Tomorrow is my birthday. I may or may not be telling you this so you send me over some birthday love – or cake, I love cake. I’ll be 36. Yes, I know this is a shocker as I look a lot more like 25. Okay fine, 27.
Anyways…
My birthday celebration is starting today. I had my husband Ron take the day off so we could get in some me-and-him time. Here’s the itinerary:
- Get the kids and dog to school/daycare
- Take a long stroll on the Tampa RiverWalk to check out the Super Bowl Experience stuff (Go Bucs!)
- Enjoy avocado toast and a London Fog at the Oxford Exchange (where I hope to buy myself lots of tea and books)
- Kayaking at Weeki Wachee Springs State Park (I hope we see lots of manatees!)
- Whatever else comes our way
On Saturday (my actual birthday), I don’t know what we’ll do, but I’m sure it will be amazing – no pressure, right Ron ;)?
I’m thrilled for the festivities, can you tell?
Although I’m excited about my b-day, what I’m most excited about is that I’m excited. Let me explain. You see, there’s been many birthdays spent either fearing turning another year older or feeling shame for not accomplishing what I thought I should that year. Frankly, there have been birthdays (and years) I didn’t have a lot of zest for life and wasn’t too stoked to celebrate the fact I was living (thank you, depression). Now that things are different – now that I’m different – these low-vibing thoughts don’t surround my birthday.
When I think back to what’s changed, here’s what I came up with:
- I’m closer to myself and I like who I am. This took years of healing old traumas, forgiving myself and others, journaling, connecting with my spiritual side, getting healthier physically, emotionally and mentally;
- My relationship with death has evolved. I’m no longer scared of death and don’t view life as an hourglass of sand slowly spent to the last grain;
- My perspective on getting older has changed. I now consider my wisdom and crow’s feet a beautiful blessing. With each year that passes, I am grateful for opportunities to share my experiences and to settle into a fuller version of me (like a bottle of fine wine. Hmmm… Am I more of a Cabernet Sauvignon or a Riesling or perhaps something else?);
- I stopped using my birthday as a goalpost marker to evaluate my accomplishments. Now, I use it as a way to celebrate life: nature, art, love – The things that matter most
Hopefully you’ll be able to put what worked for me in practice (if it calls to you of course) so when your birthday rolls around you can enjoy it fully. If your birthday isn’t for a bit, print this out or cut and paste it into your calendar so you have it.
Happy Birthday!
Did you enjoy this blog? An even better gift than cake would be you sharing it with your community. Feel free to forward it to them, and they can subscribe here.
Sincerely,
Danielle
PS – Here’s an affirmation to use on your birthday (or any day you need a reminder that life and you are beautiful “I was born for a reason. Life is extraordinary and I add to its magnificence.”
PPS – To gain a clearer sense of everything you’ve brought to the world, grab your journal. Here’s a writing prompt: Instead of looking back on just one year, look back on the last seven. What have you experienced? How have you grown? What are you grateful for? How have you made the word a better place?
