I’m turning 50 in a couple weeks and it’s got me thinking a lot about my life. You know, stuff like, “Am I doing what I feel like I’m here to do?”

I try to practice remembering how fleeting life is. How unpredictable. Anything can happen to any of us at any time. Remembering that helps me stay more present to my life and to the people I love.

So while that is true for anyone of any age, there’s something about the 50 mark that really brings it home in a new way for me. It’s likely there are fewer years ahead of me than behind me!

This feels like a time to recommit to myself and my work in the world. In light of that, I’d love to share with you a manifesto I wrote, thanks to the work of Alexandra Franzen:

My manifesto:

It breaks my heart wide open when I hear people at funerals wishing they’d expressed their appreciation while the person they loved was still alive.

Or folks at the end of their lives feeling like they missed the color and magic in the midst of to-do’s and obligations.

What the world really needs is permission to celebrate everyday moments and revel in giving exceptional gifts.

And I’m here to make that happen for as many people as I possibly can.

Because one day I want to live in a world where we carry paper parasols in our pockets to slip into our colleagues’ morning muffins. A world where we’re not afraid to say out loud, “I love you because___” to our sister, best friend, or kindly stranger we meet on the bus. I want to live in a world where it really is the thought that counts instead of money talks.

I do this work because I want to live in a world in which singular moments can be extraordinary gifts we give ourselves and those we love.

And if you want to live in that world, too, I have one question for you: who or what will you celebrate today?

Sherry Richert Belul

Thank you so much for following along on my journey. It means so much to me!
xo
Sherry

**** Keep an eye out in the next couple weeks for some ways you can help me celebrate my birthday! I’ve got a few ideas up my sleeves.

**** Oh, and if you want to write your own manifesto, Alex has a free script here. (Plus other freebies!)