YOLO

This month I celebrate my 48th birthday. Which is a sobering thought, as it’s just shy of 50. Fifty years is half a century!

Some of you are young enough to conceivably be my kids. I have high school & college friends with kids your age! Some of you are about the same age as me, and a few of you are close to my own parents’ ages. I think regardless of age, it’s both fun and curious to contemplate age. Some say age is just a number, but trust me so much happens to your body as you age. Every day I notice new age spots or new wrinkles, another joint pain, or a new grey hair. I notice things I’ve accomplished and yet I know there’s so much more I want to do in this one life. I notice my own children and how fast the years of their youth are flying by. I notice my parents and the fact that they are aging faster than ever.

And so I’ve been contemplating a lot lately about aging and the value in capturing each day, each week, or month and trying to make the very most of it. Regardless of your belief about the afterlife, we really only have this life to live as we know it. It’s why in this past year I have doubled down on my personal boundaries; really standing up for my values & beliefs. Making strides to create a life I LOVE living, not just trying to skirt through.

Some of you might be at a crossroads in your own life or reaching a milestone age. Maybe you’re considering making changes to create a life you really love living. I want to remind you that you have JUST THIS ONE LIFE to live. I don’t want to live with regrets, and I don’t want you to either.

Life is precious and it’s fleeting. Whatever choices, changes, or creations you need to make to live this one life of yours to the fullest, I hope you feel empowered in this day and in this year, to do those things for yourself!

It really is true … you only live once.