Earlier this year, I turned 50.

I had just returned from 7 months living overseas, so I decided to invite a small group of friends—I call them my “yard” because they are the people who surround me and infuse my home with love whenever they visit—to celebrate.

Together, our ages spanned four decades, and as we sat around the table, laughed, ate and drank, it occurred to me that the experience felt similar to a vision I had over two years ago.

I’ve come to call it “My Extraordinary.”

It’s an exercise in which I regularly imagine the most beautiful life possible for myself. I go to a favorite peaceful place where I can be alone and I imagine and feel it all with my five senses.