Another birthday is around the corner. For me, birthdays are a time to reflect and take stock. Life is short and getting shorter. Am I spending my time wisely doing things that are meaningful and enjoyable? Do the people I care about in my life know how much I appreciate them?
I like to think of my life in terms of chapters. What chapters are next? I am in my 50’s chapter. But how many chapters are left, and what do I want to write into them? What do I want to edit out? What have I moved on from?
I am not who I was in my 20’s or 30’s. Life is about evolving into what is next. Learning from my past, striving to try new things, expanding my life. I still have so many things I want to do. Learn to paint, travel and explore, be a better photographer, make more books, tell more stories, and help create more gardens, help connect more people to a more healthy and joyful life.
Birthdays are also about reflecting back and being grateful for my life journey. That means appreciating even the difficult things that got me to where I am today. The crooked road that lead me here. The things that have gone wrong, but also made me who I am today. I can be grateful for even those things, because they have helped me to appreciate so much of what I have in my life today.
-(still an aspiring) Joy Spreader
