In this week’s edition of Tranquility du Jour, I’m sharing a list of 52 things I’ve Learned in 52 Years—from life’s tender truths to tiny practices that keep me grounded.

1. You can grow up in the Great Plains of Oklahoma and still dream in (broken) French.
2. The courage to veer off the expected path—like taking a gap year to ski and snowboard in Colorado post-college—can shape your soul.
3. Midlife is a permission slip to nourish what you once neglected.
4. Paralegal school taught me the power of precision—and that law firms weren’t my forever.
5. A yoga mat in a living room can spark a movement.
6. Saying yes to self-employment in 2000 was the most terrifying and liberating decision of my life.
7. A master’s degree in women’s studies gave language to what I’d felt all along: we rise stronger together and don’t have to accept status quo.
8. Growing two yoga studios to 50 soulful teachers and hundreds of weekly students began with one deep breath and a big vision from a DC fourth floor walk-up.
9. Trust your obsessions. They’ll guide you across oceans—and sometimes, back to yourself. (Looking at you, Paris and Borneo!)
10. Stepping onto a stage—whether to teach, speak, or dance—is vulnerability turned into art. Especially when you're standing there in a leotard!
11. Writing, reading, and dancing is how I make sense of the world.
12. Blogging since 2004? Still magic.
13. Starting a podcast in 2005? It felt like speaking into the void. Then it felt like community. Now it’s pausing for reinvention.
14. Social work graduate school in my mid-30s was a second act I didn’t know I needed.
15. Paris isn't just a place—it's a way of being.
16. Selling something you built from your heart is a heartbreak and a rebirth.
17. Private psychotherapy practice reminds me daily of the resilience in all of us.
18. Ballet at midlife is a love letter to my younger self.
19. The Coterie is proof that midlife can be a renaissance.
20. Medals are fun, but the real prize is dancing full out.
21. Relationships evolve, stretch, and morph—and still leave room for gratitude.
22. Healing is nonlinear and never too late to begin.
23. Pugs are life’s greatest snugglers, teachers, and tiny therapists.
24. Caring for special needs pugs taught me about unconditional love (and carpet cleaners).
25. Orangutans will hold your gaze and your heart—Borneo changed me.
26. Pigs & Pugs Project reminds me that small acts of kindness ripple wide.
27. A 600-square-foot space can feel like a mini Versailles with a touch of tulle, gold-framed mirrors, sparkly chandeliers, damask wallpaper, a curated perfume tray, lace curtains, and imagination.
28. Minimalism isn’t about less. It’s about making space for what matters.
29. Podcasts end. Chapters close. And new ones wait for fresh starts.
30. It’s okay to not know what’s next. Excitement and fear often travel together.
31. Age 52 can feel more awake, aligned, and intentional than 22 ever did.
32. Ballet buns, gold hoops, red lipstick, and the LBD are sacred rituals.
33. Life is better with playlists, peonies, and Parisian flair.
34. Pigs are gentle souls who know their names and helped inspire my path toward more compassionate living.
35. Losing yourself isn’t failure—it’s often where the real you begins to emerge.
36. Owning a business is not for the faint of heart, but it shapes you in the best ways.
37. Every season of life offers a chance to reinvent.
38. Being seen and supported in community offers a kind of healing that self-help alone can’t always reach.
39. We’re allowed to rewrite our stories—again and again.
40. Inspiration is everywhere: in rooftops, café chairs, thrift stores, and secondhand bookstores.
41. Grief and growth often walk hand in hand.
42. Boundaries are the kindest gifts we give ourselves and others.
43. Choosing beauty in a chaotic world is activism. So is kindness, softness, and refusing to rush.
44. A matcha latte can be a spiritual practice.
45. Tiny steps, repeated often, create big change.
46. Nostalgia is a powerful teacher—just don’t live there.
47. Therapy works. Period.
48. You can be both heartbroken and hopeful.
49. The body is resilient. So is the spirit.
50. The best accessories are confidence and compassion.
51. Rest is not optional. It’s revolutionary.
52. The next chapter is unwritten and I’m holding the pen with curiosity and a hint of Parisian perfume and possibility. Mentioned in the Show A variety of offerings to nourish your soul  
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