Finding Balance in Retirement & an Update

Hello friends. The new vlog is out this morning. You can watch it HERE. All about finding balance. Retirement is a little different than you think it’s going to be. Too busy? Too bored? How do you find the sweet spot to a happy, healthy retirement living? I’ll share with you what I’m discovering in the video.

This Week

All going well this week. It’s been a busy week. Monday Maddie had a grooming, which was much needed! Tuesday we had eye appointments, same place, back to back. Then we ate at a Greek place, Santorini Table. Finally had a gyro platter.

All the while, Monday thru Wednesday, I worked hard on editing the BALANCE video and also equally as hard at filming “What I would do if I couldn’t have retired early”.

Thursday brought our LPL Visit in Hendersonville at 2 p.m. which meant we had to leave here at 1:00. We also went to a thrift store nearby, which we like going to but they usually don’t have much that we walk out with. However, it’s fun to look. We then went and had a beer at Half-Batch Brewing which had built a huge building. After that we went to Alberto’s which is a restaurant in an old house, which was charming. Yes I video’d it. To be honest, I was not impressed with the Beef Bourguignon? Instead of a deep flavorful sauce cooked with wine, it tasted like a mustard-y flavored orange looking sauce. The mustard taste was very overpowering. I told George they totally missed the mark and we make it much better at home. I can’t even call what I had beef Bourg. So….very disappointed in that. And it was very expensive at that. But I did love the salad and the ambiance. The pinot noir was a bit sour as well, but I drank it, lol. I also thought they had Creme Brûlée and wanted my fix of that. But it was flan instead and I’m not a fan of that. The cheesecake did not look appetizing but I didn’t need it anyway, so at least that worked out. Would I recommend Alberto’s? Yes, but don’t get the beef Bourg! I wish I had gotten spaghetti, but I’d had that the night before and for lunch as left over! Darn it. lol

Projects I Can’t Ever Get To:

All else?

Well, I still have things I’ve been wanting to do that I can never get to. 1) Sanding the vase and spray painting it 2) New Vlog topper for YouTube channel 3) We have a Cracker Barrel card we need to use up 4) Basement – finish going thru stacks of stuff – mostly papers, cards, etc. 5) Doing some Canva training.

Those things are always on the push for list but I never have the time or if I have the stamina, I’m just not in the mood to do it, I guess. Meanwhile, we are getting things marked off the fall bucket list, lol.

YouTube Channel Update

Also our financial advisor gave us some important advice on the YouTube channel this week since we talked to him about what I’m doing with the channel in 2026. He gave three pieces of advice. 1) Turning it into a business and therefore being able to acknowledge some the expenses, tax breaks 2) Getting an umbrella liability policy instead of an LLC – the first comes with the protection we need for my little channel and the latter comes with a lot of extra and unnecessary taxes 3) Suggested my videos were much too long. I agree. George agrees. But I assured them this year I’m just having fun and doing my own thing and people can watch or not. Many of the viewers have said they like the longer videos and many are retired and have time, but unfortunately not everyone comments so you don’t know their thoughts. But the bottom line is that the watch time shows people are engaged about half way through and drop off, so 25 – 28 minutes is about the avg watch time. That tells me a lot. Also YouTube analytics shows that I have a good returning base of the same people returning which is a very high percent and that is a good thing. Something I noticed all along.

I’m not worrying about things this year so much, but want to refine myself a bit in 2026 in the following ways. And will be making the following changes.

1. The videos WILL be shorter.
2. I will be turning it into a business as far as taxes go instead of calling it a hobby. It’ll still be a hobby, lol.
3. We’ll be seeking some advice also from our accountant as well.
4. I’ll be setting up a business PO Box.
5. I’ll be allowing sponsorships and affiliate links. I’m already working with one company as far as an affiliate and will be considering another one before the year end.
6. Probably going to get some business cards as I’m always talking about the channel when we are out, or asking permission to video and it’d be nice to be able to hand them a card.
7. I will be looking more at my analytics for keys to changes that I need to make and tweak.

You all won’t notice much of a change except in the link and make a quick sponsorship in the videos. I don’t anticipate this will be a huge change as I won’t have time to get too involved with a lot of sponsors – just a few. And they will start small and come over time. Or perhaps none at all. I won’t be sponsoring anything I don’t like but I do have a few brands I’d work with.

My goal is to supplement our income because of my insurance costs and other costs. While we have money in some investments and are using some of that to offset my not having a salary other than social security at early retirement rates. We have had a lot of unexpected expenses in addition to rising costs of nearly everything. It’s wonderful the market has been great and investments doing well but we have had to get another car, have had and still have some house repairs, want to take some trips before we get too old, and my medicare doesn’t kick in until age 65.

