I am turning fifty today. There. I’ve said it. I’m not entirely sure what to make of this…achievement. It’s certainly forcing me to think about my past and future in ways I’ve not thought of either before. And it’s certainly forcing me to take stock in a way I haven’t done since…well, since I turned forty! The last ten years have taken me in directions I never expected and have enabled me to do things I never knew I’d do. The last ten years have taught me to be mindful. I’m witnessing my life today by writing down fifty things for which I’m grateful, appreciative, and mindful. They’re in no particular order because they don’t have to be. They just are.
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| sand dunes – china |
1. my long, rich, deep, trusting, loving relationship with Anne
2. my beautiful inherited home
3. being successful at sustaining drydenbks as a viable business
4. knowing I am stronger and more resilient than I think I am
5. kind people
6. my health
7. being able to contribute the maximum into savings vehicles
8. being able to share my expertise and passion with others through my work
9. appreciative people
10. being on my own clock
11. my reputation as someone to be trusted professionally and personally
12. serendipitous meetings, conversations, and events
13. being born, growing up, and living in Manhattan
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| perito moreno glacier – Argentina |
14. being able to leave Manhattan to travel
15. being open to learning new things
16. an unfailingly supportive business community and “tribe”
17. good friends
18. stories and storytelling
19. reaching a point where the good memories of my parents are replacing the bad
20. knowing and trusting that we get what we need when the time’s right
21. the depth of love I can feel for others
22. being told by my financial adviser that “You’re still young enough to…”
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| moose – maine |
23. laughing with friends
24. quiet, still moments
25. animals
25. animals
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| penguins – patagonia |
26. when a poem, or a line, or a story idea stays long enough for me to write it down
27. the support of writers who encourage me to write
28. knowing that to give is the nicest way to receive
29. the breadth and depth of our precious natural world
30. how fun it is to make Anne laugh
31. being able to take honest stock of myself
32. understanding the difference between wanting and needing
33. being someone who can value the journey as much as the destination
34. having scars to remind me that healing follows pain
35. my ability to inspire confidence
36. beaches and the ocean
37. loving and being loved by Anne’s family
38. knowing I’d make my parents proud
39. having been adopted
40. feeling rooted and feeling safe enough to fly at the same time
41. having a partner who pushes me to be less fearful
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| charley noble |
42. having Charley Noble in our lives and hearts far longer than the vet predicted
43. being awake to hear what the universe means for me to hear (most of the time)
44. knowing that reinventing myself is possible
45. seeing how many of the items on my “Someday I will…” list that I wrote over fifteen years ago have been crossed off
46. being able to add to a new “Someday I will…” list
47. understanding this life is a gift
48. being pretty much the kind of adult I imagined myself to be when I was a kid
49. having enough
50. having the luxury to dream of more
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(c) emma d dryden, drydenbks llc