My 50 Best Things in My 50 Years

So I'm gonna be 50 years old next week. I'm processing this very slowly, and thoughtfully, and I can say that it's a very unexcited way, too. But even then, I still recognize the weight of the number, the victory in the number, and how big of a deal this is/should/can be. I don't have anything super big or major planned. I've taken the whole week off work, and Mom is flying out to spend some days with me. I want to hang out, chill and do whatever, and not work, and eat awesome things and watch movies.

    I've been thinking lately about random things in lists of 50. Do I have "50 Bits of Wisdom"? No. "50 Lessons Learned." Why start now? And will that be interesting?

    Oh, I just had a thought: "My 50 Best Things in My 50 Years." My goodness, can I come up with 50 Best Things? I expect I can. This sounds like a challenge I have given myself, and before I think better of it, I will accept this challenge. I won't give myself a time frame to complete this challenge, except to say that I'll hope to have it done before I turn 51. Honestly, it shouldn't be too hard, but we'll see as we get up in number. Best Things will be whatever I want them to be. It's my birthday. In no particular order, though I'm going to start with 1.

    1. Reading. In general, reading is one of my most favorite things to do in the world. I remember vividly the first book I read that made me cry the most ("Where the Red Fern Grows," Wilson Rawls); the first book I read that taught me about adulthood ("Lucky," Jackie Collins); and the first book that blew my mind ("And Then There Were None," Agatha Christie). The first Anne Rice book I read was "The Tale of the Body Thief." I had to find all her previous books after that and start from the beginning, but since then I have read everything that she's written. Same with "The Sands of Time" by Sidney Sheldon. And "The Mummy Case" by Elizabeth Peters. It hurts my heart to note that all those authors have died, but their impact on me as a reader is unquantifiable. Through their words, I fell in love with books of all genres written by many authors. Every room in my house has a pile of books in it, and I wouldn't have it any other way. Of all things I am at this point in my life, I am very proud to say that I am a bookworm, bibliophile, regular patron at the library, and happy reader. Reading books makes me happy.