Dear everyone, you have no idea how much your comments are appreciated. Getting an email notification that someone has left a comment here is like getting a present. Thank you all for reading and letting us know you've been reading Redacted Recipes. And to those of you who write your blogs, the ones I keep coming back to (you know who you are), thank you for the ongoing inspiration, laughs and wisdom.
It's my birthday tomorrow and I will be half a century old. I've never really liked having a birthday on New Year's Day. Aside from the single advantage of always having the day off it's not a great time for a celebration, as everyone is hung-over from the night before and burned out from the Christmas holidays. And, of course, it's impossible not to think about new beginnings and resolutions. I don't make resolutions anymore (I resolved to give that up when I was about fifteen), but I thought I'd mark this occasion with a list of what I've learned so far in my life. Without further ado:
1) It's perfectly okay not to know something. Saying "I don't know" means you have opened the opportunity to learn something.
2) Children (if you have done your job) are the very best mirrors in the world
3) Books are the best form of escapism
4) Black and white is easy but shades of gray are far more rewarding
5) One minute is a long time if you are waiting for something in the microwave
6) Five seconds is a long time if you are waiting for a webpage to load
7) Fifty years is not a very long time at all when it is your life
8) Age is relative, and older doesn't always mean wiser
9) Babies are delicious
10) There is always a choice
11) Love is a promise
12) Mistakes are inevitable
13) Forgiveness takes practice
14) Behaving well is an investment in yourself
15) You can always start over
16) Making a living is not the same thing as making a life
17) I’d rather be respected than liked
18) Less is not always more
19) Doubt will serve better than certainty
20) Sometimes silence is the wisest response
21) Second chances are a good thing
22) Sometimes "no" is the right answer
23) Taking credit for something you did not do or that does not belong to you will make you smaller
24) Over time anything will start to feel normal. Be careful of this
25) Let the more loving one be me is an excellent way to try to live a life
26) Memory is often unreliable
27) Sit back and let someone else drive for a while. You might end up somewhere amazing
28) Eavesdropping in restaurants can be very rewarding
29) Disagreeing with someone is not the same as attacking them
30) Knowing about something is not the same as doing it
31) Conversely, the fact that you did something does not make you an expert
32) Working with your hands leaves your brain with room to roam
33) Deciding to make a list of 50 interesting lessons learned might be overly ambitious
34) It is not necessary to inflict your opinions on others
35) Blaming other people only highlights an inability to take responsibility
36) Nobody "makes me" feel anything
37) Enthusiasms are fun but transitory
38) Beautiful shoes are seldom comfortable; comfortable shoes are seldom beautiful; beautiful, comfortable shoes are worth their weight in gold and should be bought in every color
39) Gardening is great therapy
40) Making food for someone you love is a gift
41) Sometimes you have to know something more than once (said by my youngest daughter when she was about six years old)
42) Expecting people to read your mind is like expecting to win the lottery
43) You are not obligated to justify your beliefs to anyone
44) Politics and religion are not appropriate topics at the office
45) You never really know people as well as you think you do
46) Living alone can be wonderful
47) Choosing to live with another person is a gift. Don't be stingy about it
48) If you're thinking something nice about someone, tell them
49) Picking a fight is a not a good way to get attention
50) Eating asparagus with your fingers is okay and so is putting your elbows on the table
Happy New year.
Happy New Year and happy birthday, love.
I like your list. Some of those make me think you're probably wiser than me. :-)
Posted by: Jack | December 31, 2007 at 02:17 PM
Excellent list, Ann, well put.
Cindy
Posted by: Cindy Revell | December 31, 2007 at 02:42 PM
Great list. I agree about comments=present. Happy birthday and happy New Year!
Posted by: yulinka | December 31, 2007 at 04:23 PM
Happy Birthday -- Happy New Year. I completely understand about holiday birthdays, since everyone in my immediate family enjoys/suffers the same -- all different holidays, too! Welcome to the Daring Bakers, too.
Posted by: Judy | December 31, 2007 at 05:58 PM
I love your list, Ann. Happy Birthday - and Happy New Year. With love...
Posted by: Leigh | December 31, 2007 at 06:23 PM
A very Happy Birthday wish to you! Until 2008...
Posted by: Gretchen Noelle | December 31, 2007 at 07:02 PM
What an ambitious and wonderful list you have come up with. I find it nearly impossible to believe that my "little girl" will reach such a ripe age tomorrow. You have become a beautiful and wise woman. We love you.(
Posted by: Mary Anne (Mom) | December 31, 2007 at 07:23 PM
This list reflects wisdom, Ann. And thank goodness for #50 because I LOVE eating asparagus with my fingers. May your birthday be magical.
