{"id":109,"date":"2026-10-12T23:47:53","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T23:47:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109"},"modified":"2026-10-13T02:04:38","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T02:04:38","slug":"theres-more-ahead-your-next-chapter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109","title":{"rendered":"There&#8217;s More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next"},"content":{"rendered":"<style>body.single-post #masthead .ast-primary-header-bar,body.single-post #masthead .main-header-bar{background:#E3E9DF!important;background-image:none!important}body.single-post #masthead .main-header-menu .menu-link,body.single-post #masthead .ast-builder-menu .menu-item>.menu-link{color:#303F29!important}.single-post .entry-content{font-size:19px;line-height:1.85}.single-post .entry-content h2{color:#303F29;margin-top:1.7em}<\/style>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Your next chapter doesn&#8217;t have to begin with a moving truck, a dramatic announcement, or a color-coded life plan.<\/em><\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sometimes it begins when you look around and think, <em>\u201cYou know what? I want something a little different.\u201d<\/em> Maybe you&#8217;re retiring, helping a parent, living in a quieter house, or simply ready for a new routine.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The interesting part is that \u201cwhat&#8217;s next\u201d isn&#8217;t always about where you live. It might be about how you spend your time, the people you see, what you keep, or what you&#8217;re finally willing to stop doing.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Here&#8217;s an exercise I like. Grab a piece of paper and make three columns: <strong>Keep, Change, Try.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Keep: What&#8217;s already good?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Start with what you love. The morning coffee on the patio. A neighborhood walk. Dinner with friends. A garden, a hobby, a favorite room, a familiar routine.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">These aren&#8217;t little things to dismiss. They&#8217;re clues about what makes life feel like yours. When you&#8217;re weighing a new option, ask whether it protects the things on your Keep list.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If you ever consider moving, for example, the right question isn&#8217;t only \u201cHow many bedrooms?\u201d It&#8217;s also \u201cWill I still be able to do the things I enjoy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Change: What&#8217;s taking more than it gives?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe it&#8217;s a yard that&#8217;s too much work. A dining room nobody uses. A schedule that leaves no room for friends. A closet filled with things you haven&#8217;t worn since shoulder pads were considered a personality.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Changing something doesn&#8217;t mean you&#8217;re ungrateful for it. It means you&#8217;re paying attention to what works now.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You might simplify a room, ask for help with maintenance, reconsider an expense, or decide that a different housing arrangement deserves a closer look. Small changes can be just as meaningful as big ones.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Try: What&#8217;s one thing you&#8217;re curious about?<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is my favorite column. Not everything has to solve a problem. Some things can simply be fun.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Maybe it&#8217;s a class, a lunch with someone new, a volunteer opportunity, a new recipe, or a day trip you&#8217;ve been talking about for three years. You don&#8217;t have to commit to a new identity. You can just try something.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">A friend of mine could announce a whole new life plan by Tuesday. I&#8217;d rather start with lunch on Thursday and see how it goes.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Give yourself a 30-day experiment<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Choose one idea from each column and try it for a month. Keep something you enjoy, change one recurring frustration, and try one new experience.<\/p>\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Keep:<\/strong> Protect your Saturday coffee with a friend.<\/li><li><strong>Change:<\/strong> Arrange help with one home task you no longer enjoy.<\/li><li><strong>Try:<\/strong> Visit a class, community event, or new place you&#8217;ve been curious about.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At the end of the month, ask: Did that make life better? Would I do it again? What did I learn? No dramatic verdict required.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The practical questions still matter<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If a new chapter might involve staying in your home, moving, or making a financial decision, it&#8217;s worth looking carefully at costs, support, accessibility, and the people or services you can count on. A good decision needs both the numbers and the life you want to live.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That&#8217;s one reason I believe in having a Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Not because you expect the worst, but because options feel better when you&#8217;ve had time to consider them.<\/p>\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">And yes, there should be room for the good stuff<\/h2>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I&#8217;ll keep sharing useful resources, favorite finds, home ideas, and things that make everyday life more enjoyable here at <em>At Home with Nina<\/em>. When I recommend something through an affiliate link, I&#8217;ll say so clearly. My goal is to help you decide what&#8217;s useful for you \u2014 not to fill your house with things you don&#8217;t need.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">So what&#8217;s on your Try list? Start there. Your next chapter doesn&#8217;t have to be completely mapped out before you turn the page.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For more ideas, browse <a href=\"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?page_id=87\">Ask Miss Nina<\/a>, or follow along on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/profile.php?id=61559512559379\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/athomewithnina.merrill\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Instagram<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pinterest.com\/athomewithnina\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Pinterest<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>\u2014 Nina<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A hopeful, practical way to think about your next chapter: what to keep, what to change, and what new thing to try \u2014 without making a huge decision overnight.