The easiest way to avoid regrets is to ask yourself this question, "If not now, when?" It's a powerful way to put life and our decisions about how we spend our time into perspective"
10 ways to keep you independent...
Posted by Cindy on 5/18/2026, 2:56 pm
Check this out. I saw a woman who had 10 ways to keep you independent when living alone. Her husband had passed and she learned these things out the hard way. I felt there is something here for all of us.
10 things to keep you independent 1. Silent Alarm System – have a check in system with a neighbor or relative where you check in with them. (This person had a flowerpot that she would move from the left side of her window to the right side by 9:00 am every day. If it didn’t move, she would check on her at 10:00.) 2. External Brain – Something that helps her remember things. She kept a notebook and logged when she took her medicine, paid a bill, etc. 3. Financial bucket for joy – put money aside for fun stuff to do or buy. 4. Crisis folder – write down what medicines you take and who to call if you collapse and post it where it will be seen. 5. Panic Button you wear – hopefully you will never need it, but having one to use if you fall in your home is priceless. 6. Kitchen that works with your body. Rearrange your kitchen so things you don’t use very often are put away and things you use a lot are easy to reach. 7. Have a good relationship with your body – Don’t wait until it is too late to talk to your doctor about aches and pains. Get things checked out. 8. Do one ritual a day to ground you – Coffee on the patio, writing down your gratitude’s, something you do daily with purpose. 9. Find a connection – don’t rely on others to make you feel alive and part of something. If you like to paint, paint, if you enjoy writing, keep a journal, if you like to garden, plan a garden that works for you. 10. Have willingness to ask for help before it’s too late. Get over your pride and ask for help changing light bulbs before you fall off a ladder doing it. Call the plumber when your hot water heater starts making noise, it will save you money in the long run.
My mother passed out while cooking and whatever she was cooking reached the smoking point, thankfully it never caught fire. Neighbors saw the smoke and called the fire department. One neighbor had a key so they got in and were able to rouse her but could not get any sense out of her so they transported er to the hospital. No one had any of our phone numbers to call us and her phone was dead.
One neighbor remembered that a former neighbor was a friend of one of Mama's grandchildren and still had his number so he called him, he called my niece, she called her mother who called everyone else.
Her meds had recently been changed but the hospital only ad her old med list until my brother was able to go by her house and bring them her meds. We don't think about this stuff until something like this happens but it is important that it is on your person and somewhere in your home that is easy to find.
