Nothing Can Stop You - No Matter How Old You Are

 Nothing can stop you - no matter how old you are

How many times have you awakened in the morning and wondered what happened with the past three, four, five, six or seven decades?  Or have you looked into the mirror and felt it was unfair that life passed you by without giving you a chance to pursue the career you always wanted?  As much as some people look forward to retirement, what if you don’t have the income to maintain the lifestyle you have grown accustomed to?  Then there is the backdoor threat of Alzheimer’s.  You may wonder how you are going to stay alert and focused when your days may only be filled with volunteer community work or gardening.  Is your only option being a Walmart greeter?

If You Accomplish Nothing, Have You Really Worked?

The definition of work is to put in the effort to achieve a certain goal.  Does this mean that if I bang my head against a wall all day and not leave a dent in the wall, I have accomplished nothing?  We all have those kinds of days and this month I was devastated by working so hard on a time-sensitive goal and producing zip. 

About a month before we moved I realized that we would not have the same email server at the new house.  This didn't seem to be a concern until the internet provider enlightened me that when we closed our account with them, there was no way to access any of my folders or files.  

I had hundreds of files saved from 20 years in business.  It was crucial that these were saved.  I also had photos and warm fuzzy files in my personal folders.  Hence, I began the task of going over each and EVERY email, determining if I wanted to save it and then transferring it to a new Gmail account.  Not only a huge task but I did not like the folder option layout available on Gmail.

I dedicated three hours a day, every single day for almost a full month, to complete this task.  Then two days before moving I called the cable company to see if there was any other way to keep my old account open.  "Yes, of course.  You could put your account on vacation hold indefinitely."  WHY didn't they tell me that a month earlier?  I had already deleted everything from my old account but decided it couldn't hurt to keep it open to save all my contacts -- for at least another month.

After finally getting settled and ready to get back to work, I opened my new Gmail account to gain access to a few files and almost suffered heart failure.  All of my folders were there BUT most of them were empty.  I checked trash and spam.  NADA.  Empty.

Talked to computer guys but noone seemed to be able to help me.  I finally had to succumb to the fact that everything was gone.  All those years of files for our businesses and the businesses I managed for others were gone!

After much stress and investigation, I discovered that in Gmail, if you have several files in a folder and delete one of the files - it deletes them all.  I never heard of anything so ridiculous.  It didn't compute.  But it was true.

After allerting some of my business connections, my accountant and other associates that I no longer had access to old files, I resolved to find anything I could from other sources.  The move had set me back and my desk was covered with unfinished tasks.  Now, this!

The last time we moved was 12 years earlier and I didn't realize that those years had taken a toll on my stamina when it came to packing, unpacking, and carrying over 100 boxes up and down the stairs.  But mission accomplished, I was now ready to get back to work.

Five weeks later, I had one of those thoughts that gave me a head rush.  I knew all my files in my old account had been deleted but I never emptied my 'sent' file.  I was shaking when I opened that file and THERE THEY WERE.  Each and every single one of them was nicely compacted into folders I had sent to Gmail.  I shouted and got far too excited about this but it meant years of work had been found.  For the $15 it cost per month to keep my old account on vacation hold, it was worth every penny.

Moral of the story -- I'll leave that to you in the comment section.  Would love to hear your take away on this scenario. 

It feels wonderful to be settled and enjoying our new home. It's been fun entertaining and having access to so many things that had been in storage for years.

 

The highlight of the month was having my daughter and kiddos visit for a few days.  This kitchen has a huge pantry and the kids loved 'going shopping' several times a day.  It was a delight to watch them.

Gunner and Star seem to be happier here -- not sure why.  Maybe it is because they can run up and down the stairs all day.  Gunner is such a gentleman.  If Star wants the whole bed to herself, he allows it but stays close in his protective mode.



















This has been a Fly on the Wall post where bloggers share what went on in their lives during the past month.  Stop by and read these stories by other bloggers you know and love:

Baking In A Tornado
Menopausal Mother
Spatulas on Parade

6 Tips on How To Stop Cleaning Your House

Every Saturday, I mean EVERY Saturday.....housework came first.  It mattered not what I had planned for the day, or how much my friends wanted me to join them for a trip to the mall, Mother always said "After the housework is done, you can go out." End of conversation.

Mondays were reserved for doing the laundry.  Tuesdays were for ironing.  Wednesdays for baking. Thursdays for gardening. I don't remember what Fridays were for but..... SATURDAYS were for cleaning house.  This was usually a full day of work.

Dusting.  Sweeping.  Shaking (or beating) the big rugs outside.  Mopping the floors.  Spot washing the walls, window sills and whatever.  Scrubbing the bathroom.  Polishing the furniture. Polishing the silverware.  It's amazing I survived!

What's It Like?

Ever wonder what it's like?  If you know -- please enlighten me.

What's it like to leave your dirty dishes and clothes around the house knowing that someone is going to pick them up for you?

What's it like to come home from work and sit down to a home-cooked meal with all the trimmings?