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[12,11],"class_list":["post-109","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-home-and-life","tag-home-comfort","tag-planning-ahead"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>There&#039;s More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next - At Home with Nina<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"There&#039;s More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next - At Home with Nina\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A hopeful, practical way to think about your next chapter: what to keep, what to change, and what new thing to try \u2014 without making a huge decision overnight.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"At Home with Nina\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-10-12T23:47:53+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-10-13T02:04:38+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"ninasm\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"ninasm\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"ninasm\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b75aa0ea105a942d6421920ca4fe13f3\"},\"headline\":\"There&#8217;s More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-12T23:47:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-13T02:04:38+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109\"},\"wordCount\":707,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#organization\"},\"keywords\":[\"Home Comfort\",\"Planning Ahead\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Home &amp; Life\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109\",\"name\":\"There's More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next - At Home with Nina\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2026-10-12T23:47:53+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-10-13T02:04:38+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?p=109#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"There&#8217;s More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"At Home with Nina\",\"description\":\"Home, Life &amp; What&#039;s Next\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#organization\",\"name\":\"At Home with Nina\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/At-Home-with-Nina-Botanical-Logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/10\\\/At-Home-with-Nina-Botanical-Logo.png\",\"width\":1774,\"height\":887,\"caption\":\"At Home with Nina\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/logo\\\/image\\\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/b75aa0ea105a942d6421920ca4fe13f3\",\"name\":\"ninasm\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/83edc43d801d901665c19be048834ba1e23207bcc09341e35bd9cdef6a97af04?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/83edc43d801d901665c19be048834ba1e23207bcc09341e35bd9cdef6a97af04?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/83edc43d801d901665c19be048834ba1e23207bcc09341e35bd9cdef6a97af04?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"ninasm\"},\"sameAs\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/homewithnina.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"There's More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next - At Home with Nina","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"There's More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next - At Home with Nina","og_description":"A hopeful, practical way to think about your next chapter: what to keep, what to change, and what new thing to try \u2014 without making a huge decision overnight.","og_url":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109","og_site_name":"At Home with Nina","article_published_time":"2026-10-12T23:47:53+00:00","article_modified_time":"2026-10-13T02:04:38+00:00","author":"ninasm","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"ninasm","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109"},"author":{"name":"ninasm","@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b75aa0ea105a942d6421920ca4fe13f3"},"headline":"There&#8217;s More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next","datePublished":"2026-10-12T23:47:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-13T02:04:38+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109"},"wordCount":707,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#organization"},"keywords":["Home Comfort","Planning Ahead"],"articleSection":["Home &amp; Life"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109","url":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109","name":"There's More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next - At Home with Nina","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#website"},"datePublished":"2026-10-12T23:47:53+00:00","dateModified":"2026-10-13T02:04:38+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?p=109#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"There&#8217;s More Ahead: Make Room for the Life You Want Next"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/","name":"At Home with Nina","description":"Home, Life &amp; What&#039;s Next","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#organization","name":"At Home with Nina","url":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/At-Home-with-Nina-Botanical-Logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/At-Home-with-Nina-Botanical-Logo.png","width":1774,"height":887,"caption":"At Home with Nina"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/#\/schema\/person\/b75aa0ea105a942d6421920ca4fe13f3","name":"ninasm","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83edc43d801d901665c19be048834ba1e23207bcc09341e35bd9cdef6a97af04?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83edc43d801d901665c19be048834ba1e23207bcc09341e35bd9cdef6a97af04?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/83edc43d801d901665c19be048834ba1e23207bcc09341e35bd9cdef6a97af04?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"ninasm"},"sameAs":["https:\/\/homewithnina.com"],"url":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=109"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":112,"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/109\/revisions\/112"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=109"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=109"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/homewithnina.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=109"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}