week—satisfying, a few bumps, nothing fatal. Around here, living with intention sometimes looks like celebrating the wins, learning from the stumbles, and slowing down long enough to notice both.

A Moment of Joy

This week, our financial planner told me something surprising: I can retire next year. If I want to.

Of course I want to. For years, I’ve been dreaming of stepping away from my corporate job and into my second act — as an artist. But I’ve also been quietly avoiding the part where I actually make art, blaming it on the full-time job that funds the dream.

So now? No more excuses. Time to follow my own advice and live with intention.

Thoreau said it best (and said it first):

“I learned this, at least, by my experiment; that if one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours. . . . In proportion as he simplifies his life, the laws of the universe will appear less complex, and solitude will not be solitude, nor poverty poverty, nor weakness weakness.”

Having retirement in sight — not as a vague someday but as an actual date — put a big grin on my face. The inner critic, of course, immediately tried to ruin it. That’s her job. To tell me that I'll screw up or I'm not good enough, things like that. But I’ve had decades of practice ignoring her and all the others (both internal and external). Now, I also have a ton of motivation on my side. (And a healthy 401k.)

More to come soon on the switch from chasing money to chasing joy.

A Moment of Heartbreak

After a better-than-usual season of Cubs baseball, it’s time to fold up the “W” flag. (If you know, you know.)

The Brewers took Game 5 of the NLDS, and now they're up against the Dodgers in the championship. The Cubs? Watching from the couch with the rest of us.

If you’re a Cubs fan, heartbreak is practically a personality trait. For 108 years, losing was our brand. Then, the 2016 World Series Win brought us out of an era of curses and excuses.

This year’s sting isn’t about failure; it’s about unrealized potential. This team was good. Really good. Just not quite enough. Or not quite enough, often enough. Or at the right time.

Wait ’til next year.

A Moment of Regret

Living with intention means making choices — about everything. How you spend your time, how you care for yourself, and how you show up in the world.

My regret this week: I let a misogynistic comment slide. I didn’t speak up.

In my head, I called the guy who said it a dick. Authentic, yes. Productive, not so much.

What I wish I’d done was ask questions. “What did you mean by that?” or “What are you hoping to accomplish by saying it?” And I wish I’d said out loud what I believe— that those comments, even when framed as jokes, aren’t okay. Especially not in my home.

There are far bigger injustices in the world than one off-hand, sexist comment. Most of them are beyond my control. But in a life lived with intention, I can at least control how I respond to the ones right in front of me.

The message may never reach the person who needs to hear it — but saying it here feels better. And next time I'll use my words. (The polite ones, not the name-calling ones.)

Another Moment of Joy

Let’s end where we began — on a happier note.

Bob and I spent an entire day this weekend laying sod in the backyard. (Bob spent several days, if we’re being accurate.)

We swore when we moved to the mountains that we were done with manicured lawns. We wanted wild nature, not weekend yard work. But we caved. A small patch of grass just feels right — soft underfoot, easy on the eyes, and excellent for keeping the dirt on the outside.

The biggest fan so far? Cash. Watching him roll in that brand-new, good-smelling, back-scratching patch of heaven made every sore muscle worth it.

Hope your week brings a little new-grass joy, too.