Lessons at 53

I turned 53 years old earlier this month. 

A friend asked if I was worried about advancing to this age and I had to report back that honestly, no. I am not concerned. I LOVE being in my 50’s. If I would have had any idea how fun this age would be, how much less I would care about what others think and how much better I would be at defending my boundaries, I would have rushed this direction. 

So for those of you not yet here, I offer the light of hope and future joy. For those of you already here with me, I salute you, my fellow travelers. 

There are so many great things about reaching this age of milestones and backward glances. I wanted to share a few of them with you. Ready? Here goes: 

• Being open-minded is a super power.

• Being happy feels more important than being thin (I see you, pandemic pounds).

• Other women are friends, not food. I mean foes (thank you, Dorrie)! I have made some of the most valuable friendships of my life just in the past few years. Gone is the competition, gone is the need to be right, gone is the insecurity that got in the way of authentic connection. There is a bliss in connections between women that I now understand.

• Slowing down and showing up fully to a conversation is the only way to truly listen and hear what another person is saying.

• Beauty around us matters.

• In the words of my crush, Sam Sifton, delicious also matters.

• We can find peace inside us most easily when there is peace outside us — this is the power of intention and sanctuary.

• We are made of stardust. For real. I am looking at the heavens so differently these days. Stay tuned for a future post about this.

• It’s possible to genuinely LIKE and be friends with our children as adults (it was a little touch and go there for awhile through a few of those rough, teenage years).

• Watching a storm approach in the sky is thrilling. No wonder my dad always liked to sit out on the front porch when he heard the first rumblings of thunder.

• The things we view as simple, small things end up being the important things.

• In the words of my mentor Kisma, “In each of us, there is a reflection of all of us.” We are so much more connected to each other and to our world than we realize.

• Rainy days are some of the best days.

• You can go for years without watching cable tv. I am living proof.

• Not enough people read poetry out loud.

• Putting stickers all over your Yeti is fun and keeps other people from mistaking it as theirs. Send me a message and I’ll send you a Finding Sanctuary sticker to add to yours!

• A daily sanctuary practice can sustain us through anything and everything.

• Being impatient and hurrying through our hours, days and weeks robs us of the richness of life. There is real power in purposefully slowing down.
  
• Dogs understand life more than most people do.

• Sympathetic resonance is real and it’s why our spaces can hold our energetic vibration to raise us back up to a higher vibration when we get stressed, anxious or worn out.

• Laughing is the cleanest form of stress relief on the planet.

• My mom was right. Normal really is just a setting on the dryer.

I’m sure you’ve gleaned some amazing truths along your own journey. Share some with me in a reply. I do love hearing from you!

With love, laughter and gratitude,

Lisa