Forty lessons from 40 beautiful years…
- Regret is an agonising state of being
- Alcohol solves nothing
- Answers always appear in the shower
- I’ve never regretted not finishing a book
- Improvement relies on attitude as much as practice
- Honesty is the key to freedom
- Running from problems doesn’t solve them (but can create some amazing adventures)
- Boundaries should be an entire subject in school
- Flipping a coin is the best way to get off the fence
- The human body has an incredible capacity to heal
- The best successes are often invisible to others
- Self-compassion is one of the hardest skills to learn
- True happiness comes from being selfless
- Forgiveness is a superpower
- Mistakes teach us our most important lessons in life
- Humour is a gift
- Nature can heal the soul
- Sitting under the stars is the best way to gain perspective
- Balance is my ultimate goal
- Avoid falling asleep in socks
- My future self with thank me for stretching
- Fairy lights make everything better
- Nothing is permanent
- It’s rare to regret things you do (unless they go against your values)
- Invest in shoes, pillows, and an electric toothbrush
- We hear the things we want to hear
- Guilt is as painful as regret
- Flossing is a worthwhile investment of time
- Cry whenever you can
- Work hard in your 20’s and 30’s (because by 40, you’ll want to retire)
- Always repeat the name of someone you meet aloud (at least once)
- Never send emails late at night
- Never make important decisions on an empty stomach
- Aim to be the underdog
- Avoid pissing off your landlord and boss
- How well you perform is dependent on how much you want the result
- I’m consistently inconsistent
- The best wisdom can be read in a toilet cubical
- Jazz is the musical equivalent of marijuana
- Every journey begins with a step into the unknown
May your journey be bright.
Rozanne
Serial Nomad 
I like 6 the best. Lots of jewels of wisdom in there and I’m sure you’ve earned them. namaste
♥️
I’m taping these on my refrigerator door! Good to remember. Thanks for sharing. Happy Birthday!
Love,
Donna
Love you Donna! I’ve been thinking about you a lot recently. I’m definitely overdue for a visit! Xo
Way overdue for a visit. Please correct! XO
Haha! I will for sure! 🙂
Happy Birthday! Hope all is well with you! There will be many more lessons on the journey ahead..
Indeed there will. Thank you, Marc! 🙂
I’m already violating one of your lessons by writing this after midnight. But the Happiest of Birthdays! And 40 these days is barely getting warmed up. It’ll be interesting to see what additions and subtractions you’ll have 40 years from now (not that I’ll get to see them). I love the way you’ve combined the practical with the philosophical.
We want to visit Donna, too! Get ready for company, Donna.
Great to hear from you Dave and thank you so much for your bday wishes and kind words! We’ll have to have a reunion in SD soon! Keep in touch! 🙂
Will do. Stay warm.
Happy Birthday! Love your list. I can’t wait to see what you get up to over the next 40 years
Thank you so much!! 🙏
Hi darling, what a fantastic creative writing to express your 40 mile mark. Feelings, experience, knowledge, truth, all of those I read in it. Up to the next 40 years journey and may they be as wonderful. Enjoy it all and fly free my butterfly.
Love you, Mutti xx
Thank you, Mutti! I always appreciate your thoughtfulness, love, and endless support! Love you heaps xo 💕
Once again, so many of your friends from around the world have beaten me to punch. Saying so many nice things about your milestone post. Not only do I share all their sentiments but I hope each is a reminder of how much encouragement and support we hope to give back to you on your special day.
As I look back on 40….(I am 61 now, I think)…I can’t help but wonder, was I ever “THAT WISE” ?
Maybe/maybe not. But with friends like you, we are all at least a little bit wiser for the ware.
Now, anyone who knows me knows that bullet points are not my strong suit. So here is my take on your original post…
I may regret not finishing that book on boundaries. But I was stuck on a fence. So I flipped a coin and put down the alcohol. Then I had the freedom to face my problems instead of run from them.
With this new and improved attitude,
I have forgiven myself and found true happiness by embracing my mistakes.
Sitting silently in nature, under the night sky…stars twinkling like my favorite fairy lights, I try to find balance.
Stretching to pull off my socks before I fall asleep on my soft pillow I remember that although nothing is permanent…tonight my teeth are clean and my shoes are dry! A sweet tear rolls down my cheek.
As I look back on how hard I worked in my 20s and 30s (40s, 50s and 60s)…I hope to be able to retire in my 70s.
So Roz, my dear friend Muk Muk, I waited until morning to send this reply. Now in an effort to not pass off my boss ( who is also my landlord) I suppose I should get back to work soon.
Maybe I will write something wise on the next toilet cubicle use. Something about smooth jazz and marijuana. Just sayin’….
May we each take that first step into the unknown and find our own bright journey!
And on that note, I will close by sending you all my love and best wishes for the upcoming year. And to proudly say that i am so very glad you are in my life!!!!!
From Oregon
Where
Lyndella still sings
WOW Lyndella! I have tingles of delight running through my entire body and a giant grin on my face. You have made me feel so incredibly seen and heard by your poetic reflection of my post. WOW!! I am so touched and overwhelmed (in the best emotional sense of the word). Thank you for your support, creative wisdom, and love. I feel it like a warm blanket wrapped around my entire body! So much love, Muk 💕
Can you believe we have been doing this back and forth for almost 10 years now? Good Golly Miss Molly !
Although we have never met, you continue to be my friend and muse. Something about you and your writing always inspires me to write too. So, this morning I pumped out my newest song… “Snow Globe”
I think you will like it.
OK Girl, keep that warm blanket handy for when something shakes up your Snow Globe
I would love to hear your new song! Please share it with me if you desire. 10 years, hey! It’s hard to believe really. What a gift this community has been! Sending warm hugs to you and blessings for a beautiful Christmas xo 💕
Hi my Muk Muk, so, you’re 40 (wow)! Let’s see, I will be 89 next month, arrived in this beautiful world in 1934. Well, let’s see here, if I did the math correctly, that makes me, 49 years old when you were a baby girl! I think I got that thing right!!
I’m so glad you have so much wisdom under your wings, it can make help you soar your “eagle wings”. I think I have never seen 40 years celebrated so beautifully! Where are you living these days? I have been so blessed to have you in my life and heart!! Thanks for coming to my home for a visit here in San Diego! Hopefully I will be able to see you again if you come to SD! I am going to give you my daughter Donna’s email address so that you can contact her to see if I am still around to be seen. surferdp@aol.com! Loving you, sweetheart, from your old friend in San Diego, Barbie!!
Great to hear from you, Barbie! Thank you so much for your note and kind words. It was such a blessing to be able to visit you in San Diego. I really do hope to visit there sometime again soon! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas with you family and sending so much love! Xo 💕