Making friends Archives — SMART Living 365

It’s More About the Community Than It Is About the House

Last week Thom and I drove back to our former home in La Quinta. We were able to rent it out seasonally for a spell but hadn’t been back to check on it since. Yes, the house is over twice as large as our tiny-house park model in Arizona. So, it feels rather spacious. Not big, but plenty of room. It is also very comfortable and familiar. We lived here for 14 years before our “experiment” in Tucson and made the house just right for us. That is until we began living in our community in Tucson. Now, after being back for only a few days something has become pretty clear. For us that means that our future and our happiness exist in the community we now have, rather than any particular house.

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Learning To Talk To Each Other & Deepening Relationships

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful

A weekly potluck on our street.

One of my intentions for 2024 is to enhance, enlarge and deepen the relationships in my life. That is the main reason why I haven’t been writing as much. And while satisfying that urge for community sounds relatively easy—and it can be in the right place at the right time—it does require time, effort and commitment. So, I’m not sure if my intentions led me to the community of Rincon West RV Resort here in Tucson to “practice”, or if the community itself is helping me clarify what has become increasingly important in my life. But here are a few thoughts I have uncovered that might help those of you who believe they might benefit from something similar. [Read more…]

SMART Thoughts on Birthdays, Blogging and BFFs!

By Kathy Gottberg
Filed under: Aware, Meaningful, Thankful

#BAMC16

Last weekend I attended my first ever blogging conference. In many ways, it was my birthday gift to my blog. At the end of April, I will be celebrating the 5th anniversary of SMART Living 365. But what does any of that have to do with you, my dear readers? Just like with so many other SMART topics, when we think about it, we can learn and grow from any situation we experience. Even better, when we open our minds and our hearts, there is a good chance we can also have a fantastic and fun time. With that in mind, I jotted down a few things I learned over the weekend that I thought might prove SMART for us all. [Read more…]