You know that moment when you realize you've been living under a completely wrong assumption? Well, I just had mine. For months—maybe even a year—I've been walking around thinking I'm turning 70 in 2026. Planning for it. Mentally preparing for that milestone. Maybe even dreading it a little.
Turns out? I'm not hitting 70 until 2027.
I literally gained a year. Just like that. Found it sitting there in the timeline like loose change in the couch cushions.
Now, some people might brush this off as a simple math error (and okay, fine, it technically is). But I'm choosing to see it differently. I'm choosing to see it as the universe handing me a gift—a whole bonus year I wasn't expecting. Three hundred and sixty-five extra days to do something that matters.
So what am I going to do with this found time? Everything.
1. The Writing Life
First up: I'm finishing another book in January. Not starting one. Not thinking about one. Finishing one. And then I'm updating all four of my existing books every quarter because Shopify does so many updates that I have to keep up with and this… thanks to an AI suggestion… is the way to keep my books updated and my customers updated.
2. The Body Stuff
I'm bumping my exercise regime to three times a week. And I'm doing the Nifty Fifty every other day because my body deserves consistency, not my sporadic bursts of motivation followed by weeks of excuses.
I'm also finally… FINALLY… going to use that little face massage device I bought a year ago that's been sitting in a drawer judging me. Time to change that, and I'll be documenting the journey.
And water. I'm going to drink more of it. Because I've been nagging my mom about her water intake, and I can't very well be a hypocrite about hydration, can I?
3. The People Who Matter
I'm visiting my kids and grandkids at least twice this year. I know that might not sound like much to some people, but when you're working within a budget, every visit becomes precious and intentional. Quality over quantity, right?
And here's the big one: I'm visiting my mom and sister and family in Namibia in 2026… and I'm taking my husband with me. Which means I need to be on task promoting my books because we're flying business class or we're not going. Period. (Mutti and Jeanne Dee… joking. I will come I promise!) My days of cramped economy seats on 20-hour flights are behind me.
4. The Business That Matters
I'm also going to actively push our Marula oil sales. Not just casually mention it. Not just hope people find it. Actively sell it. Because every bottle sold gets us closer to starting our non-profit in Namibia, and that's the legacy work that keeps me up at night in the best possible way.
5. The Lives I've Been Avoiding
And I'm starting my Lives again. Yes, those. The ones I keep saying I'll do and then don't because... well, because I make excuses. But this found year? It's not for excuses. It's for showing up.
So What About You?
Here's what I keep thinking about: we don't actually need a math error to give ourselves permission to treat a year like it's bonus time. We can choose to see any year that way… as found time, as gifted days, as a chance to do the things we keep putting off until "someday."
So I'm asking you: what are you going to do with your next year? Not the year after that. Not five years from now. Your next 365 days.
Because here's the thing about time… it's going to pass whether we're intentional with it or not. Whether we're 70 in 2026 or 2027 doesn't actually matter as much as what we do between now and then.
And I'm planning to do a whole lot.
