Do you know when your champagne birthday is?
For 7 of my junior high/high school friends of mine, it’s 2026…
To find your champagne birthday, it’s when your year of birth & age match. We were born in 1963 & we all turn 63 in 2026.
Gerontologist, Dr Kerry Burnight, outlines in her book, Joy Span, four key pillars to cultivate joy:
1. Growth
2. Social connection
3. Adaptation
4. Giving
After interviewing her on the Girls Talk Healthy Aging podcast, I decided social connection was one of the areas of growth I wanted to work on.
One of the things I did was connect with my ‘old’ friends and I’m ever grateful that I did.
We took a short 30ish year hiatus from hanging out as we all ‘did life’ building careers &/or raising families & then reconnected a few years ago.
Then came a remarkable event…
8 busy women were able to take 5 days out of busy schedules to prioritize relationships & deep connections.
❤️My heart is full.
We are so fortunate to have each other.
I’m ever grateful for these wonderful women who are more like sisters to me.
*The 1st few pics were high school sailing trips, then a 40th birthday pic, then shenanigans from our getaway…
Although it was our ‘champagne birthday’, very little alcohol was consumed, (none was needed for all the fun & laughs!).
PSA: The quality of your relationships is a key factor to your mental & physical health, happiness & longevity.
Those with stronger social relationships have a 50% likelihood of survival compared to those with weaker social ties.
If this is an area of growth for you, no matter what your age, you can make efforts to improve your social connections.
I hope you have or intend to cultivate these types of friendships.