The jig is up. I turned 50 this past October. It seems like a long time ago already, but now being on a sabbatical, I have time to think (what a concept) and write more, including on the Food Archive blog.
Even though we were still in the throes of a pandemic, I was lucky to celebrate my birthday in one of my favorite places in the world, the Amalfi Coast. It was glorious. Some more personal, epic milestones happened during covid, including my promotion to full professor, my 25th wedding anniversary, and a temporary move to another country. All these moments got me reflecting.
It is strange to think that my life is (probably more than) half over. But at the same time, I feel the same as I did at 40 or even 30, with maybe a little more stiffness in the morning and the predictable wrinkles and grey hairs here and there. At the core, I am not that much different than my young adult self. Of course, that is not totally true. We all change – time has a way of ensuring that. As Gillian Welch sang, time’s the revelator.
What does feel very different is my vantage point. I am officially at least 20 years out from my getting my Ph.D., and that means 20+ years of work experience post-grad school. It also means a lot of different jobs under my belt – two postdocs, one foundation, one CGIAR center, two UN agencies, two universities, and one NGO. It also means a lot of travel– 64 countries and counting – much of that with my partner by my side. I have been lucky.
What have I learned in the first half-century through these work and travel experiences?
I care less and less what people think about me, and I am not liked by everyone. And that is ok. And Richard Feynman thought the same thing.
To honor my integrity, I had to burn a bridge or two. It was worth it.
I changed careers; I changed jobs. These changes have been good – I have learned a lot from them.
Young people have taught me the most. I am humbled by them.
Walking (+ music and movies) is the best therapy. Especially when enjoyed with others.
Food—and all the biodiversity that makes up food—is remarkable, joyful, and complex, and I am every day in awe of it.
I got better at admitting when I was wrong, and apologizing goes a long way.
I am often not right about much of anything. Who is?
Telling people how to behave or at least thinking you are the authority to do so is just so naïve.
The answer to everything is, “it depends.”
The grass is never greener.
I am not a “glass is half full,” or a “glass is half empty” kinda person. I am a “who’s gonna wash the glass” kinda person.
The best decision I ever made in my life was who I chose to spend it with.