@JerisBrainDump

I’m laying in bed, nose running, throat burning, chest tight and coughing nonstop. I’ve got a cold AGAIN and no sick days left. I am determined to push through though. I refuse to use my annual leave that I’ve worked so hard to build up, for a sickie. I almost have two weeks and that’s rare for me. I’m always on the back foot with leave. It’s been chilly and slightly damp in the house. Our…

The days go faster and faster as you get older. We have fewer ah ha moments and memorable milestones that stop us in our tracks so everything becomes relative and each day slips by in a blur. I put my head down, but up and work 5 days a week 8:30 to 5:00 and weekends are packed with cleaning, gardening and food shopping. The same cycle over and over. I watch as most of the people my age, that I…

People I’ve seen lately keep asking why I haven’t been posting to Jeri’s Brain Dump. There’s no particular reason except for the fact that I’m somewhat unfocused when it comes to all of the creative things I want to accomplish in my life. I work 40 hours a week at a job that can at times be pretty mentally taxing so when I get home I just want to walk on the beach with my man and the dogs, make…

The wind caresses my shoulder with an effervescent chill. The birds swirl around the electrical wires under the spotlight orange sunlight slicing through the trees. The dog chips away on a bone at my feet. Cars glide down the hill invisibly and the whir of the wheels hums beneath the trills of the birds and one single beak blast of a golden tone. Cicadas strum a tender beat and my eyes are…

We’ve had a big year. Seen the stunning election of a convicted, twice impeaced felon in the US and now understand that integrity and truth no longer matter to many humans on planet earth. Seen a couple of our girls move from home again, had more sick days than I care to count, done some really awesome hikes, gotten used to walking 6 kilometres home from work daily (to get fit), and learned so…

Paul looking out at Kapiti island The last time I wrote on July 10, 2023, I was “waiting until the day…” for Paul, our stuff, and the dogs to arrive in NZ. They did and it has been bliss and stress. I realised that over the 5 months, I was a non-dog mom I had become very comfortable with not having the added stimulation and responsibility of having pets. It was nice, I could be selfish and think…

Paul left me in NZ on January 11th and then I went back to the US for 21 days in April and spent our last moments with him in our Naples home that we have put up for sale. I packed and cleaned every day and saw him every evening after he finished work. I returned to NZ leaving my husband behind once again. After several months apart It feels like the days are getting longer and I am wondering how…

Do you practice religion? I used to believe in the bricks and mortar church, it’s leader and the community. I basked in the Sunday smiles and charity work being done and I felt I was where I was meant to be. I was working towards and living my divine purpose as I had learned to. I followed my heart and Gods discerning confirmations through the words of those around me and after a great deal of…

What are you good at? I know that life throws all of us curveballs but I have learned to bounce back and reinvent myself with every challenge thrown at me. I have had my share of being knocked down but can pick myself up, dust myself off, and keep on trying. I watched my mom do it my whole life. I also observed my middle sister working hard and never taking no for an answer. These two women…

Lately, I have been reunited with our 3 daughters and am now living in the same home with them. I don’t live here as their mom, as they are all over 18 and have been living successfully, independently, and thriving without their parents, 8000 miles away for months and years. We live in the same house but I am here as their “flatmate” not their mom. I don’t want to steal their thunder or hinder…

What does “having it all” mean to you? Is it attainable? Having it all is whatever gives me peace. It doesn’t mean that I have to be the girl who does with the most toys, because let’s face it you can’t take it with you. The peace of knowing you gave love and had love in your life. Now that’s worth catching and never letting go. You will leave this world with your imprint on it in the hearts and…

It’s been a hot minute since I have blogged. A lot has happened since I wrote about counting down for our holiday trip to see our girls and family in NZ. We got to NZ and basked in the familiarity of the laid back life style, old friends and the warmth of being together (all 5 of us) as a family. We were wooed by the charm that we had almost forgotten while being back in the states and realised…

It’s all go go go at the moment. Christmas gatherings, packing, planning, and mind racing! At the same time, I am stuck in bed as the days get closer to leaving. It’s like so much is going on in my brain that I can’t pull myself up for the weight. Even though it’s good stuff, my body keeps saying, “no, it’s way too much to sort out.” When I am this way, I feel like a deer in headlights. I have to…

Ten days and counting. Auckland bound; we are going from Florida winter (summer breezes) to Auckland summer (winter chilled rain). Packing our bags, house sitters, and dog sitters, trying to find luggage, passports, visas, comfort food from the US for the girls, and Christmas gifts. I say our presence is their presents. I mean, come on. In every phone conversation, I have to drop, “xx days until…

The house is still and quiet. The space where the trampoline sat is bare. There is one less car on the white shell driveway. Paul hears every word I say without interruption for the first time in 23 years. The dogs are calm and waiting for someone that won’t come. The house is constantly clean, and in the bedroom, the beds are made and empty. We can make all the noise we want, yet there are long…

When we are stressed out or life feels like it’s moving too fast, we lash out at the people closest to us. We get into heated discussions and argue about things that, at the moment, seem like they are a big deal. Still, most of the time, all we are doing is verbally puking, angst, and agitated emotion and don’t realize how deeply our words cut the people around us. We’ve all done it! The kids…