Sweet 60

The number only comes to life when I'm working on a playlist for my birthday party. The list is already 11 hours of listening and still not all the music I have memories of is on it. It's a pleasure to listen to Maggie McNeal and sing along loudly on; wants to go back to the coast. It has become a kind of anthem because I always feel carried by the sea. Or the Pastorale by Ramses Shaffy and Liesbeth List, wonderfully dramatic. And Andre Hazes' Kite, which we made a new version of on every occasion with the Wijk Approach team. The nice beat of Drake and Rihanna, I take care of you. Music, smell and taste can take you back in time. And I get 60 red roses from Cornelius on my birthday. And there are a lot of them. They are beautiful and I feel loved. Then turning 60 is not a bad thing. We see if we have a specific memory for each year. Not including the first 2 years of life. Funny to do and to get to know each other even better. It comes together with a philosophical meditation assignment in the lecture series that I follow at School for Live. Questions such as; what is your happiest childhood memory, what were you most afraid of as a child, who was your first great love, what do you regret most, when was the last time you couldn't sleep at night, what is your greatest loss, and Have you made any new friends lately? And then whether you want to do exactly the same in your life. nhuuu I'm trying to work it into a speech for my birthday party. Surrounded by my family and friends, gathered over time. And which I am so very happy with because they are an important part of my life. But my dear daughter interrupts me decisively. It's her turn to give a speech. And there she is, my adult daughter. She has been part of me for half my life. She reflects on Max's death and my decisions to organize my life differently. First carefully with some singing and dancing lessons and then rigorously with quitting my job and selling the house. And of course my decision to go out into the world together with Cornelius. But then she gives me a big compliment: that I am an inspiration for her and her contemporaries who struggle with the stress of choice. Because even at 58 you can make a completely different choice and start living a new life. SWEET