Today is my birthday.
Birthdays have a way of prompting retrospection, don’t they? At least for me. I often find myself reflective around birthdays – take time to consider where I’ve been, where I’m going…just think.
Birthdays are just an arbitrary milestone. Just one of the ways we can measure our lives. But there are so many other ways too.
What if we measured our lives by our own personal milestones, rather than the number of years that have passed? We might be happier if we paid more attention to the things we’re doing, rather than the age we are when we do them.
Today I turn 46 years old. Unlike a lot of people out there, I am actually excited about getting older, even though I joke about it a lot. Every year that passes the freer I feel from all of the things that used to keep me up at night: Am I cool enough? Do people like me? Of course, I still worry about those things a little bit, but only a little. I don’t even worry so much about my skin sagging or the more frequent aches and pains. I’ve finally given up on looking 30 and accepted that I’m 46 and strive to be my best at this age. I’m learning we are all capable of far more than the limitations set upon us by others.
The last year of my life has been different from previous ones. I don’t know where it went! It went by so fast because I was so busy. I think that’s why today makes me think because I realize how fast things went by that I wonder what I missed. Seriously, sometimes we go through life at a crazy pace we miss a lot. I know I did a lot, but I also wonder what opportunities I missed. Did I miss a chance to help someone around me? Did I miss a chance to say I love you to a loved one? Did I miss something that could have changed my life or someone else’s around me?
The need to be completely selfless in some aspects of my life caused me to be completely selfish in others. One of my goals for the coming year is to find a better way to balance the two.
The greatest lesson I lived this year, was that I have a long way to go to becoming the wife, mother, and friend that I am capable of being. I will always hold on to a handful of struggles but I know my potential is great.
So here’s to the blessings and knowledge that came with the passing of another year at life, and to all the possibilities that lie ahead. I lived this past year, through and through (the best parts and the worst) and I hope will all my heart for the opportunity to do it again.
One of my favorite cards has the quote, “Birthdays are good for you. Statistics show that the people who have the most, live the longest.” What a great reminder to celebrate whatever we can, whenever we can, and to take absolutely nothing for granted. Nothing except, maybe, that the longer we live, the more we will age. That everyday miracle seems worth celebrating. 🎉✨🎉✨
Blessings,
Dalinda
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