Finishing Well
by Steph Beth Nickel
Typically, when we think of the term “finishing well,” we think of our senior years. As a 65-year-old, that is part of what I think about as well, but there is so much more that I want to finish well. The same is likely true of you as well.
Renovations
From all appearances, it looks as if we will be moving to Saskatchewan next year. Therefore, there is much to be done around our 100+-year-old home, a home we’ve lived in for the past 25 years. From laying new flooring to removing layer upon layer of wallpaper from lath and plaster walls. From repairing the walls to painting throughout. From constructing new doors for the kitchen cupboards to completing upgrades on each level. (Credit where credit is due: my retired hubby is completing most of the work … as his vertigo allows.)
Packing
And then there’s the packing. Several months ago, I began boxing up those items we want to move but don’t need at this time. Since we’ve made an offer on a home in Saskatchewan, I’ve gone through most of the packed boxes with our new place in mind. I have also packed several more. We have begun stacking them in the basement, making it easier to complete renovations on the main and upper levels. I seek to work on “moving prep” several times per week.
Relationships
Since we’ve lived in St. Thomas for over 40 years, we have made several precious friends. While preparing for our first move out of province, we are forward-focused. However, when the time comes to say goodbye, I’m sure there will be many tears—on my part at least. And those dear ones I don’t see regularly… I must make an effort to spend time with them. This includes family members I rarely see as well.
Writing Projects
I have multiple works in progress. I am making slow (and sometimes steady) progress on all three. I’m not a huge fan of a fixed daily schedule, being an O Squirrel type of individual. Still, I have made commitments to my coauthor and the handful of readers who have subscribed to my Substack account. Accountability works wonders to keep me moving forward. And finishing anything well is rarely, if ever, exclusively for us as individuals. The choices we make impact those around us and become part of our legacy.
Life
And so it is with life. It wasn’t until I turned 60 that I realized it was truly time to narrow my focus. I’ve been a church administrator (multiple times); a daycare provider; a personal trainer; a birth doula; and an editor and writer, two pursuits I have been involved in for over two decades. And while it’s unlikely that my daily routine will ever look exactly the same as the previous day’s did, it’s more important than ever that I prayerfully zero in on what the Lord would have me do with whatever time remains.
Finishing well includes elements in all seasons of life. To do so requires times of quiet contemplation as well as activity.
What are you seeking to finish well?
As an editor, Steph Beth Nickel has the honour of coming alongside writers to help them polish their work. As the coauthor of Paralympian Deb Willows’s memoirs, Steph has been blessed to work with this amazing woman. And as a future self-published author, with the Lord’s help, Steph has taken brave steps toward publication.
If you would like more information about her services, you can contact her at stephbethnickelediting@gmail.com.
You’re invited to visit her website: http://stephbethnickeleditor.com/.
You can join her Editing Tips Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/418423519384351.