“Thank you for the voice, the eyes and the memories shine.

Thank you for the pictures of living in the beautiful black and the white”

– Simple Minds (Book of Brilliant Things)

I recently celebrated a milestone birthday and was lucky enough to receive an array of fantastic and thoughtful cards, gifts and well wishes.  I was even lucky enough to celebrate with a birthday dinner in my favourite restaurant in my favourite city to visit (New York).

I bring this up not to brag but to put some context around one of the gifts I received.  Truly a book of brilliant things (or brilliant memories at least).  Inside it’s black covers was an array of snaps taken over the years at various stages in my life.  Leafing through the pages did bring home to me:

1)  How fortunate I’ve been to have had (and continue to have) some great people in my life that make life all the sweeter in the good times and mean that I have a support system ready and waiting when I hit one of life’s bumps

2)  How important having a firm base is in life (friends and family)

3)  How fortunate I’ve been to have had some of the experiences I have and to have travelled to some truly amazing places on the planet

4)  How much I’ve learnt and grown along the way and how much I still have to learn and achieve

So, as important as making the most of the present is and also looking and planning forward is so is the odd pause to look back, reflect and celebrate the life we’ve lived this far.