A timestamp for half a century

-

There is something different about birthdays that end in 0. A silly human tradition, but one I embrace as well. I can honestly say that this birthday has me at my highest level of contentment. My 20th birthday was in a context of uncertainty, my 30th birthday was in the turmoil of massive change, my 40th birthday was in a context of newly married but professionally dissatisfied ... which brings me to this day.

Today, I am healthy and strong. Nothing hurts today (although that's not always true) and my body seeks fresh air, movement and the beauty of nature.

Today, I am in a wonderful relationship with my husband who I adore. The experiences we create and embrace are magical, no matter if they happen in our backyard or on the other side of the planet. 

Today, I work for joy. Gone are the days where I am chasing promotions, raises, rewards and approval. I pick my projects and gigs based on the joy and energy they provide me. I rearrange my schedule to accommodate my lifestyle. I work fewer hours, with better compensation.

Today, I continue to focus on being present instead of doing. Gone are the days where I pollute my time with lots of to-do lists. I embrace the messiness and dirt in my life (and house) and work at removing the voices of criticism in my head.

Today, I look and listen for my teaching moments. I embrace my fears and insecurities when I reach the end of my chain of knowledge. I embrace my sensitivity and impatience as my clarion call for change.

Today, I seek out experiences. I organize my life and choices to set aside the time and resources to meet my needs for novelty and excitement. At this life moment I have less able-bodied time ahead of me then what is behind, while I have more time and resources. I refuse to wait until an official date of retirement to fully live and experience all that is exciting for me. Carpe diem.

I often speak of the importance of happiness in my life, and while that can be a hard measure to achieve all the time, I can certainly say that I am very content with where my life is today.




Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Happy 8th Birthday Mon Amour!

-
Image
Annual Trail Rides: 50/200 A nice time to hit our 25% trail objective. We finally got access to the trails (walking only) and it has been absolutely delightful. Ive also been using these slower rides to be social and go out with boarder friends, and that also has been delightful! Q was a delight on our first time out, as steady as an old cow pony. But yesterday on the way home he reminded me that the dragon needs tending. Navigating through icy patches between trees where the obvious path for Q is to hug the trees where the ice has melted, but that means my knees go knocking into the bark. So I picked up the reins to navigate better and he got fired up. All of a sudden his sides were on fire, and any heat from my leg prompted him into a trot. Which is not what you want on slick ice. So I stopped him. And we would start all over again. This happened 12 times on the last 1 km stretch home. Not fun. After some reflection, I realized that we were in a 12 rabbit situation. Being Florida-bre
Read more

Expansion of normal

-
Image
Our five-week European escapade is now coming to a close and I look forward to the return to normal that is my bed, my kitchen, my routine. As I reflect on all that we experienced on this trip, it is clear that even I, a self-proclaimed expert in change management, struggle with disruption in my life. Each new destination would have me grumpy and fussy for the first 24 hours as I shifted to a new living situation almost every five days. This guard and horse stood immobile at the Royal Horse Guards in London for at least an hour. It stretches my imagination of patience. The grand 4 ton Gold Carriage at the Royal Mews. Requires a brakeman walking alongside and 27 meters to stop. Apparently this might be the most uncomfortable thing to travel in, and was very seldom used. Gorgeous Cottage and English Garden in the middle of Hyde Park. This park really had me question my definition of high-density urban territory. Hyde Park with all of its variations on a garden theme
Read more

Quaint Krakow

-
Image
We arrived in Krakow on a super short commuter flight from Budapest and spent most of the weekend wandering about the charming town, constantly watching out for rogue trams that want to run us over. Our first afternoon was a delightful stop in the large market square to sit on a terrace, drink local beer, eat a lovely plate of cured sausages and meats with a kickass fresh horseradish purée, and watch the parade go by on National Constitution Day. Somehow, we often arrive in a new city on their national holiday. Krakow town square and basilica In the town square, m any fine carriages and horses are in line, with beautiful women in black hats with white ribbons driving the carriages. Its so unusual to see only women driving so many large carriages, that I took notice. At first, I thought it was because of the parade. Later that day, I watch the carriages circulating with passengers and the pretty lady is up front doing nothing while an old peasant dressed man is driving the carri
Read more

The Complexity of Trail Access

-
Image
Annual Trail Rides: 34/200 A century ago, local farmers in our town west of Montreal were tired of the sand left in the spring thaw that clogged the streets and ditches and created floods and ice dams to prevent passing. So the farmers got together with the town and the province to fund a reforestation project which we would later call the "Nursery". The reforestation would cover most of the old sand dunes that had been left behind many millennia ago by a retreating glacier. The old sand dunes were a popular place for local families to go for a picnic, or some fishing in some of the creeks and lakes that popped up from underground springs. Our history books show groups of families with their farmhorses pulling big sleighs or wagons filled with children. But it was time to stop the constant erosion the sand dunes were having on the local farms. So in the 1930s began the massive reforestation project. At the time, the population of this town was under a thousand, as there was o
Read more

Prague, dark and moody

-
Image
When asked what I thought about Prague I always answered the same thing : dark. My last trip here dates to almost twenty years ago, in a cold November week where I spent most of my time drinking hot mulled wine in the old town square avoiding gypsies. Tales of ghosts, hidden passageways and underground tunnels, the stark period of the iron curtain, torture museums, castle dungeons ... it was all dark. Tyn Church in the iconic town square A view down the Vltava River A view up the Vltava River towards Prague Castle (from Vysehrad Castle) A view down the Vltava River from the Vysehrad Castle. Its a windy sailing day. Fast forward in time and there are some differences but Prague is still moody. Tourists are abundant and things that used to be free are now being charged at every opportunity. We are struggling with all the currency we are handling and their respective conversions (Hungarian forint, Euros, Polish Zlotis, Czech Crowns ... and soon British pounds)
Read more