A list of "60 THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN MY 60's" came to life when I was 59 because I was horrified at the thought that I was going to be 60 YEARS OLD!!! I had to do something POSITIVE to take away the "sting" and to turn my negative thinking to POSITIVE THINKING.
The list has changed a bit over the past 8 years as new goals surfaced and others lost their significance. Do the math - I'm supposed to accomplish 6 goals each year over 10 years in order to stay on track. Of course, each year the numbers vary, but after 2019 I'm only up to #37!! I turned 68 last week so, I have some real catching up to do..... YIKES!!!
In 2018 I enjoyed completing 7 of them.
In 2019 I powered through 7 more.
And in 2020 I have 6 scheduled so far. Very EXCITING AND ENERGIZING!
However, it appears that I might have to RE-TITLE this list to:
"67 THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN MY 60's AND 70's"
Last year I accomplished the following SEVEN!!:
1. Take my niece, LESLIE'S FAMILY on a trip to Europe to see PARIS
2. Take a tour of GETTYSBURG, PA BATTLEFIELDS
3. Stay in MONTALCINO, ITALY
4. Tour the inside of the DUOMO in FLORENCE, ITALY
5. Visit the town of VINCI, ITALY where LEONARDO spent his childhood
6. Visit ANDREA BOCELLI's hometown, LAJATICO, ITALY
7. Visit KENTUCKY and experience the KENTUCKY BOURBON TRAIL
I want to share ONE EXCEPTIONAL EXPERIENCE that evolved from my list.
For a long time, I have wanted to see ANDREA BOCELLI SING LIVE. I did that last week ON MY 68th BIRTHDAY while in Atlanta!!! Here are a few memories from the show.......
And 2 very short VIDEOS I took....... (click the ARROW to play)
An extraordinary piece of this story happened while in ITALY last year. My friend JOYCE and I left FLORENCE to spend a few nights in MONTALCINO. I planned for us to stop for lunch on the way - in ANDREA BOCELLI's family restaurant in his hometown, LAJATICO.
When we sat down in the restaurant, next to us was a beautiful, white-haired woman. I asked her "Is this the BOCELLI FAMILY restaurant?" She nodded her head and pointed to herself and said, "I'M HIS MOTHER."
With her permission, a photo of Andrea's mother.
I was so moved by this good fortune that tears started rolling down my face (and I RARELY CRY!). She proceeded to tell us that ANDREA had been in the restaurant the night before, but he was headed to PUGLIA for a performance that evening. She also told us that ALL of the family is talented and SINGS.
We leisurely enjoyed a delicious lunch with BOCELLI WINE (naturally).
It wasn't long into our lunch when our waitress came over to tell us that ANDREA's brother, ALBERTO, who runs the BOCELLI WINERY, was on his way into the restaurant and she would ask him to pose for a photo with us. OMG!!
Alberto and Andrea Bocelli's photo on the wall.
Me with Alberto Bocelli. The far-right photo is Alberto and Andrea as young men.
Progressive photos of Andrea Bocelli's mother, father, Andrea and brother, Alberto.
ALBERTO was very proud to show off his tall, handsome son to us, who was also in the restaurant, dining with his friends.
After lunch, still HIGH from our chance meeting with ANDREA BOCELLI's FAMILY, JOYCE and I drove by the AMPHITHEATER that ANDREA built for his concerts in LAJATICO. The stage is in the background where the STATUE stands. Can you imagine?!!
Needless to say, seeing ANDREA BOCELLI singing LIVE on stage (on MY BIRTHDAY no less) only 5 MONTHS after visiting his hometown and meeting his MOTHER, BROTHER and NEPHEW was a real HIGHLIGHT in my life. It wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been PROACTIVE by creating my "wish-list" -
"60 THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN MY 60's"
I DO realize that I am incredibly BLESSED!!!
JOAN
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