PS-Where did you find the white sprinkles on the side of the cake? They're so pretty.
Posted by: Susan from Food Blogga | December 31, 2007 at 08:23 PM
Happy New Year, and Happy Birthday, with many happy more!
-Dawn
Posted by: Wicked Good Dinner | December 31, 2007 at 11:16 PM
Ann, what a wonderful list. I love your comments about loving & living with another person. I've saved them for future reference when I'm being selfish! :)
Thank you thank you for your advice on NY restaurants. You can imagine the scene when I whipped out a camera in the middle of Eleven Madison Park! I had to. I wanted to show you first of all... and was clearly inspired by your food blog!
I think we were having the most fun in the restaurant too, because our neighbors sitting next to us kept glancing over at us like I was a bit crazy, but then started loosening up & laughing a little bit louder.
Happy birthday my wonderful blog buddy!
50 is fabulous!
Posted by: Suzanne | December 31, 2007 at 11:20 PM
Happy birthday again Ann! I realize I might be the same age as Sophie :) (Sophie=wisdom, how neat!)
#25 = JACK! It's a hint for you. Kidding!
#38 = I'm not a woman, but I have to agree that metaphorically or otherwise this is so true! LOL!
Posted by: Manggy | January 01, 2008 at 04:17 AM
Happy birthday, Anne!
Posted by: Karyn | January 01, 2008 at 06:14 AM
Jpoyeuse anniversaire...veels geluk...happy birthday Anne! May this new year(x2) be filled with ecstatic moments of joy and a joie de vivre to keep you going for another 50! What a wonderful list you have here, may I print it for my fridge..I love them all, good reminders of how to just take life as it arrives on your doorstep. I feel honoured to share this one with you and I'm looking forward to the rest - many more recipes and learning curves, fun and bright ideas, "food, wine and items of interest as they arise".
ronell
Posted by: myfrenchkitchen | January 01, 2008 at 11:58 AM
I said that?! How wise!
That's a great list. Happy birthday, Mom.
Posted by: Sophie | January 01, 2008 at 03:44 PM
By the way... Manggy, how old are you? ;-)
Posted by: Sophie | January 01, 2008 at 03:46 PM
Happy birthday Ann. As your sister I have known you are wise and wonderful my whole life (I also know you can pinch hard). Your list is beautiful as are you. xoxo
Posted by: Lisa | January 01, 2008 at 07:57 PM
The happiest of birthdays to you -- I hope it's the beginning of a wonderful year! That's a wise and fabulous list -- and one I shall print out and read often. Thanks for being the amazing person that you are. I'm so glad we met.
Posted by: Marla | January 01, 2008 at 08:30 PM
Sophie - As your mom may have no doubt told you, I am 26, soooo I was more than a little off. But apparently about the same age as Ben :)
Posted by: Manggy | January 01, 2008 at 10:37 PM
Great list. I particularly identify with # 41.
Happy birthday!
Posted by: Julie | January 02, 2008 at 09:22 AM
What an amazingly auspicious day to have a birthday. Hope the next year is filled with magic and laughter for you Anne.
Posted by: african vanielje | January 02, 2008 at 04:01 PM
Happy birthday and happy new year. I enjoyed your post. I think I'd like to make a list of 50 things I know by the time I'm 50. I have a few years ... I'll need it.
Posted by: Tracy | January 02, 2008 at 05:49 PM
Thank you, everyone for the nice birthday wishes!
susan, in the interest of full disclosure (item 23) that cake is a stock photo-- I was taken out to dinner for my birthday, so there was no homemade cake this year-- but I wanted an image to convey the new year. I've seen those white sprinkles for sale though, and they ARE pretty. :-)
Posted by: Ann | January 04, 2008 at 10:05 AM
Happy belated birthday, happy belated New Year and thank YOU... what wonderful words of wisdom!
Posted by: Dolores | January 05, 2008 at 02:43 PM
Happy belated Birthday! It took me that long to get over my hangover! :-)
Thank you for the words of wisdom! Best wishes to you!
Posted by: Zenchef | January 07, 2008 at 11:06 PM
happy new year! i must have missed this entry when i read your blog last week. my sister in law and my mom have the same birthday as you do, and my sister in law (who is also my best friend) has lamented about not liking her birthday either. she's always getting the short end of the stick when it comes to a celebration of any kind. i made sure this year to remember it and send something (even though she lives in Raleigh and i live in Atlanta).
i'm creeping up on 40 (in a year and a half) and i keep wondering why everything is going by too quickly for me to properly enjoy.
love your list. it's all true.
Posted by: frenchtart | January 08, 2008 at 10:29 AM