I Ain’t Got It Together
If you’ve read my past blogs—especially the one with my daily schedule—you might’ve thought, She’s got this figured out. Or maybe, She’s full of it. No one actually follows a schedule like that.
The truth is… I do follow the schedule.
But also? I don’t have it all together.
Most days, I’m in a fog. I feel like an automaton, going through the motions. I schedule everything, even the most menial tasks—laundry, dishes, taking out the trash. Some days, I rely on sticky notes in loud colors, stuck in loud places, just to remember what needs doing.
Recently, I’ve been reading about working with intentionality. Living with intention means having goals, being present, and aligning your life with your values. Sounds great in theory, right? Those articles reminded me of an assignment from my Education Leadership degree: we had to create a vision, mission, values, and goals for the school we’d be leading. That sounds simple, but it wasn’t—it required real thought. I was pushed out of my comfort zone (or in educator speak, my “zone of proximal development”—shoutout to Vygotsky).
Back then, I worked with my cadre to craft those foundational statements for our imaginary school. Now, in retirement, I’m wondering: Why haven’t I done this for my own life?
Let’s check in:
Do I have a vision? I think so.
Is it written down? Nope.
Do I have a mission? Yes: to help other retired widows by sharing my experiences.
Are my values clear? Honestly, they’re a little foggy and tend to shift with my mood.
Do I have goals? Absolutely. They’re SMART and they’re written down.
So now what?
I’ve decided it’s time to be intentional—really intentional—about how I live each day. I’m going to define and write down my personal vision, values, mission, and goals. I’m going to post them where I can see and reflect on them daily. I want to move beyond checking boxes and start making those boxes matter.
Maybe all the time, money, and energy I put into my education weren’t just for my career. Maybe I’m only now learning how to use those tools—really use them—in this new chapter of life.
Maybe I don’t have it all together. But maybe, just maybe, I’m finally learning what “together” really means.
Next time, I’ll share what my vision and mission statements look like—in writing.
Bethanne
05/22/2025
