HOW many candles?

Beach Hut - Hove - 010112

Yes.  It's my birthday … And I'm 49.  And I'm okay with it.   I've seen friends hit 50 and shrink up to 4" overnight and sprout bunions.  And I already have bunions from my wild stiletto wearing teens and 20s … eep! …

But … this 49 thing feels lighter than I thought it would.  I like it ... I was impatient with 39 but I'm going to relish this year ...  Really I'm fine about ageing, other than for the fact that there comes a point when there's more sand in the bottom of the timer than in the top ... But that is the same for all of us, whether we know it or not.

I'd love to have seen this video when I was 22 (LOL - the very idea of a youtube back in 1985 ??!!) … It's based on a 1997 article, posing as a graduation speech, by Mary Schmich for the Chicago Tribune,  which was made into this video by Baz Luhrmann  …

I go into my 50th year in the hope that it's not too late to act on some of this … or to pass it on to anyone else.  If you haven't seen this please watch through to the end ... forget all the schmaltzy stuff, the message is real and kind and something we should bear in mind more often ...

... every word is true ...

what advice would you give your 22 year old self?