“Aging is a process of giving up things, sometimes one by one and at other times in batches,” lamented a 92-year-old friend when I visited her just after Thanksgiving. She told me that while she didn’t mind the loss of things like an uninterrupted night’s sleep and the ability to read a book without “cheaters”, she had truly mourned giving up driving, which she did at age 89.

My wise friend then gave me a rare piece of advice: “Add to your life all the good things that you can, my dear, while you still have so many options to choose from.”

I pondered her words as 2022 drew to a close and realized that between a move back to my hometown and then a 2nd move from my temporary rental property to an apartmentette in my daughter & son-in-law’s new house, as well as a few health-related issues, I hadn’t done in 2022 many of the things that I had enjoyed in previous years.

As a result, my “2023 To-Do” page in my bullet journal has more than a few items under the heading “ADD”. Some are old joys: travel, cycling on my recumbent trike, and baking, to name a few. Others are new to me: traveling The Great River Road, for example, as well as digital scrapbooking and monthly (at least) day trips to places I haven’t yet visited.

I’m feeling an enthusiasm I haven’t felt in awhile. Life feels fresh and even exciting as I look forward to even a few additions here and there.

What would you like to add to your life in 2023? What new things would you like to try? What familiar things would you love to add more of? How will you do that in the next 12 months?