About Barbara

Hello, and welcome to Peaceful Retirement Living.

I'm Barbara, and this little cutie in my lap is my sidekick, Bonnie Rae. For most of my life, I was busy doing what many of us do—working, raising children, paying bills, solving problems, and trying to keep all the moving pieces of life from flying apart. Retirement sounded wonderful when I was younger. I imagined endless free time and a chance to finally relax.

What I didn't expect was that retirement would awaken my curiosity.

These days I find myself wandering down all sorts of rabbit holes. One week I may be fascinated by color palettes, Korean television, unusual historical events, gardening, photography, art history or a book I discovered completely by accident. I have finally reached the stage of life where I am free not only to do as I please but to learn simply because something interests me.

That spirit of curiosity is at the heart of this blog.

Here you'll find stories about retirement, family, books, art, photography, simple pleasures, unexpected challenges, and the small discoveries that make ordinary days more interesting. Some posts are practical. Some are funny. Some are thoughtful. Most begin with a simple question: "Isn't that interesting?"

Alongside this blog, I also write Real Life with Type 1 Diabetes, where I share the honest, frustrating, funny, and sometimes exhausting realities of living with Type 1 diabetes. Diabetes has been part of my life for many years, but it is only one chapter of the story. Peaceful Retirement Living is where I explore everything else.

If there is a common thread running through my writing, it is this: life does not stop being interesting when we grow older. In many ways, it becomes more interesting. We finally have the freedom to notice things we were too busy to see before.

Thank you for stopping by and spending a little time with me.

Pull up a chair, pour yourself a cup of coffee, and stay awhile.

— Barbara