My birthday is in a few days. I’m going to be 63. My first birthday as a retired person. I’m still getting used to my new retired status. It’s a bit weird, to be honest, but I’m starting to settle in to the new routines. It’s nice being able to just ease into my morning, not having to rush off to a meeting, or get calls requiring me to deal with some issue or other.
On one hand, it feels strange to no longer be a part of an organization that I helped build for the last 39 years. On the other hand, it is such a relief to no longer be carrying the burden of that leadership role. Don’t get me wrong, it was a privilege and I am so thankful that I got to do something that I believed in, as a career, for so many years. I just think that now that I no longer have to carry the weight of that responsibility, I’m kind of feeling the strangeness of my new lightened load.
I am so grateful for my health, and mobility. You hear of so many people working all their lives, and then finally getting to retire, but health issues make their lives miserable. I really didn’t want to be in that situation. I wanted to stay healthy, so I could enjoy my retirement. I know some things are beyond your control, but as far as doing the things I could do to stay healthy, I definitely wanted to do that.
I’m trying to stay active, do my stretching every morning, and get out for a walk in the afternoon. Now that winter is here, I’ll go check out the local gym and do some inside walking, and take part in some yoga classes.
One of my all time fav things to do is share my love of Young Living essential oils. And today I’m off to a local vendor fair to set up a table. It’ll be great to see everyone and chat with people about how great these essential oils are! Being part of a community and staying social is an integral part of supporting your emotional and mental wellness, so as much as it is very tempting to hibernate during the cold winter months, I’m making sure I get out and take part in social gatherings as much as possible.
I’m looking forward to another trip around the sun, going on adventures, visiting with old friends, reading some good books. But whatever this new year holds for me, I know that “there’s and oil for that!”
Aaaa...Choo!! Ah, the sounds of Autumn!
Now that the kids are back in school, and people are back to work after summer vacation, we inevitably see more people getting sick with colds and flu. It happens every year, and once one child comes home with a bug, it tends to run rampant through the household, unfortunately.
I’m sitting here this morning with Thieves going in my diffuser. I’ve been diffusing Thieves for a few days in a row now, almost subconsciously. I usually pick different oils to put in my diffuser every day, but it’s been Thieves all day, everyday for the last little while.
I guess I associate the aroma with fall. It’s a beautiful blend of Clove, Lemon, Cinnamon, Eucalyptus Radiata and Rosemary.
Let’s break it down.
Cloves
- Young Living’s Clove essential oil is steam distilled from dried clove buds in Madagascar and has a sweet, spicy fragrance that is stimulating and revitalizing.
- It is approved in Canada as a Natural Health Product that can be used topically to help relieve joint or muscle pain associated with sprains, strains & rheumatoid arthritis.
- It can also be inhaled to reduce the symptoms of cough & cold.
Lemon
- Young Living’s Lemon essential oil is cold pressed from the fresh fruit peel of lemons grown in Argentina and the United States.
- Lemon oil has refreshing and cooling properties. It’s fresh, citrus scent is an instant pick-me-up!
- In Aromatherapy it can be used topically
- It is approved in Canada as a Natural Health Product and can be inhaled to reduce the symptoms of cough & cold.
Cinnamon
- Young Living’s Cinnamon Bark essential oil is warm and comforting and combined with Cloves, it gives Thieves itssignature, spicy aroma
- It’s considered a “hot” oil, so always dilute it if using topically
Eucalyptus Radiata
- Young Living’s Eucalyptus Radiata essential oil comes from an evergreen tree native to Australia that is part of the Myrtaceae plant family.
- Steam distilled from the leaves, Eucalyptus Radiata essential oil is loved for its fresh, sharply clean aroma.
- Use it topically for an invigorating massage after physical activity or to relieve joint or muscle pain associated with strains, sprains, and rheumatoid arthritis
- It’s also found in OrthoEase, which is one of my personal favourites
- It’s a Natural Health Product, approved by Health Canada, and can be inhaled to help relieve headaches
- Or inhaled to help relieve colds & colds
Rosemary
- Young Living’s Rosemary has a fresh, herbaceous, sweet, slightly medicinal aroma.
- It’s an energizing essential oil
- In Aromatherapy it can be used topically or inhaled
- It’s a Natural Health Product approved by Health Canada
- To relieve minor skin irritation, cuts, bruises & burns
- To help relieve joint or muscle pain associated with sprains, strains & rheumatoid arthritis
- When experiencing digestive discomfort can act as a carminative and antispasmodic
- To reduce the symptoms of cold & cough
Thieves is a Natural Health Product approved by Health Canada to help relieve cough & cold. Young Living’s line of Thieves products includes a whole range of household and personal care products from household cleaner to toothpaste and mouthwash! And the Thieves Cough & Cold Relief Chest Rub is a great to have on hand if you do end up with a cold bug.
This essential oil blend is definitely a “Must Have” for every household!
September is just around the corner! Kids and teachers will be going back to school. Summer vacation will end. Extra curricular activities will start up again, and parents and kids will get back into their routines.
It’s kind of a bummer for many, but also a blessing for lots of people. Some people really like the comfort of a routine everyday. And many kids do look forward to getting back to school, seeing friends they haven’t seen all summer, and starting a fresh, new school year of learning and growing.
This September is going to be a bit weird for me. I’m just recently retired, so for the last few weeks it has just felt like I’m on vacation. But as September, and all the programming starts up, I won’t be going back to work. I think it will feel a bit strange for a while, but thankfully, I do have lots of things to occupy my time.
I’ll fall into a new routine that will include spending time with my partner, playing more music with friends, visiting my kids and my granddaughter, and, of course, sharing Young Living essential oils.
