50 over 50 2022 Edition

When I turned 50, I realized I wanted to focus on achieving my personal and professional goals by embracing and cherishing my new stage in life. My children are young adults living their lives, and I am enormously grateful for the opportunity to enjoy my journey.

It’s alright to change your mind.

My mistakes have given me my biggest gifts. Behind the smile is a wise soul ready to listen and learn from the constant lesson plan of life.

I’m the daughter of Shirley Mckenzie- Browne and Philip A. Browne. I was born to parents who immigrated from Guyana and Trinidad & Tobago to the United Kingdom post-war to work in healthcare and telecommunications with the goal of building a better life for themselves in London. I am grateful for their sacrifice and efforts to create stability and a prosperous life. Now, I am a naturalized U.S. citizen living with my children in safety and security thanks to the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). I hope they are proud of me and can truly rest in peace, watching over us, knowing we are safe.

There have been so many. I would say the most significant challenge is the loneliness of living in a foreign country and longing to belong. I’m aware of my confusion, misunderstandings, and loss due to the effects of recovering from the trauma of domestic violence, single-parenthood, anxiety, depression, adjusting to immigration, autoimmune disease, and scarring alopecia. Clarity has given way to contentment.

My two sons and having survived and thrived in the most complex and challenging conditions known to me. I am sometimes overwhelmed at how far we have come.

I look at the expanse of the sky at night, see the twinkling stars, and know I have a home and belong to a community and people who love and care for me.

In my teens and early twenties, I traveled all over Europe and saw no barriers or limits. In my 30s, I became a parent and worked to keep my children and myself safe. In my 40s, I learned the value of safety and opportunities to thrive in the United States: Even in these troubled times plagued by racial, social, health economic disparities and many more challenges. Through the different degrees of hardship, loss, and doubt, I have come to know people, many of whom are different. If I am patient enough, I can see the similarities in our humanity.   Life presents us with many adventures, twists, and turns. Don’t give up! It can improve despite the loss, tears, disappointment, and changes. My 50’s have become a new fresh beginning. I hope you will live with excitement and curiosity regardless of age or stage. And guess what? There may be barriers, but the sky’s the limit!