Today Begins my 50th Year

Today at 8-ish AM Pacific Standard Time, I turn 49 and enter my 50^th year. I’m certainly far from perfect. I tend to learn the hard way. I often speak then think. I react. I move through life full-on. I take everything in. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I don't look back. And I have no regrets.  

In 49 years of living on the planet, I've learned a few things.

1. Everything that happens in my life and the lives of those around me is not all my fault. Failure to take responsibility stunts growth. Most times circumstance is dual-authored, each contributing equitably. I believe that in order to learn, I must first take ownership of my contributions. I have also learned that that does not mean taking responsibility for the contributions of others – that stunts growth like a record with a scratch.
2. Use the word "I" more than "you" when placing blame or reflecting on an incident. I've received more than one email, text, letter, or phone call filled with "you's." Personally, I've committed the "you" crime on more than one occasion. Just recently, I received an 8-sentence email that contained the word "I" twice and "you" ten times. I chose not to be part of that friendship any longer. I also choose to write my future using "I" more often.
3. The biggest travesty of the 21^st century is the cell phone. It is as if being rude has become part of our culture. When did it become acceptable to take a call while sitting across the table from someone? Or in line at the grocery store? I'm not so nice when someone refuses to acknowledge an employee ringing up their purchases. It often comes out like this, "This beautiful [lady or man] deserves your attention and respect you self-serving prick."
4. It’s not my job to count another person's mistakes (obviously still learning; see #3 with my response to ill-mannered cell phone users).
5. Embrace failure, it's the step right before success.
6. Bucket lists are for wimps. If there is something you want to do, do it. I'm often criticized for my lifestyle, but there is not a damn thing on my bucket list. When I show up at the pearly gates of heaven or the iron fists of hell, I will have no regrets. I once read: I do not want to do the same thing every day for 90 years and call that a life. Amen, sister!
7. Typically, things are more beautiful for what I don't see than what I do see. Take an extra minute to sit quietly. Feel those things you can't see. I recently visited the Gloucester Cathedral in the U.K. In the silence, I could imagine the world created in a Ken Follet book.
8. I've met some of the most interesting people on planes. I was maybe six or seven years old when I remember my first flight. My brother and I visited the pilots in the cockpit and received our "wings," a pin for our lapel. I remember looking at the world through the window of driver's seat thinking it's all right there – the whole world is waiting for me. Since then, I pick the brains of my fellow travelers. I make friends, many of whom are still friends to this day. Don't know what to say? Try, "Where are you going?" You're on a plane for god's sake!
9. Environmentalism is not a fad. I carry my own bamboo fork and spoon (TSA approved) and travel mug capable of eating or drinking from. I use a Final Straw. I respect the ground I walk on and the oceans I swim in. Of Recycle, Reuse, and Reduce – reduce is my fav.   
10. Above all else, I am a human being. I make mistakes. I say things I wish I could take back. I've hurt people – and some of those people are very close to me. But each day
    I live a more authentic life. Each day I embrace the bad and the good in me and the people around me. I strive to make decisions that positively impact my life and the lives of those around me. The only thing I can do today is live my best life.

All we can do is the best that we can do.

Happy birthday to me. I am alone today but surrounded by all of those that have touched my life in one way or another. Thank you and may your next year be more amazing than this one.