It doesn’t seem possible that 2024 is half over. Where did the first half of the year go? June was an eventful month for me as it was my last month of work before retirement. In addition to my goals update, my June 2024 roundup has insightful posts on friendship apps, the dog-eat-dog world, and lessons from farming.
Happy reading!
Cool things I read in June
Since publishing my first monthly roundup at the end of 2020, it has been an honour to introduce you to some of my favourite bloggers. I started the roundup to say thank you to the blogging community and bring attention to talented writers who create inspiring and informative content.
Here are three pieces that caught my eye last month.
Ditching Dating Apps for Friendship Apps – Unwanted Life
With a growing body of evidence about the impact of loneliness on our physical and mental health, could friendship apps help fill the void? This insightful post explores this question and offers suggestions on ways to build connection.
Simply put, friendship apps are designed to help you connect with like-minded people for friendship and companionship, offering a refreshing change from the romantic focus of dating apps.
Unwanted Life, Ditching Dating Apps for Friendship Apps
The dog-eat-dog world – Frank J. Peter
This short but powerful piece discusses rejecting the ugly competitiveness of the world. Well worth reading and reflecting!
Experience has taught me again and again that I only truly win when my victory requires no one else to lose.
Frank J. Peter, The Dog-Eat-Dog World
Three things farming taught me – The Kitchens Garden on Substack
In this entertaining and thought-provoking post, Cecilia shares six (not three) lessons she’s learned in her 25 plus years of being a farmer. Practical advice for all of us!
I am not the farmer’s wife. I am the farmer. In fact, I object to the term wife! Let alone farmers wife.
Cecilia, Three things farming taught me
What I wrote in June
In case you missed any of them, here are the new posts I published in June here on Boomer Eco Crusader.
- The Sunday Spark – A portfolio of friends and connections
- Nature documentaries to grow your knowledge – A Climate Change Collective post
- The Sunday Spark – Retiring on my own terms
- The Sunday Spark – Nuggets of wisdom from Dad
- Take a look at these environmental learning resources
- The Sunday Spark – Family time is rare and precious
- Are you ready for Plastic Free July 2024?
- The Sunday Spark – My first day of retirement
And here are the posts I wrote in June for Wise & Shine.
- Breaking the cycle of overachievement
- The value of work friendships
- Sprinkling a little kindness into our world
- In praise of wasted time
Plus, as I revisit my 52-Weeks of Decluttering Challenge, I refreshed and republished these posts.
- Week 22 – Laundry room
- Week 23 – Linen closet
- Week 24 – Mud room/Front entranceway
- Week 25 – China cabinet
- Week 26 – Bedroom surfaces and halfway update
Let’s keep in touch! Join my mailing list and I’ll email you when I add a new post.
June goals – How did I do?
June was an eventful month for me as it was my last month of work before retirement and both of our daughters were home for a week mid-month. As a result, it was a mixed month on the goals front. Let’s take a look.
Fitness
Once again, I set goals of 180 minutes of exercise a week, including 2 strength training sessions. And I continued my goal of adding a short balance or flexibility routine 5 times a week.
The month was a complete bust on the fitness front. I managed a weekly average of just 98 minutes of exercise, 0.5 strength training sessions, and 1.25 balance sessions.
Reading
I met my goal of reading 3 books in June. Here’s what I read this month:
- Achievement Addict by Rose Lounsbury
- Project Unlonely by Jeremy Nobel
- The Uninvited by Heather Graham
Reinvention/Second Life
I did it! I retired at the end of June. My Second Life has begun.
Decluttering
Again, I set a goal to declutter 50 items. Decluttering momentum picked up this month. I managed to exceed this goal with a total of 79 items.
My July goals
July will be a month of new beginnings and establishing a new routine now that I don’t have the daily pressure of work.
- Fitness goals: I’ll be on vacation for part of the month, so I’m switching things up a bit on the fitness front in July. My goal is to either work out or walk at least 30 minutes every day.
- Reading: Read 4 books.
- Reinvention/Second Life:
- Establish a new morning routine.
- Plan my Second Life Vision website.
- Decluttering: Declutter 50 items.
- Personal development: Prepare my presentation on Age-friendly Workplaces for the conference I’m attending in September.
Thanks for dropping by to check out my June 2024 roundup. How did the first half of the year go for you? Drop me a comment below to let me know.
Thanks for including me in your June roundup. Have a great July
My pleasure!
I love your “done” on your retirement goal! Wow – that’s a big one!!
Thanks Wynne. Yes, it is is a big one!
More of a spot light on ageism in the workplace and in society in general, is definitely needed. I’m surprised at how much ageism I’ve internalized over the years. Until I started to pay more attention to it, I didn’t realize how much it was limiting me as I got older.
Thanks Caroline. It’s so important to be aware of the messages the world sends us about aging. It’s very easy to start to believe them.
Love the title of your upcoming presentation, “Age Friendly Workplaces”…be sure to share more! 🥰
Thanks Vicki. That whole are of age-friendly workplaces, and other age-friendly communities, aligns with the book I’m working on too! More info to come! 🥰
Love it! I feel a wave of ageism in several corners of my life right now. I think your work is well-timed, culturally…socio-politically, too. 😉
Sounds exciting Michelle. I’m sure there’s a big audience out there
I hope so!
It sounds like you still had a successful and positive month, despite not achieving everything you set out to do. I think you achieved some really significant things, and experienced some major life changes. I wouldnt be surprised if the run up to retirement was more demanding of your time and energy than you thought. I also believe, given you already have some concrete and established post-retirement plans in place, you will have been busy on them too. It’s also likely you achieved some other things that were not on your list.
Well done … enjoy the rest of your year. It sounds like it’s going to be a time of fun and exciting discoveries. xxx
Thank you Brenda. I really expected June would be busy so I deliberately didn’t set any overly-ambitious goals. It’s important to allow ourselves these little ebbs and flows instead of trying to keep up the same crazy pace all the time.