You Asked for It...

My lists have proven to be the hands-down crowd pleaser to date, so this week I'm indulging my obsession.

Five Things I Did for The First Time After 60

Answered a booty call

Did Jell-o shots

Got a Brazilian wax

Got my first tattoo

Stood up for myself

Five Things I Learned from My Divorce

Right doesn’t always prevail

Karma is a beautiful thing

When dealing with a narcissist, the only way to win is not to play

Who I can truly count on

That I’m braver than I thought

Five Things I’d Do If I Won the Lottery

Help the CWP afford a fabulous apartment/photography studio

Start a non-profit geared towards prevention of interpersonal abuse through education

Hire a chef who would also meal plan and shop (and maybe drive me around occasionally)

Fund research for invisible illnesses

Travel first class

Five Ways I’m Unrecognizable from Ten Years Ago

I no longer take almost everything personally

I’ve let my advanced credential in rumination lapse

I’m no longer concerned with whether someone likes me

I never sleepwalk anymore

I love myself

Five Ways I Haven’t Changed

I still have an offbeat sense of humor and love to make people laugh

I’m still an optimist

I still love helping people, especially in my areas of expertise

I’m still obsessed with anything to do with words

I still have a restless curiosity

Five Simple Things That I Love and Use Daily

My foam roller

My Goop lip gloss

My Brooks walking shoes

My many layers of Bath & Bodyworks Spearmint and Eucalyptus products

My no-name oversize sunglasses

Five Things My Day Doesn’t Feel Complete Without

A stretching session

Meditation

Writing

A walk or a swim

A book

Five Reasons I’m Examining My Relationship with Alcohol (And We Might Be Breaking Up)

My desire to stave off the physical and cognitive effects of aging

My family history

My weight

My tendency to become mindlessly entrenched in my habits

My desire to be more present

Five Things That Can Make Me Cry

Remembering the beatific nature of my young children’s love

Taps

Listening to the CWP play the piano

Exhaustion

Injustice

Five Things That Always Make Me Laugh

Absurdity

Corny jokes/puns that were my dad’s specialty

Ridiculous videos of animals

My daughter’s honest takes on anything

My attempts to take myself too seriously

Five Things I Recently Recycled

A few books I’ve had for many years that I still hadn’t read

Jeans that were never going to get any looser or shorter

Extra suitcases

A few lovely but “not me” gifts

Outfits from my days of frequent family dinners at the country club

Five Things I Replaced Them With

A book of poetry by Billy Chapata which I dip into every morning

One pair of jeans that fit and I feel good wearing

One fabulous carry-on suitcase

A pair of chaise lounges to enjoy by the pool

A few inexpensive dresses that are perfect for the heat and make me feel fabulous

Five Recent Expenses I Hadn’t Planned On

Replacing my microwave when it spontaneously combusted

Replacing the CWP’s Invisalign when a dog she was sitting made a snack of it

Replacing my laptop, which died while I was away on vacation (couldn’t live without me?)

Replacing my in-ground mailbox, which had rusted to the point of disintegration (the downside of sea air)

Repairing my air conditioner, which of course quit on the hottest day of the year to date

Five Ways I’d Like to Go When the Time Comes

Sleeping

Instantaneously

Peacefully

Surrounded by loved ones

Laughing

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Still waiting for some of you to share your lists! I know you’ve got ‘em.     `