So I told George, there’s no reason why I can’t either 1) deduct some of these expenses 2) make some extra money with sponsorships. Already, being monetized has helped and mainly bought me some retirement clothes, a nice new Sony camera, and new iPad set up, all in the last year and about to help pay for a new Mac. Mine is becoming an extra struggle daily, as it’s 2019 model and won’t even take the latest updates to the software anymore. It’s barely supported by Apple and does not have the latest much needed chips to run Final Cut Pro appropriately. It’ll run but with much aggravation.

I have shared a lot today, but there’s so much more underlying going on in my brain regarding the channel. It’s such a yo-yo of emotions. I was excited for the increase in views on recent videos where I’ve had more relatable content. But it’s also been hard to film the content. I’ve spread it out over the week – a few points each day – but it’s very tiring to work it in. While a vlog you just vlog when you want and when you are doing something interesting. I like doing vlogs more. And if you change things up too much you can lose your current audience while attracting the new ones. I think I need a mix of both though to grow the channel. But my main love will always be vlogging whatever is going on and I will continue to do that. But it’s hard for vloggers to pair up to vlog watchers for some reason. You have to attract them very specifically with subject related material. And if they are a vlogger type, they’ll subscribe.

Then I ask myself, what is success to me as far as the channel? I think maybe receiving a YouTube plaque? lol. Then you have to ask, why is that so important? Why do I drive to do this? For just the achievement of a plaque to say I did it when myself and others said “she can’t do this, why is she attempting it”? Well I have to admit it’s “my Everest”, lol. And I do like reaching the top of whatever I’ve deemed as a goal. And I do love sharing and helping others. But then true to my nature, I always “peter out” somewhere 3/4 of the way through making a call between my mental and physical health vs pushing through. I’m not your average person and I get deep into whatever it is I’m doing which can tired me out if it’s not going well. Being a probable undiagnosed borderline (key word) high functioning autistic, makes it easy for me to hyperfix on diving deep into whatever it is I’m interested in doing. And the rest of that probably interferes with my reaching the pinnacle.

But it’s ok. Oh you don’t think I’m a probably an undiagnosed borderline high functioning autistic? I don’t think I’m HFA either. Well I did say borderline. I do believe that. The two tests I took showed borderline. So I don’t think I’ve crossed over. Just close, lol. After taking the tests, it really made a lot of sense to me as to why I am the way I am.

I miss social clues, dive deep and become fixated in whatever projects I’m doing more than the average person and talk about them intensely until others are blue in the face. I am very sensitive to noisy crowded environments and some textures – especially with food and clothing materials, get stuck in my routine oriented behaviors, upset with changes, follow routines to feel comfortable, take everyone literally, never get the humor, struggle with conversation with regular people but I can get through it usually. I hide behind George a lot. I get social fatigued. I like being home and safe and in my own zone. I have difficulty with eye contact. Extreme difficulty dealing with conflict so I avoid it. Even talking to the camera I look away a lot because I can’t think when looking in someone’s eyes or the camera lens. Have had some issues with emotional regulation and sensitivity most of my life. My upbringing didn’t help as there was some yelling and tension at times in my household – not from my father as he was a very peaceful man. His only flaw was not correcting the issues at hand but he was afraid to I think. I’m weird and quirky and say and do weird things, lol. And I always felt I was a little different but was always blaming my introvertedness.

So no, I’m not a HFA, high functioning autistic person– I don’t think —–but I’m awfully close to it. I’m not ashamed of feeling borderline, matter of fact it helps a lot knowing why I think and do some of the things that I do and think, lol.

The harder parts of that is when others and myself get frustrated with me but they don’t know why and I for a long time I didn’t know why that is either. And it’s ok. They don’t have to know, but it helps me to know and it explains a lot to myself and has a lot to do with self acceptance and understanding why I’m so different from the average person. So know one would know, they just think I’m odd. And that is ok. I am and I’m embracing it, lol. It doesn’t matter so much now that most of my life is behind me.

So all that’s to say: I hope you watch the vlog. It’s here, if you want to watch it. Just opening up to some of my thoughts with you today and what’s on my mind.

Hope you all have a great week. I wanted to vlog some this week but sometimes the weeks that pass- they are just as busy as the work week – only filled with other activities now. So I vlog when I can. Which is usually when I’m already here giving you the link.

Today I need to make pumpkin bread, do some editing, do some planning for next week, do World Bible School, plan the details of our trip with the Irelands, have some things I need to put on the calendar, and I’d like to read some and watch some.

I started Into the Fall book on my iPad. So far it’s really good from the first chapter. Where a woman’s husband went missing from their campsite. :-O. And on TV we have been watching Port Protection Alaska – a community of 100 that live off grid out there – fishing and hunting and cutting down trees for firewood. Very interesting and really good feeling of being out in the nature and the wild. It feeds something within me that I need. I’m not sure why. And I’ve been watching the Golden Bachelor. And of course Sister Wives.

Oops I thought I was through vlogging but kept going. Take care now and see you soon.