Last month I celebrated my 49th birthday. Since I’m planning on living to 100, I’m just about halfway there. Which is both exciting and terrifying.

​As I get older I feel the self-imposed pressure to start producing what I feel should be profound essays on the enlightened state of my aging. Essays with titles like, “Five fun new ways my body is laughing at me” and “Where did those wrinkles come from?”

​Instead, today, I’m taking inspiration from a writer whose work I enjoy, Kara Cutrazzula. (Thank you Kara.)

Here are my thoughts on what I’ve learned and observed in these last 49 years.

1. Life is short.

2. None of us are getting out of here alive.

3. Start now. It's not too late.

4. Progress is progress no matter how slow or small.

5. Do what you love.

6. Stop doing what you don’t love.

7. Brush and floss your teeth.

8. Wear sunscreen.

9. Vote in every election.

10. See the dentist and doctor regularly.

11. Call the people you love.

12. Reach out to someone you haven’t spoken to in a while.

13. Smile at strangers.

14. Say thank you and please.

15. Take the stairs.

16. Drink more water.

17. Anger provides a lot of fuel but can leave you empty.

18. Find constructive places to put destructive energy.

19. Go on an adventure.

20. Speak kindly to yourself.

21. Covid spiders are not real.

22. Money is infinite. You can always get and lose more.

23. Time is finite. When it’s gone, it’s gone.

24. Generosity multiples like bunnies.

25. Grief never goes away. You just find new places to put it.

26. More people love you than you know.

27. Hug the people you love. (Unless you’re social distancing, then give them an Oprah air hug instead.)

28. Tell them you love them.

29. Be present.

30. Leave people behind that don’t bring you joy.

31. Listen to people older than you. They’ve lived stories you never will.

32. Listen to people younger than you. They’re living stories you’ve forgotten.

33. People want to hear your stories. Share them.

34. Read lots of books. Good books. Bad books. Weird books. All the books.

35. Stop reading books when you’re done with them.

36. Finishing doesn’t mean coming to the end. It just means you’re done with it.

37. Carry something to read around with you all the time.

38. Never send an email you wouldn’t want the world to read.

39. Never post a picture on social media that you don’t want the world to see forever.

40. You only live this life once.

41. You’re fucking amazing.

42. Don't wait for perfect. It doesn't exist.

43. Strangers are cheering for you.

44. Don’t wait for a guru to give you permission.

45. Don’t take “one more class so I know what I’m doing.”

46. Don’t be afraid.

47. Go for it.

48. The world needs your voice.

49. Don’t take no shit. (Thanks dad.)

Hello!
My name is Jocelyn.

Story warrior, book lover, day dreamer, gardener, and creative. I help serious writers roll up their sleeves, get their novel ready for publishing, and reach readers. When I’m not elbow-deep in the story trenches, I’m outside world-building in my garden and battling weeds with my three criminal mastermind cats.