I am a child of the 70s, 1973 to be exact, born on a Thursday which happened to be the summer solstice that year. I was blessed to celebrate my 50th birthday on June 21, 2023 💃🏿 🥂.
I decided last June (just pretend that this post isn’t more than a year late and you’re reading it in June 2023 😆) that in the year leading up to my 50th, I would do at least one thing each month that brought me real joy. I dubbed it Joy on the Road to 50 and stuck with the plan. From simple, to cheap, to unusual, to extravagant, alone or with friends, I opened my arms and welcomed a bit of unadulterated joy each month – from June last year through the end of May this year. Then I ramped things up on June 1st and celebrated. All. Month. Long. Enjoy some of my Joy on the Road to 50 (June 2022-June 2023; not chronological).
Canada: Banff, Jasper & Elk Island National Parks
It started with three of my loves: travel, family, and parks ☺️. Catching up with my sister-cousin, Jan, in Canada, is probably where I got the idea for Joy on the Road to 50. It was a wonderful way to start this joyful journey and Parks Canada does amazing work.
Yosemite
Costa Rica with my group Southern California Outdoor Black Adventurers (SCOBA) – Pura Vida!
Bucket list item ✔️. This trip meant so much to me because of Costa Rica’s reputation for sustainable tourism and the fact that I’ve used it as a case study in my tourism classes for many years. One of the high points of this trip was the tour guide with whom I shared people and parks. Read more about that experience here.
Kes The Band
Kes (the lead singer and the band) sweet like I don’t know what. I jumped on the chance to see them live, though it required real planning and a long travel day to make this happen. It was just what my soul, waist and hips needed! Check out the music below and you’ll understand 😉.
San Diego for SCOBA’s 5th anniversary – great celebration, made even better because Harry joined us.
Spa La La! For when feting, wining, and wukking aren’t enough. Or to recover from the aforementioned… 😇.
Liming with friends in Boston
My friends Akesha and Lurleen are treasures! We definitely don’t lime often enough, but chat frequently, sometimes several times a day. We’ve been friends for about 20 years and our friendship means so much to me. Seeing them during this year brought me unbelievable Joy!
Palm Springs Women’s Jazz Festival – inspired, created, produced by women. All women vocalists and musicians. Fabulous!
Health & Wellness
Continued prioritizing health and wellness by investing in this treadmill, making it easier to jog or walk after midnight 😁. It’s gotten a lot of use!
Going Back to De Islands: Junkanoo in Nassau
Check out one of my favourite posts: Yearning for the Sea and Junkanoo. It has a lot more than I have room to include here ☺️. Just know that there’s a special place in my heart for The Bahamas and this spur of the moment/month trip brought me immense Joy!
Preparing to go home!
Waiting for Terence Blanchard to start performing his music from Spike Lee’s movies. The fire alarm went off before the show started. No one in the audience moved 😯. Walt Disney Concert Concert Hall could’ve burned down around us but people were intent on seeing Terence Blanchard. Fortunately it was a false alarm 😁.
Ziggy at Walt Disney Concert Hall? Yes, please and thank you!
Theodore Payne Foundation for mini hikes amongst the wildflowers and plants for my backyard. One of my absolute favourite places.
June 2023 – Laissez les bons temps rouler!
I started the month of my 50th in New Orleans, a city I love for various reasons, though music is probably number one. This time around I enjoyed sweet jazz at Preservation Hall, Big Sam at the Jazz Playhouse, and of course street music. The best on the streets this visit was a lady playing violin at the corner of Royal St. I’d gone to the restaurant across from my hotel to get take out, but ended up dining in and staying there for a couple of hours because I enjoyed her playing so much.
Highlights from the remainder of my birthday month: I hiked a trifecta with Jennetta (Griffith Park, Los Leones, Whitney Canyon); did a hiking photoshoot (thanks Teri for being my impromptu photographer); dined with my cousins; spent a few fabulous days enjoying good wine, food, and adventures in Temecula with Jess and Renee; got my spa on with Jess, Renee, Jennetta, Teri, and Shayla (no pics allowed); enjoyed Jill Scott and Harry Potter at my summer home; exercised; got a pedicure; and yoga’d daily cause in addition to being the summer solstice, June 21st is International Yoga Day. It’s also World Day of Music. I meant to finish the month with Indiana Jones, but ended up getting a root canal instead, so I caught up with Indy in early July.
Phew! What a year of planned and serendipitous Joy! Maybe it took me this long to finish the post because I needed more than a year to wind down from all of that Joy 🤣 (or to keep pursuing it). Plus, there was an after party in Barbados late July – early August. Speaking of pursuing Joy… Up next… Pursuits or After Party? Hmmm ☺️.
Barbados Uh Cum From! 