You Are Not Too Old

It is not too late
I found this quote and love it so much! 

"You are not too old
And it is not too late."
R.M. Rilke

I don't share many personal things but I think I am meant to share some inspiration today. I am about to turn 59 in July and have been through so much the last 14 years. Sometimes I didn't know if I was going to be able to come back from everything that happened. 

In 2012 there was a forest fire that took my country home, land and everything in it plus several of my animals. Soon after came a divorce. There were a couple years after this where there was much soul searching but not with much luck. I was pretty depressed. Next came a big move back to my home state of Washington. Then a few jobs where I worked endless hours and hated every second of it with long hours stuck in traffic. 

The only thing left for me to enjoy was my page on FaceBook® that I created and my gifts of cooking, baking and my art. Those are the things that have kept me going, plus my children of course. They were adults when all this happened and had built lives of their own. 

After two years I moved from my home in Northern California back to my family in Washington State leaving my grown children behind. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. But I did it with their blessing. They knew I would be better off going back to my roots. 

Now much later I have so much happening. Two books are about to be released plus more on the way, a new blog, and a Facebook® page - "My Olde Country Home" - with over 393,000 followers and over a million outreach. Plus I am making and selling my handmade goods. 

I started the FaceBook® page right after the fire as a way to keep my country life going even after it was all taken away. I had to restart my life not in the country that I loved. I still miss the fresh air, animals and quiet I loved so much. I lived in the most beautiful perfect place. I just have to remember it is not the place it used to be. Now it looks like Armageddon happened. By now much regrowth has happened but it's just brush and not trees. It will never be the same for hundreds of years I suppose. 

Finally after so many years I  am having the best time and doing what I always wanted to do! Not stuck at a miserable desk doing what I hate.

I am also a nanny part time because I love children and being around them. This gives me a chance to work with a stable income while doing all my side projects. I love working with and teaching children so it's the perfect job for me. I just wish I would have thought to do it when I first moved back home. Being a nanny has brought me so much joy! All the children I have had in my care these last eight years will be part of my family forever. It's such a privilege to be in their lives. 

When I ran across this quote it reminds me to keep going! To not give up. I have thought about doing that so many times.

But I know I am on a journey. I am so much better now than when the fire and divorce happened. It has taken me longer than most folks think it should, but I was devastated beyond words. It's my journey and I am going to take as long as it takes. It will probably affect me the rest of my life. 

But... now I know I am not too old and I think perhaps the best of my life is still ahead of me. 

I am so pleased to have started this blog, that is all me. It will be more personal than the FaceBook® page. I hope you will visit me here from time to time. 

Thank you to all of you who have been so loyal to me throughout all these years. It means so much to me!!! 

Dana ~❤️

copyright 2025, Dana Meier, My Olde Country Home

Dana Meier is a caterer, cookbook author, online content creator and purveyor of historic crafts in Washington state. Her first cookbook was published in 2023.

My Olde Country Home: Olde Fashioned Christmas Desserts

available on Amazon®


 

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