Rocking The Second Half

Right before my Nonne's 89 birthday I was teasing her that she only has 11 more years until Willard Scott wishes her a happy 100th. She did not laugh, instead looked puzzled who Willard was and then said: No, I'm not living till that old this is long enough. She loved her life and had her full faculties but she had no desire to live past her health. She passed with dignity and grace within the year.

Doing the math- as 88 as the enough point- anything after 44 and I'm into my second act. Well last week I started Joy part II and I decided as much as I enjoyed the first half I wanted to do a few things different in the second. Here are a few:

Appreciate Julie: I love my sister so it's ridiculous to fight with her. We can both be opinionated and stubborn and can get on each other's nerves. What a waste of time! She is one of the most fun, generous, likable people I know so there is no reason to not feel constant gratitude for her :)

Forgive Everyone: I consider myself a very forgiving person but some hurts were still smarting. Clearing the slate and forgiving everyone and in the future just recognizing not everyone is my cup of tea and it's not personal.

Be Fearless: Even typing this scares me ;) ... but it's so true that we are the ones who stop our dreams from coming true. And last thing I want is to taint my second half with regret and have to defend my cowardice.

Clear Space: Open space is necessary for anything good to come in. People, things, good fortune all need a landing spot so I'm committed to decluttering my life on an ongoing basis.

Capture Joy: Take photo or document moments I feel happy and appreciate the beauty of people, places, and things while they are in front of me.

Love Outloud: I never want people I care about to not know how much I love them. I consider this a strong suit of mine but I could take it up a notch and really celebrate people with more fun and lightness.

Move It: I spend a good deal of time in my head and although I feel connected I don't always use my body to its full capacity. I remember this whenever I see someone who doesn't have full use of theirs- why I am I taking movement for granted? Dance, work, express, sex, rock and roll from head to toe!

Live Like It's My Last: The truth is two of the men I loved the most in the world ironically both died at 33 so I've known anything after 34 is a gift. I would love to live healthily to 88 or beyond but even this next year is worth treasuring. I don't want to waste any time being ungrateful for the life I have.

These are the big things I'll be living into- wish me well. And feel free to remind me if you find me not practicing them and make sure I thank you for holding me to what I know I have in me.

Cheers to my Nonne, my second half, and to you and your healthy happy life too :)