Nadine J Walters – My Life

Question for Myself: What are you avoiding and why?

My Answer:
Small things, large things—anything I think I can avoid.

Here I am in my 70s, still acting like a child sometimes, dodging responsibilities I’m either afraid of or too reluctant to admit I simply don’t want to do. I’ve made some solid progress toward doing what I truly want to do, and I manage the non-negotiables—the things that must get done. Still, there are tasks that would benefit me, and yet I find myself steering around them.

Personal and property care? Covered. I stay on top of my check-ups, manage appointments, and take care of my husband, the car, the house—even the dog. I don’t avoid the essentials. It’s the small, seemingly inconsequential things I avoid. And honestly? It feels silly.

Right now, I’m on my staycation art retreat, and I’m really enjoying it. But because it’s a staycation, I still have some home responsibilities. One of those is checking my financials—something I avoid every single month. There’s no real reason. I think I’ve developed a mindset that if I don’t look, nothing bad will appear. My investments might not be great right now—that’s out of my hands—but my everyday finances are fine. Still, I avoid looking. Why? I worry where there’s nothing to worry about. It makes no sense, and yet I do it.

Another thing I avoid? Getting rid of stuff. If I don’t need it, why keep it? I’m great at gathering things into a pile in the garage, but then I stall. Donate or discard? That decision feels heavier than it should. Will someone even want it? Will I just be adding to a landfill? The guilt creeps in, and I leave the pile untouched. It’s not the sorting—it’s the finishing that I avoid.

On the bright side, I’m doing much better about not avoiding my blogs. I’m not avoiding art lessons. I’m reaching out to friends and family. Progress is happening.

So what am I really avoiding? Minor decisions. Oddly enough, it’s the big things I face head-on. It’s the small choices—the ones that seem harmless—that I delay or ignore.

But noticing it is the first step toward changing it. Maybe next month I will check the finances. Maybe I’ll finally clear the garage pile. After all, small decisions can still create space—for clarity, for peace, for more art.