I love to travel.
Over the years, that has often meant big trips to places I had never been before: going on safari in Africa in search of wild dogs, exploring Sri Lanka’s UNESCO World Heritage sites, traveling to the Galápagos to see blue-footed boobies, swimming with penguins, and marveling at massive tortoises.
I turned 70 last month, which feels like a small miracle in its own right. Since halfway through my 67th year, I have been navigating the many challenges of cancer. It has been another kind of journey into an unknown place. Thankfully, with the support of so many wonderful people, I have made my way through treatment and have only recently begun to feel the freshness of renewal. A different kind of springtime.
So, what does a travel fiend do when celebrating a milestone birthday and the gift of being here to enjoy it? Take a trip, of course.
But this trip was different. Instead of traveling somewhere new, I traveled to see old friends. People who have held a place in my heart for decades. Some have been part of my life for more than half a century. We met as kids and somehow managed to stay connected through all the different chapters of our lives.
There is something remarkable about old friends. They remember pieces of you that you may have forgotten. They remind you of who you were, who you became, and, sometimes, who you have always been.
Some people have extraordinary memories for events and people from long ago. They can recall the details, the places, even the feelings.
I have learned that I tend to live very much in the present. I can remember something from my past when someone reminds me, but more often, those memories come alive in the context of something I am experiencing right now.
And that is what made this trip so meaningful. Seeing these friends brought back memories I hadn’t thought about in years. It gave me a new perspective on my own journey and a deeper appreciation for the person I have become. What an amazing gift.
It also reminded me that the things that make a life meaningful aren’t always the big things. Sometimes they are a conversation with someone who has known you forever. A shared laugh over a story from 50 years ago. The joy of discovering something new. A favorite place. A new experience. A friendship that still feels familiar after all this time.
We tend to think of life’s chapters in terms of the big milestones: starting a career, raising a family, retiring, moving to a new home. But perhaps the most interesting chapters are the ones we haven’t written yet.
At Juniper, we believe life doesn’t become smaller with age. It can become richer, more personal, and full of new possibilities. There are new things to learn, new people to meet, new interests to explore, and plenty of old passions worth carrying forward.
That’s why we ask a simple question: How will you write YOUR next great chapter?
Maybe, like me, it starts with a trip you’ve always wanted to take. Maybe it’s joining a fitness class, learning something you’ve never tried, or revisiting a hobby you haven’t attempted since you were a kid. Maybe it’s simply having more time and opportunity to focus on the things that bring you joy. And sometimes, the smallest joys turn out to mean the most.
There is no single way to write a great next chapter. There is only your way. And I hope your next chapter may be the best one yet.
~Lynne
