So here I am. It’s my
34th birthday. And with this
birthday, I’ve made a decision. I’m
changing my approach to birthdays. I’m
going to EMBRACE it.
For so many years, I refused to acknowledge my birthday. I
tried so hard to pass off my birthday as “just another day.” I didn’t answer my phone when family called or
share the date with friends and co-workers.
In short, I just wanted to just pretend the day didn’t happen. Was I in denial about getting older? Possibly.
Ok, not possible…definitely.
I still remember the day I found my first gray hair. I was sitting in my car after walking out of
the optometrist’s office after just having picked up reading glasses. (Yes, the
irony here is palpable.) I pulled down the sun visor to get a close-up of my
new, smarter image (I was, at the time, still under the impression that glasses
were a sign of intelligence rather than age) when I saw it. A gray hair….and not just any gray hair….my
first gray hair. At the tender age of
25, reading glasses and a gray hair in the same day was just too much. And I cried.
That’s right, folks, I was that crazy lady bawling in the parking lot of
Monroe Optical. Once I composed myself,
I took my mascara-smudged, raccoon eyes to CVS and bought a box of home hair
coloring. Please look for future blog
posts on why NOT to dye your hair at home instead of going to a professional.
So with this birthday, while, yes, I do have more gray hairs,
I am not going to let it bother me.
Actually, I think I passed right by gray, and have gone straight to wiry
white. All of the women know what I am talking about. However, with the help of
Lenora from DePasquale, I no longer have to worry about that.
On my 34th birthday, I am looking back at the
last year, and realize that I should be celebrating another year. On this birthday, I am 40 lbs lighter than I
was last year. I can now run a 5K for
the first time since college. I am in a
good place in my career and am developing the type of professional reputation that
is the stuff that I want to leave as my legacy.
I have closer friends. I have had
another year of unbelievable joy with my son.
My husband and I are still best friends. My sister and I have bonded in a way that I
never imagined was possible. I know all of the Marvel comic superheroes and
villains. I can flip chocolate chip pancakes like a pro. I haven’t killed a
goldfish all year. I am in a really good
place.
True, I don’t have beautiful nails. My house is a little bit dusty. I forget
things every once in awhile (and by that I mean “daily”). I’m not yet caught up on the shows I’ve DVR’ed.
I cannot seem to figure out how the heating and A/C controls work in our house.
I can't make a pie crust to save my life. And I’ve yet to accomplish my life-long
dream of becoming a country music superstar.
But maybe I will tackle all of these before my 35th birthday.
Actually, that is a lie. I expect my
house will still be dusty, and I will never let my husband know I've
figured out things around the house. Because sometimes ignorance is the
best way to get out of doing work. The country music superstar thing
though....maybe that's the one I work towards!
The last time that anyone really made a big deal out of ME
was my baby shower. Before that, it was
the wedding, bridal shower, college graduation, and high school
graduation. As we get older, the
occasions for someone to make a big deal out of us become less and less
frequent. But we all have this
once-a-year opportunity to celebrate. As
a former attention hog, I am no longer going to let this day pass me by. I am 34 years old, and dammit, I am going to
celebrate that!
Sure, tomorrow, I will probably be told that the dinner I
made smells like a frat house floor, get kicked in the tits by a 4 year-old who
doesn’t want to put his shoes on, and say something mildly
embarrassing/borderline illegal at work.
But for today, the day is mine!
So THANK YOU to everyone who took time today to text, call, stop by my desk, surprised me with Happy Birthday flowers and treats, and post a message to Facebook. While I may not have been appreciative on previous birthdays, I am truly thankful and I am feeling extremely blessed.