Any change to our routines can be both exciting and scary, so using essential oils to help you breathe through the changes can really help. And as much as kids might seem really excited to start a new school year, they are probably also feeling a bit nervous and anxious.
Did you know there is a whole line of essential oils by Young Living that were created just for kids? It’s the KidScents essential oils line!
Diffuse KidScents DreamEase at night to help your child get a good night’s sleep!
Diffuse KidScents Geneyus while your child is studying to help them concentrate and retain what they are learning.
Put a couple of drops of KidScents KidPower onto the bottoms of your child’s feet and diffuse it too, if your child needs help to feel grounded and confident.
KidScents Refresh will freshen up your chid’s bedroom and just make it smell lovely without harmful chemicals found in other room fresheners.
Rub a couple of drops of KidScents T-Gize on your child’s tummy if they’ve had a little too much ice cream or ate something that didn’t agree with them.
KidScents KidCare is a blend of soothing essential oils like Idaho Balsam Fir, Tea Tree, Helichrysum and more, that helps promote healthy-looking skin for your child.
You can also get each of these blends in a roll-on that your child can learn to use as they need them!
Wouldn’t it be great if schools had diffusers and Young Living essential oils in every classroom? It would create such a calming atmosphere that both students and teachers could appreciate.
I think that would make such a difference to the overall learning experience! I know a few teachers who do this already and they say it really helps!
Why not create a healthy new routine by using essential oils to support you as you get back to school or work? Help your kids and yourself learn to navigate the changes and stresses with the natural benefits of these beautiful essential oils.
These days I’m more achy than usual. It’s probably because I’ve been doing more sitting than usual, working at my desk, and missing my walks.
My knees are sore, my neck is sore, my back is tight, and my hip flexors are starting to act up again.
I really need to get back to my walking routine. I usually go every day for at least a 45 minute walk. It helps clear my head, helps me feel more balanced and calm, and it keeps my body moving, which is the physical activity it’s been craving.
I’ve been making excuses for not going for about a week; it’s too hot, too many blackflies, no time, too busy. I am really good at justifying why I can’t go walking if I put my mind to it.
But my body actually craves the activity. It hates not being in motion. It gets sore. And my mental health starts suffering as well. Mind, body, soul - it’s all tied together, right? And the goal is to keep them all in balance so you can stay healthy and well.
I finally did go for a walk yesterday, and it’s amazing what taking a week off does to your body. I trudged along, my body complaining along the way, but it did finally start limbering up, happy to be in motion again. And I could feel myself breathing, enjoying the scenery, the wildflowers along the highway, the calmness of the lake. It is always so worth it to get your body moving.
I am so grateful for the natural way I can support my body as well. I use my essential oils to help soothe those aches and pains. Lavender, OrthoEase, Aroma Siez, Panaway, Cool Azul.
There are so many different essential oils, and essential oil blends that help ease your body aches, and my preference is to use these natural ways rather than pain medication. I also take a supplement called Sulfurzyme to help support my joints.
I find as I get older (I’m 62 right now), having these natural options is such a blessing! Having used essential oils from Young Living for over 10 years now, I really appreciate their power to support my body, mind and soul. I am grateful for their purity and quality and I certainly can’t imagine not having them in my life!
These last 10 years, incorporating essential oils into my wellness routine has been crucial, in helping me work toward my wellness goals. Working in a sometimes stressful environment for the last 39 years has taught me that you can’t do this work if you’re not healthy, in body, mind and spirit. And using my oils every day, taking my supplements, and exercising has enabled me to stay healthy, so I could continue to stay engaged in the work and be my best self.
Do I get lazy sometimes, and fall off my routine? Of course! I’m human after all. But I know what I need to do to stay in balance, and thankfully, I have all the natural tools I need to help get me back on track to healthy living.
If you are interested in the products I use to support my body, mind and soul, here’s a couple of links you can check out:
For that Achy Body:
My Favourite Supplements
People keep asking me what I’m going to do with myself when I’m retired. I guess it’s a legitimate question, although I can’t help feeling a bit anxious whenever someone asks me it. Like I have to come up with some amazing, and worthy answer.
I’m not sure if they are just worried about me and think I might be really bored if I’m not working at the shelter anymore, or if they feel like I’m too young to be retiring and I haven’t contributed enough to society yet, or if they’re just making conversation.
I mean, what am I going to do when I retire?
I’ve worked at the women’s shelter for 39 years so a huge part of my identity is wrapped up in my work for women’s equality and the fight to end Gender Based Violence. That will always be a big part of who I am as a person, and I will always be an advocate.
That being said, I am really looking forward to figuring out my life outside of that identity. I am looking forward to not being the one holding the responsibility for the safe operation of an emergency shelter for women and their children. I think it may take some time to adjust to that new reality.
I do have other interests, and passions that I want to explore. I play guitar and sing, and I’ll definitely be doing more of that with some musical friends I have here in our community. My partner and I are planning to do a bit of travelling, and camping (well glamping lol)
I am really looking forward to being able to spend more time with our granddaughter. She is growing up fast, and she is funny and smart and sweet. I’m looking forward to making memories with her.
And, of course, I will continue to share these awesome essential oils! Helping people discover health, wellness and abundance through Young Living Essential Oils is something I really enjoy! When I see someone who suffers with arthritic pain get some relief from rubbing on Cool Azul or OrthoEase or Peppermint, it makes me so happy! Being able to support people in this way is so gratifying for me.
It’s fun getting people together to help them discover how these little bottles of nature’s living energy can actually support our bodies, minds and spirits.
I will keep learning and growing as a person. I will take long walks in the woods, sit by lakes, enjoy this beautiful area I live in. And I’ll make time for visits with friends and family.
Yeah, I think I’ll be okay in my retirement. I will keep myself busy and have the time to pursue my passions. I’m really looking forward to this next chapter.
