Reflections On My 60th Birthday

Yesterday I marked an incredible 60 trips around the sun. It’s been quite a ride!

I had the most wonderful birthday celebration and was completely overwhelmed by the gestures and messages that poured my way from the special people I am lucky to have in my life. To anyone who hasn’t heard it yet, thank you from the bottom of my heart. I am truly blessed. 💜

If I’ve learned anything on this crazy journey, it’s that relationships matter most. They drive everything else in our lives, from parenting to politics; business to feeding kids.

I’ve learned that keeping things simple helps avoid and solve most of life’s stress and challenges.

I’ve learned that “healthy eating” is less about nutrition and more about finding joy and pleasure in food. It’s about senses, feelings, memories and the shared experience of eating with others.

For those who’re wondering, my favourite birthday dinner was made by my amazing children and delivered in packages so we could all share the same meal via zoom from our separate homes.  We had “crispy chicken” from my mom’s famous recipe, Rice A Roni (yep, you heard it right!) and frozen peas. Dessert was a beautiful rainbow fruit platter, homemade butter tarts and this incredible cake.

Was it a healthy meal? You bet. It had every colour of the rainbow and whopping amounts of the most essential nutrients; family, flavour, memories, laughter and love.

Now that it’s all over and I’m really reflecting back on these past 60 years, I realize that what I’ve learned most of all is that you’ll never go wrong if you lead with kindness.

Thank you so much for being part of my journey. I hope you’ll stick around for the next 60 years.

🌈 Janet