Painting and wine

sky diving

pumpkin patch

Christmas cheer

spring snow shoeing

Happy Monday, everyone! Winter is trying to make one last impression here at The Next 50 years. It has been snowing rather heavily most of Sunday and into Monday. Fortunately, it has been warm enough lately that nothing is really sticking to the streets or the trees. Spring storms can be so hard on the delicate newly budding trees and plants. I am happy to think about how when the sun returns later on this week how the moisture will have everything very fresh and green for Easter.

Being a Minimalist isn’t just about letting go of physical objects, it is also about letting go of the past so we can embrace the present. Seasons are changing all around me both literally and figuratively. With the change of seasons and the approaching of Easter, I am getting ready to celebrate the end of my 50th year and the beginning of year number 51 on this.planet on Wednesday. Yay! This past year has been so amazing. There have been great adventures such as zip lining, hiking, and painting; the start of my blog; countless good times with friends and family; as well as the blessings of my home, career, and spiritual life. If you are one of my young readers, or at least younger than I,  I want to assure you that despite the challenges that every human must endure in this world, growing in age and wisdom can be a total blast! I can say wholeheartedly that life is so much more amazing now than when I was 25 or 35. You have more to look forward to in life that you can even imagine. Now, if I could just have a 25-year-old body again 😉 Actually, truth be told, for those of you who only know me on the blog, I look much better now than I did fifteen years ago but that is a story for another day.

In my personal life the seasons are changing as well. I will be saying “goodbye” to a music teaching position that I have held since 2002 and starting a music teaching position at a new school this coming fall. In addition, as I begin my 51st year I will legally be going by my new name, Laura Kelly. For my blog friends, until recently my name was Laura Winters. ( Ironic considering the above comments about snow.) With my mom gone for 11 years and my sister having a different last name than me, I had no attachment to the name Winters anymore and several reasons for wanting to be free from the name. So, after months of paperwork, I am officially Laura Kelly. 🙂

Being 50 was amazing and more fun than I would have ever imagined, teaching at my present school has transformed me in so many positive ways, and Laura Winters was a beautiful name,  but now it is time to move on. Like a butterfly out of a cocoon I am both nervous and excited what the next 365 days and beyond will bring. If I try to  hold on to the past, I will only be holding on to shadows and I will not learn how to fly. Don’t get me wrong, part of who I have been will always be a part of who I am now and the person I  will be in the future. Letting go does not mean having amnesia or ignoring beautiful memories. It does mean embracing change, taking leaps of faith, trusting my intuition, and daring to become more than I dreamed possible.

I would love to hear your stories and comments, so please share!

Until next time,

Laura